Elve users?

[jwilson56]

I would like to hear from any Elve users here on Cocoontech. I am starting my Now Playing migration project. Since I won a copy of Elve I figured it would be interesting to see if I could duplicate my Now Playing project over to it.

http://www.cocoontech.com/forums/index.php?app=blog&module=display&section=blog&blogid=8&showentry=333

 

[walken100]

I would like to hear from any Elve users here on Cocoontech.

Been using Cocoontech as an info source for a while. I've also checked out your blog more than once. Now I'm waiting to see what your are going to do with Elve and Droid....

 

[jwilson56]

I find that Netremote is more powerful but also more low level when it comes to building screens. With the power also comes the learning curve to do things the way you want. Elve is a bit easier to use so the average person should be able to come up with some nice looking screens much easier. Elve is growing and as it does I will add more functions to my test project.

 

[bpwwer]

I ported over my MainLobby screens to Elve and didn't have too much trouble. I haven't spent the time to really get everything working yet. I had a couple of custom plug-ins for MainLobby to deal with Russound / DishNetwork integration that I had to port over to Elve and still don't have all that working.

We use a DishNetwork receiver with it's Sirius radio channels as the primary source for the Russound system and I want the russound keypad to control a fixed set of Dish channels and display the Sirius channel name on the Russound keypad.

John, your screens are way nicer looking than mine. I stick with a very basic theme that fits with my level of graphics design ability

 

[ano]

I played with it for a while. I liked its simplicity and design, but the more I dug in, the more I learned it is really just a work in progress. Many areas have big holes, and when I was setting it up I received many errors and problems that shouldn't have occurred. I saw much potential, but I could rationalize the relatively high cost of the software, when to me, it felt very much like a beta. Its pretty fun to tinker with, but as for using it to create a large robust system like HomeSeer or CQC can do, its just not there.

 

[jwilson56]

Well since I own a Elve Pro version and retired I have time to play with it and being a beta tester I have a lot of input as to things getting fixed. Johnnynine has been pretty responsive at making changes that has improved the potential on Elve a lot IMO. So I think 1.2 will be a huge step in the right direction.

 

[etc6849]

John, your GUI looks very nice! Does the GUI have two way capability or does it rely on polling to update the screen if a user manually turns on a switch or opens a door? If so what software did you use to make it?

 

[jwilson56]

Well I am currently using Netremote as the GUI front end and Girder 5 as the home automation server. Girder has both an Elk and an Ocelot plugin that keeps the status for all lighting, security and digital inputs. These are instantly updated to Netremote through the variable table being shared across the network to all Netremote clients. So when a light switch is turned off or on the GUI screen gets updated. Also the LED's for the receivers power status are all hardware based so they also instantly changed as they are turned on and off. It is all two way communication.

As for Elve I have not hooked any actual hardware up yet so I am not sure how robust its functionality is yet.

 

[jwilson56]

Check out my blog for my latest thoughts on Elve

http://cocoontech.com/forums/blog/8/entry-366-now-playing-migration-thoughts/

 

[iostream212]

Elve does support two way. I have many devices hooked up and the responsiveness is great. So I went the elve path as well. Why? Well it supports the hardware that I have. The builder interface is intuitive. I feel at home as a windows power user. There are enough features that I have been able to build a very impressive interface... Video to follow eventually. the logging capabilities are great for smashing bugs. I got up and running faster than I ever could with homeseer and cqc. Don't take my words for it... They all offer trials. See for yourself. I really enjoy the java script/c style scripting. It took a little learning, but now I just type away. Ok so now I am gushing. Are there short falls? Sure. All systems will have their issues. Elve has no android support. The media browser is plain. Allowed driver instances vs. software flavor is pricey. But its entry level is extremely competitive at only $99. Version 1.2 is well on its way. It was supposed to be feature locked at this point to fine tune for the release, instead a major new feature was added. I feel confident that I made a goods choice with this purchase. My screens are beautiful and functional. I don't have to pay for plugins. And it plays nice with everything I need it to, except my droids.

Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk

 

[iolaus]

I'm using Elve with great success. Love that it is a .NET app and has a really solid API for driver development. I agree that the
"Allowed driver instances vs. software flavor is pricey". I wish they would differentiate between DIY and Pro in some way other than allowed driver instances. I'm anxiously awaiting an Android app so I can start controlling my automation from some tablets.