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The original was posted on /r/homeassistant by /u/HangarQueen on 2026-07-18 20:08:54+00:00.
I've just started the long process of migrating from a 15-year old Vera system of 200+ ZWave devices to Home Assistant. I have HA installed as a virtual server on my QNAP NAS and it's working fine there. I've installed HACS and a few other goodies as I find my way around this new-to-me product, and have moved over many WiFi-connected devices in my network that HA automatically found for me.
The Aeotec Z-stick 10 Pro arrives tomorrow, and then I'll slowly start the exclude-from-Vera and pair-with-HA process in the coming weeks.
A really useful add-on ("plug-in" in the Vera world) that I had on my Vera system was "DeusExMachinaII". It provided a UI where you could configure any number of switches to randomly turn off and on. For each, you could set a range for length of ON time (randomly) and for the start/stop times for when it would (randomly) be in effect.
I had mine configured for a natural pattern from kitchen to living room to den to bathroom and bedroom as the night progressed, with everything turning off sometime between 11 and midnight (randomly) as we "slept". The plug-in would be automatically enabled when the Vera dashboard was put into "Vacation" mode and disabled when set back to "Home".
I can't find anything that provides the same/similar functionality in the Home Assistant world. I'm sure it's "just a simple matter of automation programming" but there are a LOT of details to get right. The Deus Ex Machina ll plugin did this all very well, and I'm hoping not to have to reinvent it.
Update: THANK YOU for the very quick replies below. Yes, the presence simulation seems that it will suffice for my needs. It's not as clever as the Vera plugin's true randomness, but it'll be "good enough" -- and it seems easy to implement. Thanks again.