Side By Side Comparison

Revision as of 22:13, 27 July 2009

This is meant to be an informative, objective comparison of Vera and the other Z-Wave gateways, not a 1-sided sales pitch. If other Z-Wave gateways have features we have not listed, you can add those features. You can also add other gateways that are not on the list, and correct any mistakes and add notes. This document is a wiki, editable by the public.

Note that this document, being a wiki, contains data provided by the public and our customers as well as those of our competitors. The list of features supported by the Schlage and Hawking products comes from customers who use those products and Mi Casa Verde has not independently verified all the features of our competitors products. If there are any inaccuracies, anybody is able to correct them.

NOTE: 27 July 2009 micasaverde: We just had a discussion with Schlage and they have said they will update this page this week to ensure the comparison between Vera and the Schlage LiNK is accurate. We have purchased our own LiNK and are working with Schlage to verify the current feature set of the LiNK to ensure this page has current, accurate information. We ran into some questions about how to do certain tasks which we were told the LiNK supports. We have posted these questions on the discussion page. We also updated the page with the new features in our Luup release, which is now in beta, including the new cell phone apps which are in beta and will be released in about 2 weeks.

	Vera	Hawking HRPG1	Schlage LiNK Bridge	Notes
Price
Retail Price	$299	$179	Not sold separately	The Schlage Bridge is available only as part of a bundled kit. The Schlage locks are available without the Schlage Bridge for $100 less.
Monthly charge	Optional	$9.99	$12.99	Schlage requires a monthly subscription or else you cannot use the LiNK or control Z-Wave devices. You can still manually operate the door without the subscription. Hawking requires a monthly subscription of $9.99 for cell phone access. Vera's provides secure remote access, cell phone control, and email notifications for free. SMS texting and video archiving are $29/year.
Not dependent on manufacturer		partial		Meaning if the manufacturer stopped supporting the product, would it still function. With Vera, only the optional hosted online services depend on Mi Casa Verde, all local functions are independent, and Vera will run without an internet connection. In Hawking's case, cell phone access would stop but other functions would continue. In Schlage's case, the product will not function at all if you don't pay the monthly bill or if Schlage discontinues support for the product. However the Lock itself will still function as a keypad lock. The remote capabilities will be disabled.
Z-Wave Device Compatibility
Guaranteed compatible with all Z-Wave devices				Vera is free if it doesn't work with all your Z-Wave devices as explained here. Note: Z-Wave devices must be certified by Zensys/the Z-Wave alliance to be called Z-Wave and to qualify.
Light Switches/Appliance Modules
Thermostats
Door/Window/Motion Sensor				Meaning Z-Wave door, window and motion sensors can trigger scenes, fire events, and you can be notified on your mobile phone
Combo-sensors				Such as the 3-in-1 light, temperature, motion sensor
Handheld remotes				Meaning handheld remotes can activate scenes in the gateway and be programed within the gateway
Door locks
Scene controllers				Same as handheld remotes
Supports European Z-Wave				You must order the Euro version of Vera to support European Z-Wave
Insteon/X10 Device Compatibility
Insteon/X10
A/V Device Compatibility
Infrared control				Control TV's, stereo's, etc., with infrared emitters
RS232 control				For those models of A/V devices that have serial control ports provides direct control without infrared
Universal remote control				Use your mobile phone as a universal remote control
Alarm System Compatibility
RS232 alarm panels				Sensors from your traditional home alarm system can trigger scenes, notifications, etc., and you can remotely manage your home alarm
USB alarm panels				Same
Ethernet alarm panels				Same
IP Devices Compatibility
Generic IP Cameras				Vera works with any IP camera that can return a JPEG file, such as Panasonic and most IP cameras.
Proprietary IP Cameras	n/a			Schlage offers their own brand of IP cameras that are not accessible with a normal web browser and cannot be used without the LiNK subscription. Hawking also has a proprietary camera.
Pan/Tilt/Zoom				Ability to move camera and adjust it remotely
Z-Wave features
Works as a primary controller
Works as a secondary controller
Can be added to an existing Z-Wave network
Supports controller shift
Door lock specific
Secure remote locking/unlocking of doors
Secure remote setting of user codes
Control of doors from handheld remotes and scene controllers				Meaning a button on a Z-Wave handheld remote or scene controller can be programmed, for example, to turn off the lights and lock the doors. Schlage only allows controller through the Schlage interface.
Door locks trigger events				For example, when you unlock the door the porch light comes on automatically.
PIN codes trigger events				For example, you give the pool cleaner a PIN code and are notified by SMS when he unlocks the door with his PIN code
Support all door locks				Vera will also support the Black & Decker door locks when they are on the market.
Automation
Scenes
Timers
Events				For example, turn on a light when a motion sensor is tripped.
Relative to sunset/sunrise				Meaning trigger a scene 1 hour before the sun rises, etc.
Remote access
Direct access over IP				Meaning you can directly control the device over the internet or local network without going through a remote server
Works when your internet is down				Meaning you can still control and configure the system from within the home if your internet connection is down
Secure remote access through a gateway				Both Vera and Schlage use a secure server similar to that for online banking. Vera offers this for free. Schlage offers it for a $13/month subscription.
Energy monitoring
Tracks actual energy usage				Meaning it supports the Z-Wave classes for reporting current Watts, accumulated KwH, etc.
Reports historical energy usage				Vera shows past energy usage by room, type of device, etc.
Responds to energy alerts				Vera allows automatic energy reduction when the utility company reports the power grid is overloaded. See Energy
Networking
Built-in router/gateway				Hawking and Schlage require you to purchase these separately
Built-in wi-fi				Hawking and Schlage require you to purchase these separately
Remote Control
Custom remotes with your own skins/buttons				For example, put an iPod touch on the wall which your own wallpaper and pictures and icons that trigger scenes or control devices.
Web interface on local home network				Direct access by http://[your bridge's IP address]
Web interface for secure remote access over the internet				Access going through a remote server via https
Cell phone access
Wi-fi access (iPod Touch, PDA's, etc.)				Meaning PDA's, iPhone's, and other wi-fi enabled devices can directly control the bridge using your home network
Handheld remotes				Meaning a button on a handheld remote, such as a the popular Intermatic Z-Wave remotes, can trigger a scene in the bridge, such as making the bridge lock a door or adjust the thermostat.
Scene controllers				Same as handheld remotes above
Online services
Archive of surveillance camera images				All these online services are part of the Find_Vera_Service service
Archive of energy usage
Archive of events
Open-ness / geek-friendly
Direct login allowed				Meaning you can login to the system with telnet/ssh to inspect the software, verify the strength of the encryption, etc.
Allows custom scripts				You can write your own scripts to automate tasks, which scripts run in the bridge.
Published API's for custom add-ons and UI's				See: Luup_Intro