Migrate HA Server from Homeseer to ?

[mterry63]

All,
 
I've been a Homeseer user since early 2001, previously using ECS from about 1998. 
 
I'm starting to feel about Homeseer the way I felt about ECS in 2000 - it may not be the way forward for me. I don't think I'll commit to version 3 from version 2; and I'm not sure Homeseer has the plan to get it done in the future.
 
Don't get me wrong, I love the product, but I just feel they have hit a plateau, and they have been there for a while. Personally I believe a bigger fish needs to invest heavily before it can meet it's potential.
 
Given that decision, I'm considering a new platform to move to. Open source doesn't scare me, I'm an IT guy for a living. I'd like to find something that can utilize my existing hardware investment which includes the following:
 
Ocelot - PLC/IR
Aeon Zwave Zstick - Mostly Schlage locks.
HAI RC-2000 Thermostat
Napco Gemini 9600 panel (I might consider replacing this, it's getting long in the tooth)
WGL W800 Various sensors
 
Any suggestions? Can anything match Homeseer?
 
 
 
 
 

 

[Frunple]

I'll be watching this thread!
I'm currently using Elve, good software but it's dead so looking to move to something with a future. I really wish John would just open source Elve but I doubt that would happen.
I used HS back in the 1.x version's, it was ok but needed a lot, so I figured I'd give it another shot a few months back but it didn't last long. Not really what I'm looking for I guess.
So it'll be good to see what kind of recommendations you get here. Other than CQC and Premise I mean, those and HS seem to be the most common on this board.

 

[etc6849]

Premise is great, especially since you're in IT.  It's very Microsoft like as it supports vbscript in addition to .net and C++.
 
For z-wave though, you'd have to buy a VRC0P +3 and use it as a secondary controller.

 

[mterry63]

Premise was my initial thought (no research done :mellow: ). Is there a document somewhere that describes the hardware it supports? Does it have any kind of touchscreen support? (one of the things in Homeseer I wish was better).

 

[mterry63]

I know it's 'whining' but I wish Homeseer would whittle down the open bugs before moving on to something shiny.

 

[donstephens]

I know it's 'whining' but I wish Homeseer would whittle down the open bugs before moving on to something shiny.

Yeah, I know what you mean. I'm hoping HS3's architecture allows it to be as stable as HS1 was.
 
As far as alternatives, there seem to be a few but they don't appear to have the community of support that HomeSeer does.
 
I wish you happy hunting, and will be interested in what you settle on.
 
Don 

 

[etc6849]

Yes, click the link in my signature.  I updated the wiki a while back, but still some things are not listed.  I know it works with everything you listed except the "Napco Gemini 9600 panel" and you'll need a VRC0P+3.  It may support it, I don't know.  Of course, you can always install it and read the help files to see what is natively supported.  
 
There is also an Elk M1G module that's written in vbscript.  You could always modify it using the Gemini's RS232 ascii protocol if it's really not supported.
 

Premise was my initial thought (no research done :mellow: ). Is there a document somewhere that describes the hardware it supports? Does it have any kind of touchscreen support? (one of the things in Homeseer I wish was better).

 

[etc6849]

There's 100+ free modules for Premise (which is also free), all posted on cocoontech.  I'm not sure how much more of a community one needs...  There's also never been a post unanswered that I can remember.
 

Yeah, I know what you mean. I'm hoping HS3's architecture allows it to be as stable as HS1 was.
 
As far as alternatives, there seem to be a few but they don't appear to have the community of support that HomeSeer does.
 
I wish you happy hunting, and will be interested in what you settle on.
 
Don 

 

[mterry63]

Comparing open source software with Homeseer will be tough as they are completely different support models. 
 
Homeseer has a active group of forum users which can address the nuances of 'how to' or 'watch out for this bug' or 'how to work around this bug' but they can't actually change the software. Only Homeseer can do that.
 
