One of the great benefits of your Vera system is its expandability. Not only can you build and control a system with many devices -- 75 for the VeraLite and 200 for the Vera3 -- you can also download applications and plug-ins that extend the functionality of your smart home system.
Many of these apps are designed specifically for energy monitoring and control. Many of them are also designed for specific devices, like thermostats and your SmartSwitch. Others are plug-ins, meaning that give new capabilities to an existing app or device.
Apps and plug-ins for energy monitoring can give you a bird's eye view of your home's energy consumption and let you start to control it. Let's add a plug-in to your system and your SmartSwitch now.
First, from your Dashboard, select "Apps" from the main menu, and then click "Install Apps" as shown. All available apps and plug-ins are available here:
To add apps and plug-ins to your system, you must first log in with your username and password, as shown:
Once you've logged in, you'll be taken to a page that lets you download apps and plug-ins for your Vera system. If you like, you can browse them by category type, such as Energy Monitoring or Alarm Systems, by using the drop down menu:
To find a specific app, you can also use the search field, as shown:
To download and install the plug-in for your SmartSwitch, click the "Install" button to the right of its description. The download will begin and the plug-in will be installed in your system automatically. In a moment, you'll see the plug-in appear on your dashboard, as shown:
Why would you want a plug-in or app to extend your smart home system? Because there are so many things you can do. For example, now that you've added a plug-in for your SmartSwitch, you can set it up as part of a scene.
Let's say you wanted an automated scene for your smart system that you'd call "off to work." You could hit a single button and numerous devices could react -- lights could turn off, doors could lock, thermostats could be turned down or up.
In this scene, anything plugged into the SmartSwitch can now also be part of the scene. Let's say that you had a dehumidifier plugged into your SmartSwitch. When you're "off to work" and have started that scene, the dehumidifier could turn on or off along with the rest of the devices.
Many of these apps are designed specifically for energy monitoring and control. Many of them are also designed for specific devices, like thermostats and your SmartSwitch. Others are plug-ins, meaning that give new capabilities to an existing app or device.
Apps and plug-ins for energy monitoring can give you a bird's eye view of your home's energy consumption and let you start to control it. Let's add a plug-in to your system and your SmartSwitch now.
First, from your Dashboard, select "Apps" from the main menu, and then click "Install Apps" as shown. All available apps and plug-ins are available here:
To add apps and plug-ins to your system, you must first log in with your username and password, as shown:
Once you've logged in, you'll be taken to a page that lets you download apps and plug-ins for your Vera system. If you like, you can browse them by category type, such as Energy Monitoring or Alarm Systems, by using the drop down menu:
To find a specific app, you can also use the search field, as shown:
To download and install the plug-in for your SmartSwitch, click the "Install" button to the right of its description. The download will begin and the plug-in will be installed in your system automatically. In a moment, you'll see the plug-in appear on your dashboard, as shown:
Why would you want a plug-in or app to extend your smart home system? Because there are so many things you can do. For example, now that you've added a plug-in for your SmartSwitch, you can set it up as part of a scene.
Let's say you wanted an automated scene for your smart system that you'd call "off to work." You could hit a single button and numerous devices could react -- lights could turn off, doors could lock, thermostats could be turned down or up.
In this scene, anything plugged into the SmartSwitch can now also be part of the scene. Let's say that you had a dehumidifier plugged into your SmartSwitch. When you're "off to work" and have started that scene, the dehumidifier could turn on or off along with the rest of the devices.
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