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[Black Cat]

Homeseer has a 30 day free trial, it's available in both Windows (ideal for repurposing an old laptop) or run it on a Raspberry Pi.
I do both flavours for testing but love the Pi.
A UZB is essential for a Z-Wave network, HS is software not tied to a particular system, for instance apart from Z-Wave you can run Zigbee, KNX, Hue, Tuya... the list goes on.
Your RF controller will work with it.
It's free for 30 days, jump in and give it a try.

[akbooer]

Whatever, if you replace the Vera, you will need a ZWave stick. If you buy a ZWave.me one (UZB) then you get the ZWay software.

[Black Cat]

^^^
The point I was trying to make is that you can trial HS software without a UZB, also there is other software than Z-Way.
I'm hoping that the forum doesn't become Z-Way centric as there other good options available as well including Home Assistant.
If you like the software then choices can be made for Z-Wave, Zigbee etc, if you have a TUYA device then it's all there for you without buying anything additional.

[rafale77]

Without wanting to be z-way centric, HS is indeed a decent choice for zwave as a holistic controller, not needing anything else but... It is very very expensive. Its integrations are good but nowhere near as good as home assistant and again very expensive. And lastly it doesn't have any decent API for it to use as a device controller which would enable people to overcome its inconveniences which is cost and insufficient integrations. So no I don't really recommend homeseer. It is good if it fits exactly what you are seeking in terms of control and integration and are willing to pay the $$$. I downloaded it, used the free version for some time and though it is stable, it lacks the flexibility of openLuup in automation and the completeness and user friendliness of z-way in zwave command class level controls. Each has its pros and cons but homeseer has no good way to overcome its cons unlike others you can make work with others.

[akbooer]

@Black-Cat said in Vera or not vera?:

The point I was trying to make is that you can trial HS software without a UZB, also there is other software than Z-Way.
I'm hoping that the forum doesn't become Z-Way centric as there other good options available as well including Home Assistant.

100%.

These are just opinions based on individual experience... what else could they be?

If there was a ‘perfect’ answer, then we wouldn’t need a forum.

---

Edit: I should back up this philosophy with the very practical note that I am not, in fact, now, even ZWave centric, abandoning it for almost everything (can’t find a good replacement yet for two pulse-counter meter readers or MiniMote four-button hand-held controllers.)

I’ve surprised myself by being impressed with Shelly WiFi-based devices.

[sender]

(can’t find a good replacement yet for two pulse-counter meter readers or MiniMote four-button hand-held controllers.)

Have a look at esphome.io

[akbooer]

@sender said in Vera or not vera?:

(can’t find a good replacement yet for two pulse-counter meter readers or MiniMote four-button hand-held controllers.)

Have a look at esphome.io

Yes, thanks. You (or someone else) May have pointed this out previously?

I have no problem building my own stuff (I used to use MySensor Arduino-based sensors) but have been trying to move towards more consumer-based hardware (Philips Hue, etc.) for easier maintenance in the future (possibly by others, rather than myself.)

It would seem that a natural response for a new owner acquiring a home-made smart home would be to rip it all out and start again, but an infrastructure of commercial, and documented, systems would, perhaps, be more likely to be retained?

A theme for a separate topic, perhaps.

[krisztianszabo]

@akbooer

• If I connect a z-way or z wave stick later and leave the vera, will I still be able to run openluup? Will I keep all my devices, plugins, reactor scenes previously imported from vera?
• What is your opinion on the shutter issue I mentioned earlier? Will go? That would be important because I wouldn’t get rid of the shutter controller.
• Does zway also have a free trial?
• I downloaded the homeseer to watch for free on windows. It's completely empty now. Should I install the vera plugin? In principle, it writes $ 40. Or is it free for 30 days in the trial version?

Sorry if I asked something clear ....

[akbooer]

• openLuup has no dependency on Vera hardware at all. It is simply a reliable implementation of the Luup API.
• I don’t think ZWay has a free trial. In openLuup it is just used as middleware to connect to the ZWave stack.

