Posted this in Vera Forum, Maybe Someone Here Has Info?

[RickyD333]

I'm just going to copy and paste my post at the Vera forum:

I want to know if there is a way to speed up the communication between a dimming light module (I am using the Linear PD300Z-2 Lamp Dimer Module) and a keypad (I am using the GE Wireless Lighting Control Keypad Controller 45631). By this I don't exactly mean speeding up the time between pushing the on button and when the light turns on. When I push the on button to turn on my light from the keypad, it takes about .5 seconds or so for the light to turn on. That's okay. However, when I am looking at the status of the device from the Vera Control page, I notice that it can take a good minute or two for the module to show that it is switched on. That is what I would like to know if I can speed up SIGNIFICANTLY.

This is important to me because I have a way of controlling my lights without directly plugging them into a dimming module. Having my lights not plugged into the module is something I would like because I do not have a neutral wire that is required for the Z-wave in wall sockets and light switches. I find the footprint of these dimming modules to be quite large and unappealing. I can at this very moment have my modules plugged in and hidden out of the way and control lights in another room. I've done this by using the event it creates in a program called Voxcommando. When my dimming module is turned on/off, it affects the state of my Hue lightbulbs that I sync to that particular module. However, since it takes so long for that event to be generated it seems really ridiculous to use this method. So I really would like to have that communication sped up significantly so that I can completely accomplish this goal of mine of creating a clean automated environment.

I am curious though, there is no Linear PD3300Z-2 Lamp Dimmer Module listed in the "Add Devices" section of Vera. To connect this module I instead selected the Jasco 45604 Dimmable Lamp Module in the "Add Devices" section. Could this be the cause of delay? Maybe I should purchase the Jasco 45604 model or some other similar one that is listed in the "Add Devices" section? ... Now that I think about it (I purchased these modules some time ago), I think I did purchase the Jasco model and when I opened up the box they said Linear. I'm wondering if they are actually the same thing...?

[jitterjames]

I don't have the exact same hardware as you but I don't see delays anything like what you are talking about.

I have a number of Evolve and GE switches and dimmers both as modules and in wall fixtures and they all register pretty much immediately (0.1 to 1 seconds) whether I turn them on by using the Vera web interface or by pressing a button on my Intermatic Home Settings remotes.

What version of VC are you using?

Which Vera controller do you have?

[jitterjames]

Is your lamp module controlled directly by the GE remote, or is the remote talking to Vera and Vera is controlling the lamp module?

If you remote talks to the lamp directly this might explain the delay.

[RickyD333]

I'm using VC 2.1.4.2 and I have a Vera Lite (that's how they spell it, right? haha). The remote I believe should be controlling the lamp directly because I just did the regular pairing mode that came with the directions (basically push a few buttons on the remote then press the button on the lamp module, and presto it's paired).

Someone just told me on the Vera forum about a "Instant Status feature", so I'm going to look into that. Here's the link to that thread: http://forum.micasaverde.com/index.php?topic=33579.new;topicseen#new

I do need to update VC too. Been lazy on that.

And you're saying that you have zero delay from pushing the on button to the point where the light turns on? I'm wondering if it might be a power issue in my house. I don't really know much about electrical, but it's pretty messed up in my home.

[jitterjames]

I'm 99% sure that the reason for the delay that you are controlling the lamp module directly.  I will see a similar delay when I turn a wall switch on manually.  The Vera won't know about it until it does a poll which can take a minute or two depending on how busy the Vera is.

I don't know if you can use this GE controller with your Vera the way that I am using mine, but the way mine is set up, it initiates scenes on my Vera when I press a button and on the Vera I tell it what lights to control in that scene.  If you do it this way, then the Vera knows right away what is happening and VoxCommando will also know a fraction of a second later.  VC also knows about the scene request even if there is no Vera scene associated with it.

And you're saying that you have zero delay from pushing the on button to the point where the light turns on?

No I never said that.  I said 0.1 to 1 seconds before VC knows about it.  But yeah, usually it seems almost instant when Vera is in a good mood...

One advantage with the way you have yours set up is that the light will work even if you Vera is experiencing problems, which is not as unusual a thing as we would like, right?

I notice on your product description for the GE controller that it can do groups or scenes.  I wonder if it is possible to set it up as a Vera scene controller, but still have it control groups of lights directly.  I think mine can do that but it was too confusing for me and I had a huge battle just getting mine to work with UI7 in the first place.  Anyway, I can't help you with that part of it.  You'll need to refer to your manual and ask on the Vera site about how to do it if you want to try to set your GE controller up differently from how you have it now.

There are some switches that send there status updates to the Vera controller instead of waiting to be polled.  Why this is not a standard requirement of all ZWave devices is beyond me, but those devices are usually no so cheap, not that anything for ZWave is cheap really.

[nime5ter]

There are some switches that send their status updates to the Vera controller instead of waiting to be polled.  Why this is not a standard requirement of all ZWave devices is beyond me, but those devices are usually no so cheap, not that anything for ZWave is cheap really.

My understanding was that Lutron still holds several patents related to instant responses/reporting that have prevented other manufacturers from using this feature. They either have to pay license fees to Lutron or work around it. So the whole bit where devices simply broadcast that "something has changed over here" and then the Z-wave controller (Vera) polls to figure out what is the workaround due to this patent tying up other manufacturers' ability to broadcast "rich" info regarding changes to their device states.

... This is a summary of stuff I've read on various different home automation forums.

Somewhere I read that the patent expires in 2016 at which point the game may change. Others have said that manufacturers can buy licenses from Lutron in order to implement the instant response thing, which is why the more expensive devices generally may have this but cheaper ones don't.

This is all just forum chitchat and no one is providing real primary source info, so it's hard to know what's fact and what's urban legend. (I'm sure I can track it down, but it's not a priority for me. ;-))

[jitterjames]

Sounds like a bunch of mumbo jumbo to me (though I'm sure it's true).  All the ZWave motion sensors work instantly.  The Zwave consortium should not only never have allowed this to happen, the fact that devices would need to send information to the controller should have been incredibly obvious from day one when they were designing the platform and it should have been part of the original spec. 

I mean DUH!    Anyone with 3 braincells could have figured that one out.  How could anyone get an exclusive patent on something stupid like that?

[nime5ter]

Again, just from forum chitchat, some are claiming they only hold patents to this reporting feature for in-wall switches or at least specific types of switches.

... As I mentioned, the other companies *can* send information to the controller -- that's part of the specs. Lutron's patent seems to be more specific than that, because other devices are able to alert the controller that "something has changed" so clearly they're sending info to the controller independently.

When I have time I'll look into it for real.