Why are we doing a Smartthings vs Vera comparison? If you want a professional, high-quality Smart Hub in your home, you have a multitude of options. Basically, there are lots of companies that offer cheap alternatives, and then you have the premium products there too. So you really have to figure out what you need, what you like the most, and what can benefit you the most here.
You need to realize that home automation can help you a lot in your day-to-day life. But aside from the smart devices themselves, you do want a central unit that can manage and handle everything properly. It’s not as simple as you would imagine, so that’s why you shouldn’t just get whatever item that comes in front of you. That’s why we have the Smartthings vs Vera debate here. These are the best premium products on the market and you can easily use them to obtain amazing results in no time.
VERA
When you enter the Smartthings vs Vera competition, you don’t really know which one would be the best for you. And you do need to realize that each one of them comes with its own great set of features. The Vera, in particular, is known to be a really good controller hub. Yes, this really is the brain behind your smart home and it makes it easy for you to connect the smart devices in no time. You can control them from anywhere you want.
The smartphone access is really impressive, and it does bring in front some unique benefits due to that. It’s simply a great gadget that helps you control the entire home without any recourse. It certainly does wonders from that perspective, and in the end, it’s just an incredible product for you to check out.
Plus, the Smartthings vs Vera offers you a customized solution that really fits your lifestyle. You can adjust everything to suit your needs in meaningful ways, and you won’t have a problem adapting everything in a proper manner. The thing you have to keep in mind here is that the device control does take a while to get used to. But it’s not as challenging as you would imagine. Setting it up is convenient and simple, and the unit actually has a good installation tutorial.
But if you didn’t install any unit like this before, it may take a little while to handle all the stuff in a proper manner. That being said, it works exactly the way you want it, and it can get better and better as you go along.
You can automatically set the thermostat at the right temperature, turn the lights off and you can control the energy efficiency in your home as a whole. There’s no need for an annual or monthly subscription. And the user manual is actually amazing, it includes all the stuff you need and so much more, all in a single and pretty comprehensive package.
There are some other interesting things about the Vera unit as well. It works with most brands and models out there. And it can support up to 200 sensors in total. Even if you have a smart home with lots of gadgets, that’s a ton of signals, and being able to process those individually is amazing. But then again that’s what really makes the Vera stand out, the fact that it’s really efficient and it’s a truly smart home brain that you do need in these situations.
The mobile application has a great interface as a whole. It works exactly the way you want it to and it includes just about all the features you would need from something like this.
What you do need to keep in mind with the Vera is that the box on its own is a bit barebones, which can be a bit of a bummer for some people. You have the controller and power supply as well as some cables, but nothing more than that. It’s more than ok honestly, but there are still some issues and challenges here and there that can make this a bit hard to use at times. Again, it’s still a powerful and reliable unit, but the package is not as impressive as others. And then you do have some add-ons that bring in quite a bit of value for the unit too. But even so, the barebones package is quite amazing.
The control has Z wave support and it’s not that heavy either. That being said, they don’t have Windows Phone support. However they do support both Android and iOS, but if you have a Windows Phone this is a very important fact to consider. The Wi-Fi support is rather brilliant however and it can do wonders here. But that’s the thing that matters the most, the fact that you can adapt to this in meaningful ways. It’s worth your time and you can easily adapt it to everything that you want in no time.
When it comes to the downsides, some customers had problems with the pairing process. But that does depend on what devices you have and other factors. There’s no home theatre support, which for some people can be quite the bummer. Yet it’s a great option in the end, despite the minor problems here and there.
SMARTTHINGS
Smartthings vs Vera is a great comparison and one that does make a lot of sense. But while Vera does have its fair share of benefits, it’s Smartthings that stands out for a lot of people. The barebones version is cheaper, and that does come with some really nifty features, to begin with. They did a very good job at bringing you quality and value as well as massive efficiency with the unit. You have control over up to 200 smart products, so the list is pretty huge and impressive. In addition to that, the type of products that work with this include thermostats, sensors, speakers, and a variety of other things. You should also note the fact that there are multiple types of smart devices that are coming out right now to the market and yes, most of those will be compatible with Smartthings.