[Black Cat]

Homeseer software is free for 30 days, Plug Ins vary, some are free to trial some not.
The PI description will tell you the status.

[krisztianszabo]

@akbooer

I bought the Pi!
I'm right there now
#wget https://github.com/akbooer/openLuup/raw/master/Utilities/openLuup_install.lua

For some reason he writes to me that:
openLuup_install.lus: permission denied.

What do I have to do now?

[PerH]

mabye putting "sudo" in front of it? you may have to stand in the /Downloads folder as well, and then copy the downloaded file to /etc later..

[krisztianszabo]

It was key !!
"saved"
Thanks.
I'm going on my way ...

[krisztianszabo]

one more problem ...
the installation stalled here.

pi@raspberrypi:/etc/cmh-ludl $ sudo lua5.1 openLuup_install.lua
openLuup_install   2019.02.15   @akbooer
getting openLuup version tar file from GitHub branch master...
un-zipping download files...
mv: 'openLuup-master/openLuup/'-t can't remove here: './openLuup': The directory is not empty
getting dkjson.lua...
creating required files and folders
initialising...
downloading and installing AltUI...
  % Total    % Received % Xferd  Average Speed   Time    Time     Time  Current
                                 Dload  Upload   Total   Spent    Left  Speed
100 29170  100 29170    0     0  90309      0 --:--:-- --:--:-- --:--:-- 90309
  % Total    % Received % Xferd  Average Speed   Time    Time     Time  Current
                                 Dload  Upload   Total   Spent    Left  Speed
100  6570  100  6570    0     0  32364      0 --:--:-- --:--:-- --:--:-- 32364
lua5.1: openLuup/init.lua:291: openLuup - is another copy already running?  Unable to start HTTP server on port 3480
stack traceback:
	[C]: in function 'error'
	openLuup/init.lua:291: in main chunk
	[C]: ?
openLuup downloaded, installed, and running...
visit http://192.168.0.159:3480 to start using the system
pi@raspberrypi:/etc/cmh-ludl $ lua5.1: openLuup/init.lua:291: openLuup - is another copy already running?  Unable to start HTTP server on port 3480
stack traceback:
	[C]: in function 'error'
	openLuup/init.lua:291: in main chunk
	[C]: ?  "

If I try to open it in a browser the message is:
"This XML file does not appear to have any style information associated with it. The document tree is shown below."

What should I do?

[akbooer]

@krisztianszabo said in Vera or not vera?:

openLuup - is another copy already running?

It means exactly what it says.

Try accessing it with AltUI URL. If it’s an old copy running, you can abort it with the exit command, as described in the documentation...

http://openLuupIP:3480/data_request?id=exit

[krisztianszabo]

with openluup ip, the browser prints the following (in black on a red background):
"Waiting Initial Data"
... but nothing has happened for a long time ...

[akbooer]

Look for errors in the log file.

You should be able to access the native openLuup UI with

http://openLuupURL:3480/openLuup/

...in order to access the logs.

The most common issue here is that your computer locale setting specifies a language which AltUI does not implement. The error log should clarify this. A workaround is to copy the English language file to one with your country extension OR set your language to one which is implemented.

[krisztianszabo]

Language really was the problem. Thanks.
I got past that, but here's another one ....
The two files were born in the right places (etc / cmh-ludl and systemd / system) with good content.
When I type that:

pi@raspberrypi:/etc/cmh-ludl $ sudo systemctl enable openLuup
The unit files have no installation config (WantedBy=, RequiredBy=, Also=,
Alias= settings in the [Install] section, and DefaultInstance= for template
units). This means they are not meant to be enabled using systemctl.

Possible reasons for having this kind of units are:
• A unit may be statically enabled by being symlinked from another unit's
.wants/ or .requires/ directory.
• A unit's purpose may be to act as a helper for some other unit which has
a requirement dependency on it.
• A unit may be started when needed via activation (socket, path, timer,
D-Bus, udev, scripted systemctl call, ...).
• In case of template units, the unit is meant to be enabled with some
instance name specified.