For example, of my hardware listed, only the Zwave hardware is actively supported/updated by Homeseer. The WGL hardware is supported by 3rd party. Everything else is frozen as-is, no bug fixes or updates. The updates part is ok, as the hardware's capabilities are basically not being updated either, but the bug fixes would be nice. 
 
I'm one of those users that wound up buying the J-River Audio plugin that never made it out of beta or made it to recent version of J-River. Kinda left a bad taste in my mouth, this kind of thing influenced my decision to cast a wider net.
 
I also invested in HSTouch when it initially came out in beta, and was never happy with the product and it's open list of bugs. 
 
Seems also things tend to lean on the support forum for documentation of things that should be provided up front. It's turned into a perpetual beta program.
 
Again, not wanting to bash Homeseer. I'll probably continue to use it for some time to come, but I'm looking elsewhere for the future of Home Automation for me personally. It's easy for me to be critical of my issues. As the saying goes, YMMV.

 

[picta]

Similar situation here, I have been using HS since 2000 and now have HS Pro running on windows 7. I have tried HS3 beta, but it looks like it will be a while before all the bugs get  worked out, and it will require modifying all the scripts I have created over the years. I was eying Premise as a possible alternative for some time. There is a learning curve there and it is looks steeper than the one for HS, but in terms of functionality it looks very powerful. However I don't think the UI is as strong, when compared to HS touch. I think I'll continue with HS2 for as long as possible, while keeping eyes open for any better alternatives, including HS3 when it gets to the working state.

 

[Madcodger]

+1 on this whole thread and sentiment. My laments about the changes at / in HS once version 2 was launched are known from other posts here and on their forum, so no need to beat that dead horse. But hearing others thoughts and experience would be very helpful, and appreciated.

I have also been eyeing Premise (but haven't taken the plunge due to time constraints). I am also concerned that it no longer has the backing of an official owner, so open source does worry me a bit (no IT skills, just geeky wiring).

Personally I've been trying to do as much as possible with my Elk and ISY and have been surprised at how little I've truly needed HS for much of what I once used it to do. I primarily miss my wireless temp/humidity sensor tie-in and voice announcements more than anything.

 

[Dean Roddey]

We'd certainly be happy to see any of you over in CQC Land. Lack of robustness is not a characteristic anyone would apply to CQC, AFAIK.

 

[sic0048]

I use CQC, so I'm partial to it.  However, one of the best parts of CQC is the way hardware is supported.  All public drivers are communal meaning that while a third party individual might have written the driver, others can modify and change the driver.  This helps prevent devices from being created by third party developers who then drop support and effectively leave their users hanging.  It also helps prevent duplication of hardware support, so there aren't four different developers selling their code for the same device.  
 
The system overall is not open source obviously.  But at least the driver structure is fairly "open" in that anyone can work on existing drivers.  It really helps keep devices fully supported, even when the original developer stops working on it for some reason.
 
* There is one or two encrypted drivers that only the original developer can modify.  These are the exception to the rule however and were only encrypted due to the NDA agreements with the hardware manufactures.  It was a choice of getting a driver that was encrypted, or not getting anything at all.  

 

[dave w]

I'm starting to feel about Homeseer the way I felt about ECS in 2000 - it may not be the way forward for me. I don't think I'll commit to version 3 from version 2; and I'm not sure Homeseer has the plan to get it done in the future.
 
Don't get me wrong, I love the product, but I just feel they have hit a plateau, and they have been there for a while. Personally I believe a bigger fish needs to invest heavily before it can meet it's potential.

 
Could not have expressed it any better. I am not happy with HS2 and may not move on to HS3. To migrate from HS2 to HS3 is almost like starting over anyway.

 

[JimyT]

Interesting topic, and timely for me. I used homeseer 1 & 2 for years. Then Vera with z-wave. Vera works pretty well but has limits. So I started looking again at HS2-3. My primary interface needs are zwave, DSC panel, and nice iOS and remote access.

After a few weeks of demo evaluation, I just purchased Indigo and a Mac mini. I could not be happier. With the exception of my zwave locks (which I knew going in, and there's a Vera workaround), indigo works with everything.

I love it.