Moreover, you will notice that the Smartthings product has Wi-Fi support, which is actually a really good thing. It delivers exactly the type of features that you would expect from it, and the adaptability factor is a great one too. You should also note that a lot of people like using the Smartthings product because it comes with a kit. Sure, you can get the regular version which is just a hub. But there are also kit versions that are doing really well too. Some of them are suitable for home monitoring, some are focused on lighting, and so on.
Let’s face it, not everyone wants to get these products for a massive smart home. Most of the time you will use it for 1-2 specific reasons. So being able to focus solely on those things will be worth it quite a lot here, especially since you can opt for certain hub models. It’s really good to have packages like these ready to go, as you have more options that will suit your needs.
When it comes to the mobile app, Smartthings does a great job at offering quality and an intuitive interface. Installing and adapting everything is really simple, it doesn’t take a ton of time, and as a whole, you will be quite impressed with the stuff that this unit has to offer. You will appreciate the fact that this particular version has a powerful processor and it can even do offline processing. Being able to offer both wired and wireless support for devices is great too, as it limits the amount of wiring that you need to do. And it’s well worth the effort for sure, so you should totally check that out.
The unit is battery-operated. As a result, you will need batteries for it. However, there’s also the option to plug this into the wall too. It really helps a lot in that perspective, and it provides you with some cool benefits and results as you go along. It’s definitely one of the most interesting things about the product, and that being said it does deliver exactly what you want from a good smart hub without compromise. Even if you run it with AAA batteries, you still get 10 hours of uninterrupted usage.
It’s also important to note here that Smartthings also has Alexa support. Being able to use your voice to control your smart home is amazing, and it does come with its own fair share of benefits. That being said, the hub’s app does make sure that you can access all these features via your phone. So you don’t really need to be right near the app if you don’t want to. And that’s an extremely important thing to consider with stuff like this.
The IFTTT support is a great addition to the system, and you are free to connect as many devices as you want to. It’s also good for home audio in particular, but it can work for thermostats or smart lighting systems just as easily. We found the installation process to be permissive and not that hard. Sure, you have to adapt to it a little bit and it’s not the ultimate option out there. But it does work the way you would want it to, and that’s all you need. Also, the lack of any subscriptions does wonders here. That does mean that the entire experience is really good with the game, and you will enjoy using it quite a lot.
You may find some issues here and there, but those mostly come from customizing the companion app. And some devices will require a special pairing system which doesn’t really work every time. But in the end, you can adapt just about every device, so the hassle may be worthwhile.
Smartthings vs Vera: Which One Should You Buy?
It all comes down to what you are looking for. In the Smartthings vs Vera contest, these are both great products that you should consider checking out. The interesting thing about both of them is that they are easy to operate and not that expensive.
Price
Vera is a bit more expensive when compared to Smartthings, so if you have a tighter budget you may want to go with Smartthings. On the other hand, Smartthings does have packages with various accessories that can go well over the regular Vera price, but you do get some accessories and that can matter quite a lot.
None of them require a paid membership so that on its own is really good. But then again, you have to realize the fact that each one has its own challenges. The setup can be a bit tricky at times especially if you don’t have any previous experience with stuff like this. They both also have user-friendliness too, which is exactly what you need from something like this.
Package
Smartthings is more popular due to its packages and the fact that it includes a whole range of unique options in there. But at the same time, you do have some limitations regarding it if you use only the regular unit. The expansions are there, but they are quite expensive and that means you should focus more on getting a bundle.
Vera does have a few things inside the bundle, but in the end, it still comes with just about all that you need. Yet you can still opt for accessories. That means both these units will offer you exactly what you need with the regular package, but you can easily expand the normal capabilities if you want to.
Smartthings vs Vera Choice
In the end, the Smartthings vs Vera comparison all comes down to what you want and what you need from your smart hub. Thankfully none of them comes with a paid membership, so that means you save a lot of money. There are no compatibility problems, and you can also find accessory bundles. As a whole, both of them are great, but if you want a less expensive option the Smartthings unit may be the smart pick!
