Set Up Tips

[PMD3]

I bought the basic system (gateway, remote, dimmer, appliance, camera, energy reader, thermostat). Thought I'd share some tips that might make someone else's life a little easier.

1. Don't hestitate to call the Verizon Help #. They answer quickly and are very helpful.

2. The gateway set up is pretty straightforward. I did have to do it twice to get it to work but it was done in minutes.

3. The remote also goes well and isn't a a problem in any way.

4. The dimmer and appliance both took a couple of tries but the directions are clear and it went well.

5. The camera took me quite a while. First I was connecting it to the Gateway and trying to set it up. It was only after about 5 tries I realized that the Gateway is not the Router they refer to in the directions. You need to connect it to your regular Verizon Router. After I did that it took 2 tries. Apparently it just gets an IP assigned through their system and it's ready to go. Connecting it to the Wireless network after it was set up was straightforward and went well.

6. I thought about trying the Thermostat and Energy Reader on my own but after looking at the directions and my systems decided to call Verizon's service. They quoted me $250 for those 2 devices which sounded like a lot for just that part of the system. I contacted my furnace guy who charged me $50 to do the Thermostat. I then contacted an electrician who did the Energy Reader for another $50. 

7. The Thermostat would have driven me nuts trying to do it on my own. I have a 2 stage furnace and while the directions take you step by step I doubt I would have made it through them without a lot of problems. The furnace guy knew exactly what to do and was done in less than an hour.

8. The Energy Reader could be done by yourself but as my Electrician pointed out you are risking your life poking around in your main switch box although he said if it's turned off you are probably ok. He never turned it off as he knows what not to touch. It took him a little less than an hour and most was because it is tight working quarters in all the wires.

My suggestion is hire someonw for the Thermostat and Energy Reader unless you really know what you are doing. Even the $250 Verizon's service partner charges would be worth it.

In any case plan a lot more than the "hour" they suggest for set up. I would estimate even if things go perfectily you'll be several hours or in my case it was probably almost 6 hours for everything.

So far the system works well. Good luck with yours.