Question
Do you have any recommendations for VERA UI7 compatible Apps for smart-phones and tablets?
Answer
There are many options when it comes to Apps for the VERA.
We recommend that you search the Google Play and Apple App Stores using the search terms "VERA" and "Z-Wave" and see what is available for each platform. VERA’s forum is also a great place to look for more information on the available Apps and feedback from both users and developers.
Fortunately most of the Apps are either free, or have "Lite" versions so that you can try them before you spend any money! It's best to try as many as you can and settle on using one that fits your specific needs and requirements.
Solution
At Vesternet we have tried the Apps listed below personally and feel confident in recommending them to our Customers!
VeraMate (iOS)
VeraMate is a great App for iOS based smart-phones and tablets.
This is a really great App for beginners as it doesn't require any setup at all - you simple enter your VERA details and it will automatically load all your devices, scenes and room information. It can also be customised extensively, allowing you to arrange, hide and bookmark your most commonly used items.
It supports GeoFencing, iBeacons, Push Notifications, Virtual Devices, Today Widget and Apple Watch. There's also a "TTS" (Text To Speech) feature that allows VeraMate to speak the commands it makes! An iPad specific version is also available that makes great use of the larger screen size.
VeraMate is available in the Apple iOS App Store in a Free version that lets you try the App for free and a Premium version that costs a few pounds to unlock the full functionality.
There's a dedicated forum where the App author is incredibly helpful with any problems or feature requests.
HomeWave (iOS)
HomeWave is another great App for iOS based smart-phones and tablets.
Homewave is one of the most configurable Apps we’ve seen so far.
Essentially you start with an entirely blank canvas and then design your screens, and your devices and select how you want them to look and in many cases how you want to interact with them. Literally everything can be customised, tweaked and changed.
There's support for most devices that VERA recognises out of the box as well as some VERA plugin devices too (such as Philips Hue, MiLight / Easybulb lamps and Nest Thermostat). It really is an incredibly powerful App and can run on both iPhone and iPad, taking advantage of the larger screen sizes when available.
HomeWave is available in the Apple iOS App Store and costs a few pounds to buy.
There's also a dedicated forum where the App author is incredibly helpful with any problems or feature requests.
ImperiHome (iOS, Android)
ImperiHome has been one of the best – if not the best - Home Automation Android based smart-phones App and it just got better with its iOS release a few days ago.
It supports multiple Home Automation system controllers including VERA, Fibaro Home Center 2 (v4.x), Zipabox and Eedomus along with Weather Stations such as Netatmo and IP based CCTV Cameras.
It has two modes of operation, a "List View" and a "Dashboard View". The List View lists your devices on a room by room basis based on the data it receives from your Home Automation controller but it's the Dashboard View that really makes it shine.
The Dashboard is the most flexible and customisable display we’ve seen and it is a joy to work with!
The screenshot above shows a screen from Dashboard mode from both an iPad and an iPhone that integrates Vera Plugins along with lighting, socket, roller shutters, scenes and some LightwaveRF devices.
One of the things we really like about it is the way you can customise nearly all aspects of the devices that are shown - you can rename them, change the icon used and change the background colour. In some cases you can even group together several devices into one position, saving screen space. You can also create a link to other Apps, HTTP URLs or even create a HTTP Get request.
ImperiHome is available in a Lite version (iOS/Android) that lets you try the App for free and a Pro version (iOS/Android) that costs a few pounds to unlock the full functionality - it's worth every penny in our opinion!
There's also a dedicated forum where the App author is incredibly helpful with any problems or feature requests. If you’re looking for a scalable and flexible App you can’t go wrong with ImperiHome.
Control Cube (iOS)
Control Cube is a complete automation and A/V control application with the capability to integrate with Vera, KNX, Sonos, XBMC, Global Cache, and many others directly from the App without the need for any VERA Plugins
The App also supports multiple VERA units in one deployment making it ideal for customers in larger homes. The App is extremely reliable, stable and easy to use.
Control Cube main focus is to control multiple systems locally and is best used in a tablet: install it, add your VERA, TV, Sound System, Kodi and Sonos and you have the perfect “Media Center” controller to hang on your living room wall.
Overall we like its look and feel and really think it has potential but it can be limited for some user’s needs in its current state. If you are just looking for a VERA “remote control” App then Control Cube is probably not for you since it doesn’t support Vera remote authentication – you’ll need either a VPN or a very insecure DynDNS access to your VERA.
Control Cube is available in the Apple iOS App Store and costs just a few pounds to buy.
There's a dedicated forum where the App author is very helpful with any problems or feature requests.
OpenRemote (Android)
OpenRemote is a free open-source App for the Internet of Things.
OpenRemote uses an online designer to create multiple “screens” that can then be created with this App. It can integrate with virtually any device or protocol and the user can design its own interface.
OpenRemote integrates with various systems such as AMX, KNX, Beckhoff, DSC Envisalink & IT100, Lutron, Z-Wave, 1- Wire, MiCasaVerde Vera, EnOcean, xPL, ICT Protege, Insteon, X10, Keene IR Anywhere, Leviton HAI, LightWaveRF, OpenWebNet, Philips Hue, Nest, Philips Pronto, Russound, Smappee, Sonos, Belkin WeMo, GlobalCache, IRTrans, XBMC, VLC, Samsung SmartTV, panStamps, Denon AVR, Marantz AVR, FreeBox, MythTV, RaZBerry, and many more.
This is not an App for beginners as it involves some advanced technical knowledge.
OpenRemote is available on the Google Play App Store.
