Is Vera still the best controller (to replace my failing Vera3)?

[samppa]

I have had Vera3 for a few years and after upgrade to UI7 from UI5 the problems started and the flash memory is degrading with bad blocks so that the unit is no longer stable or reliable.
What is the best controller for MySensors or are VeraEdge or Vera Plus the best alternatives?
I have somewhat complex rules and luup scripts with PLG to control things and I like the ability to tinker and code stuff to work together intelligently. And the active community support and developed apps/plugins are important factors.
So who could suggest the best controller box for my needs?

By the way, the MySensors site should have controller comparison table as welll as and pors/cons and suggestions.

[mfalkvidd]

@samppa if you like the Vera you should probably stick to it, especially since you have invested a lot in learning and writing code for it.

What are the main features you would like to see compared in a table? (The reason I'm asking is that different controllers have so vast different features that comparing all features would make it impossible to present it in a table that anyone could grasp)

If you haven't seen it already, https://www.mysensors.org/controller lists all known controllers and their features.

[samppa]

Yes I saw the list and struggling to go through it one by one..
It would be great to see the main differences and estimation of target audience as a summary table. Level of expertise needed, z-wave, zigbee support etc..

[hek]

@samppa said:

It would be great to see the main differences and estimation of target audience as a summary table. Level of expertise needed, z-wave, zigbee support etc..

That would be a nice addition. Please help us out to make a comparison.

[samppa]

Perhaps we could link to https://socialcompare.com/en/comparison/home-automation-controllers-under-400dollar-37r4y81h and add rows for MySensors compatibility..

[AWI]

@samppa The MySensors controller list only has a small overlap with the 'socialcompare' list. We can start with a table which lists the most important MySensors aspects. Personally I am not interested how these controllers handle z-wave etc.

Start a brainstorm on features?

• Last update date / update frequency

• supported S_ & V_ types (extensive, including special handling)

• Node ID generation

• Serial Gateway support

• LAN Gateway support

• Multiple gateway support

• Ack support

• OTA support

• Heartbeat support

• Hardware platform(s)

• Web interface

• Customisation

• IFTT alike programming

While typing this list I recognise that there are a few more difficult to quantify elements like : user friendlyness, experience level, customizability. Next to that I think there will only be a limited number of main stream controllers with extensive MySensors support. A few runner ups and a lot of niche players/ legacy.

if the feature list is next to complete and agreed, we can start filling it.

[Nca78]

Hello,

that would be a good idea.

To keep it simple maybe the table should just give some kind of "level" of support for MySensors ? For example something like "basic" (switches, temp/hum/... sensors, dimmer ...), "advanced" (RGB, HVAC, Ack, Heartbeat), "full" (all or nearly all features) so users can have a global idea of the level of support, then a switch could toggle the display of the supported message/value types ? As displaying them right away would make the table much more complex and probably confusing for a lot of users.

Maybe also group the columns :
"Gateways" column with "Serial" and "Lan" subcolumns
"Interfaces" column with "Web", "Free App", "Paid App" columns
"Customization" column with "Blocky", "Script"

[mfalkvidd]

Could this table be prototyped in a Google Spreadsheet, which can be edited online by anyone? Maybe that is the quickest way to experiment and find out what information should be made available?

[AWI]

@mfalkvidd My idea, anyone with some experience build the format? ;-)

[mfalkvidd]

@AWI I'm mainly a PowerPoint Engineer nowadays but here you go: <EDIT: Removed link, use AWI's below instead>

[AWI]

@mfalkvidd We are getting off topic here... ;-) Thanks for your start. I have changed the layout a little (swapped rows and colums as I think there are more features than controllers.. and tried to incorporate @Nca78 's suggestions ( I'm more an Excel guy )

As I have only little knowledge on the other controllers I filled only the Domoticz colum. Shall we start a new topic when we have more than 10 votes to go based on this layout?

find it here: MySensors Controller comparison

[fets]

@AWI + @mfalkvidd good job.
Maybe you could add MQTT gateway support

[mfalkvidd]

@fets I thought the idea was to let everyone add what they want. The document is editable.

@AWI should I delete my version of the document? Managing forks is a pain, especially when there is no system for pull requests.

[AWI]

@mfalkvidd if you are ok with the changes. I

[mfalkvidd]

I have removed edit rights in my document and deleted everything. Added a link to your document.