[krisztianszabo]

@Akbooer
I copied this from the startup_log.
Something was not filled properly?
Could the above error message be the cause?

2020-11-05 15:35:49.788 openLuup.init:: Cjson not installed - using openLuup.json.Lua.decode() instead
2020-11-05 15:35:49.789 luup.create_device:: [1] D_ZWaveNetwork.xml / / ()
2020-11-05 15:35:49.789 openLuup.chdev:: ERROR: unable to read XML file I_ZWave.xml
2020-11-05 15:35:49.804 luup.create_device:: [2] D_openLuup.xml / I_openLuup.xml / D_openLuup.json (openLuup)
2020-11-05 15:35:49.804 openLuup.init:: loading configuration user_data.json
2020-11-05 15:35:49.804 openLuup.userdata:: loading user_data json...
2020-11-05 15:35:49.812 luup.variable_set:: 2.openLuup.HouseMode was: EMPTY now: 1 #hooks:0
2020-11-05 15:35:49.812 openLuup.userdata:: loading rooms...
2020-11-05 15:35:49.812 openLuup.userdata:: ...room loading completed
2020-11-05 15:35:49.812 openLuup.userdata:: loading devices...
2020-11-05 15:35:49.813 luup.create_device:: [1] D_ZWaveNetwork.xml / / ()
2020-11-05 15:35:49.813 openLuup.chdev:: ERROR: unable to read XML file I_ZWave.xml
2020-11-05 15:35:49.908 openLuup.scheduler.sandbox:: device 3 defined 'string.starts' (a function value)
2020-11-05 15:35:49.908 openLuup.scheduler.sandbox:: device 3 defined 'string.altui_split' (a function value)
2020-11-05 15:35:49.908 openLuup.scheduler.sandbox:: device 3 defined 'string.template' (a function value)
2020-11-05 15:35:49.908 openLuup.scheduler.sandbox:: device 3 defined 'string.trim' (a function value)
2020-11-05 15:35:49.909 luup.create_device:: [3] D_ALTUI.xml / I_ALTUI.xml / D_ALTUI_UI7.json (urn:schemas-upnp-org:device:altui:1)
2020-11-05 15:35:49.917 luup.create_device:: [4] D_AltAppStore.xml / I_AltAppStore.xml / D_AltAppStore.json (urn:schemas-upnp-org:device:AltAppStore:1)
2020-11-05 15:35:49.917 openLuup.userdata:: loading scenes...
2020-11-05 15:35:49.917 openLuup.userdata:: number of scenes = 0
2020-11-05 15:35:49.917 openLuup.userdata:: ...scene loading completed
2020-11-05 15:35:49.917 openLuup.userdata:: loading installed plugin info...
2020-11-05 15:35:49.917 openLuup.userdata:: [openLuup] openLuup (20.5.22)
2020-11-05 15:35:49.917 openLuup.userdata:: [AltAppStore] Alternate App Store (20.3.30)
2020-11-05 15:35:49.917 openLuup.userdata:: [VeraBridge] VeraBridge (not.installed)
2020-11-05 15:35:49.917 openLuup.userdata:: [8246] Alternate UI (GitHub.master)
2020-11-05 15:35:49.917 openLuup.userdata:: [Z-Way] Z-Way (not.installed)
2020-11-05 15:35:49.918 openLuup.userdata:: [Arduino] MySensors (not.installed)
2020-11-05 15:35:49.918 openLuup.userdata:: ...user_data loading completed
2020-11-05 15:35:49.918 openLuup.init:: running openLuup_STARTUP
2020-11-05 15:35:49.918 luup_log:0: startup code completed
2020-11-05 15:35:49.918 openLuup.init:: init phase completed
2020-11-05 15:35:49.918 :: openLuup LOG ROTATION :: (runtime 0.0 days)

[akbooer]

Looks great to me. No problem with the missing file, really.

Is everything working?