Lutron lighting system alternatives

[jerrytofu]

Hi,

Does anyone have any recommendations for whole house lighting for a house that was originally wired for a Lutron HomeWorks Interactive? Are there non-Lutron systems that can use the existing low voltage wiring to each light switch, while all the 120 volt wires are centralized. Thanks

 

[montgo]

Which autómatizacion system did you choose?

 

[artful75]

Hey Jerry did you make a decision on this? Sounds like we are in the same boat

 

[kevshed]

I'm a huge fan of the Rako Controls kit - over time, i've wired my whole house with it. Check it out...

www.rakocontrols.com

It's a bit more affordable than Lutron, but its not cheap. Had it for 10+ years though, faultless. Recently added the cloud gateway so it works with Alexa etc.

 

[numericOverflow]

Does Rako work well as a retrofit for a home with Lutron installed?

 

[Mick]

Lutron RA2 Select is much cheaper than Rako now.

I have been programming Rako for around 15 years, I have been working with Lutron for around 5 years.

I would never EVER choose Rako over Lutron, you are mad!

And as mentioned now that Lutron have introduced the new RA2 Select, you can retro fit and save a quarter off what Rako charge.

Rako RMT500 Dimmer Module = £128 List
Lutron Ra2 Dimmer Module = £110 List
Rako 7 Button Keypad 4 year battery life = £128 List (approximately with standard plastic white cover).
Lutron Pico 4 Button with Raise and Lower 10 year battery life = £66 List + £12 for the white plastic surround.


Homeworks interactive... you should be replacing this with homeworks QS, you can use the same enclosure for the DIN Rail Dimmers etc.

Lutron Invented the Electronic Dimmer, Lutron has Technology inside their equipment like RTISS (real time illumination stability system) which sees our crappy mains and rectifies it for a Smooth dimming.

From an installer view, we don't install Rako anymore, and we don't have problems anymore!

Mick

 

[numericOverflow]

@Mick- Good to know. Trying to figure out what to do with a house that has an older illuminations (or perhaps interactive?) system installed. It's my first experience with a proper, built-in automation system.

 

[Mick]

@Mick- Good to know. Trying to figure out what to do with a house that has an older illuminations (or perhaps interactive?) system installed. It's my first experience with a proper, built-in automation system.

When it was first out it was the business, like all technology it goes out of date quickly.

It's still very good for halogen, issues start to happen when you try and use LED etc, you need to look for leading edge compatible lamps and give them a try. try a few different types.

Take some pictures I can advice you better on the system you have.

Regards
Mick

 

[gits]

Crestron lighting control systems should also be able to make use of the Lutron wiring setup assuming you have Cat5 and 120V running to each remote switch/dimmer location. But it really depends what Lutron system was installed. If it was an 8-series processor, dimming takes place remotely and the entire system was likely piped in a way that would preclude switching. Are you saying that the only wire to each switch is low voltage, and all 120-volt lines are run from the Lutron homerun to the individual light fixtures/transformers? If so, sounds like 8-series to me. Those prewire jobs are really expensive! If so, your options for retrofit are much more limited and you may be better off sticking with Lutron. It is the best lighting control system out there, although programming is best left to the pros.

 

[leespark]

Where are you guys getting your lutron gear from, are you buying direct ??

 

[Betabeta]

Distributor.

 

[Betabeta]

Savant and Vantage are great alternatives.

 

[samsentinel]

Mode eDIN lighting also worth a look

 

[hali]

Does Crestron has a Lutron module for homeworks?

 

[ayana]

Does Crestron has a Lutron module for homeworks?

Not directly, though it's possible to integrate the two provided there's insight to the code on both sides. More recent incarnations also look for the processor MAC address and will refuse to talk without an additional license (Lighting Systems Activation Key), though that's easily worked around if a router is involved (the crestron processor will see the router's MAC address, not the lutron processor's). The key was EOL'd last year as well.

 

[WilsonCR2517]

if you can change low voltage cable for keypads, I recommend Insteon, is a cheap system, and the modules works centralised system.
insteon.com

 

[msaqib]

I would recommend Philips Dynalite system as it also uses low voltage wiring for user interfaces and most of the time dynalite user interfaces can be fitted in the previous installed boxes for lutron user interfaces.

 

[msaqib]

Does Crestron has a Lutron module for homeworks?

Yes it does have module for crestron, but you will only find it if you are Lutron dealer and its not available on crestron application market directly.

 

[Shamim007]

Hi there, new to the forum. I have installed a lot of lutron, just recently started learning the homeworks qs.

 

[DC2019]

Hi also new here, but seeing as this thread is still active, I thought I'd add my 2 pence worth. I used to install a fair bit of Lutron (a few years a go now) but recently installed a Niko system. It is more of a complete home automation system but could replace a Lutron system (same wiring) quite easily if you have the space. It is modular so easily upgraded as new stuff comes on the market.