 | There’s been some very big changes at Vera Control of late. As most Vera users will now know, a new version of UI7 firmware dropped last month (7.0.29 GA). This is the first update since the company was acquired by Ezlo (and in almost a year!), so needless to say, our expectations were high. |
We've been running with the new version since its beta release about two months ago and we’re very pleased to announce that this is the most stable and performant UI7 ever! The list of bug fixes and enhancements is vast and you can get full details here. A worthy upgrade for sure.
From our perspective though, the most exciting Vera news in recent memory hasn’t been about company acquisitions or UI7 improvements, it’s been about the amazing contributions made to the platform by Patrick H. Rigney; a.k.a. rigpapa (as he’s known in the Vera community).
Patrick has single-handedly redefined the way we use Vera through a collection of ingenious software addons (plugins) which will transform your humble controller into a home automation beast! All of his excellent plugins are available via the Vera app store and directly from this github repo. However, without a doubt, the one plugin every Vera user needs to know about is, Reactor.
Reactor is the most essential plugin Vera has ever known. It can help you build powerful smart home logic effortlessly and without needing to write a single line of code. After setting up your first Reactor device, you will wonder how you ever lived without it.
The kinds of things possible with Reactor are limitless and we are yet to encounter a home automation scenario it couldn’t handle. You can read more about its capabilities in this wiki and there’s now also a dedicated YouTube channel of instructional “how-to” videos to help get you started (with more promised in time).
From our perspective though, the most exciting Vera news in recent memory hasn’t been about company acquisitions or UI7 improvements, it’s been about the amazing contributions made to the platform by Patrick H. Rigney; a.k.a. rigpapa (as he’s known in the Vera community).
Patrick has single-handedly redefined the way we use Vera through a collection of ingenious software addons (plugins) which will transform your humble controller into a home automation beast! All of his excellent plugins are available via the Vera app store and directly from this github repo. However, without a doubt, the one plugin every Vera user needs to know about is, Reactor.
Reactor is the most essential plugin Vera has ever known. It can help you build powerful smart home logic effortlessly and without needing to write a single line of code. After setting up your first Reactor device, you will wonder how you ever lived without it.
The kinds of things possible with Reactor are limitless and we are yet to encounter a home automation scenario it couldn’t handle. You can read more about its capabilities in this wiki and there’s now also a dedicated YouTube channel of instructional “how-to” videos to help get you started (with more promised in time).
Reactor Status Screen
We can’t oversell this. If you’ve never tried Reactor or any of rigpapa’s plugins, please, do yourself a favour! Here's a few others we rely on:-
We should also mention that all these plugins are free (unbelievable) but please, if you find them helpful, consider making a donation to help support his fantastic efforts.
- DelayLight – For creating advanced automated lighting scenarios (for lights and switches).
- Switchboard – For creating every kind of virtual switch you’ll ever need including virtual dimmers and tri-state switches. An absolute must-have plugin!
- DeusExMachina – For giving your home that “lived-in” look while you’re away or on holidays. An essential security feature for any smart home.
We should also mention that all these plugins are free (unbelievable) but please, if you find them helpful, consider making a donation to help support his fantastic efforts.
Until next time, happy automating!
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