Smart Home Automation with Vera Edge and Heatmiser Neo
Alan Carter, a valued customer of Heatmiser, has contacted us to let us know of a “Vera Edge” Plug-In that he has made available to interface with Heatmiser Neo.
Alan has written the Plug-In to support any number of devices connected to the neoHub. The plug-in will then find the neoHub on the LAN and create virtual devices in Vera for each attached neoStat; these virtual devices can then be accessed by users and other Vera plug-ins or scripts. The neoHub is polled every 30 seconds (configurable) to update Vera with temps, set points etc., while commands from Vera are sent to the neoHub immediately.
When control and monitoring of each thermostat is combined with other house data in Vera it allows you to do some interesting things.
Some examples already in use are;
“I set my Heatmiser to frost protection mode if any outside door is open for more than a minute or two, to avoid heating the street. Vera switches the thermostat back to Auto mode when the door has been closed for a minute.”
“Another user with neoStat in every room has set up his Vera to override the usual programme and keep the heat on if his security PIR senses that the room is occupied. If no movement has been detected for 30 minutes, or if the security system is set to Night mode (when he goes to bed) the Neo is switched back to Auto.”
One customer using Alan’s Plugin went on to say..
Thanks Alan for all your work on this and speedy turn around. This has turned a great set of thermostats into a important piece of my home automation. I now have 12 neoStat’s set up in Vera which include normal stats, electric floor ones, ones running as time clocks for towel rails and hot water timer. I’m not sure any other system gives you all those options, Nest definitely doesn’t. And now it’s all powered by Vera.
I stayed up late and the kitchen motion sensor saw it and extended the temp for another hour. Then when I set the alarm all stats were set back to normal program now.
Those interested in interfacing with Vera Edge should contact Alan by via Twitter https://twitter.com/merc5555
8th February 2016 Update – Vera Edge now support neoPlug
Alan Carter, the original developer of the Vera Edge Plug-In has contacted Heatmiser to let us know of an updated plug-in.
I have developed Vera plug-ins for several Heatmiser products, most recently the neoHub and neoStat, and they have kindly loaned my a neoPlug for development purposes. (I wish all companies were as supportive of developers!)
The Vera Heatmiser Neo plug-in now supports neoPlug, so if any users are planning on ordering some of these (they’re available from 10 February) I’ll be happy to send a set of updated plug-in files.
Read more about Heatmiser Neo here