Lutron - Remote Dimmers?
- Thread starter heeman
- Start date
heeman said:
There are other options.
I had 2 Lutron remote dimmers, 1 in my LR and one in a bedroom.
IIRC the remotes are interchangeable (any remote will work with any rc'd dimmer).
Additionally, at least in the bedroom, I don't have direct line of sight from where I use the remote to the dimmer. The IR signal apparently bounces of the wall. This can be a feature or a defect because if you have 2 separate dimmers in one room and only want to turn one down/up the other may also respond. Unfortunately, I can't test/confirm that for you...
2nd additional (and this is why I can't confirm), a couple weeks ago a circuit breaker tripped with one of the dimmers on it and several other lights. Turned out that the dimmer itself had blown (thought it was the bulb first of course) and was no longer functional. I replaced it with a plain paddle switch I had on hand. So, the dimmer itself could blow out...just an FYI I guess...
Keith, Phillips had a wifi-enabled bulb system that I thought was pretty trick, I posted about it here:
http://www.theaudioannex.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=6286
I was going to pick up the starter kit, but when I realized I'd have to open my laptop just to turn on the lights in my living room, it made less sense.
However, if I had a dedicated Home Theater (like you soon will) I still think this system is the cat's meow! For what it's worth...
http://www.theaudioannex.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=6286
I was going to pick up the starter kit, but when I realized I'd have to open my laptop just to turn on the lights in my living room, it made less sense.
However, if I had a dedicated Home Theater (like you soon will) I still think this system is the cat's meow! For what it's worth...
The ones I'm using are RF operated and are integrated into the URC remote scheme. With them and the URC remote I have the luxury of custom scenes and macros from the same remote I use for all the HT equipment. Hitting "play" brings all the lights down, "pause" brings the lights up about 1/2 way and "stop" brings the lights all the way up. If/when I add other dimmers and switches throughout the house I could set scenes in each room...
So... with the understanding that these are the only remote dimmers that I've got experience with, and that I'm more a fan of the system than the dimmer per se'... Yes.
So... with the understanding that these are the only remote dimmers that I've got experience with, and that I'm more a fan of the system than the dimmer per se'... Yes.
yromj
Well-Known Member
Keith, I also recommend the URC dimmers. They use Lutron's Maestro series dimmers (in fact the accessory dimmers are in the Lutron boxes). The Maestro series dimmers allow for dimmers to be placed at each location (not 1 dimmer w/ switches at other locations for multi-location operation). The dimmers then "quasi-communicate" (my term) so that when any dimmer is used the lights dim/raise correctly. In my house this is worth almost as much as the remote control capability given where the controls are located.
In my HT I use Lutron dimmers because the URC ones weren't out yet. They work well but are IR controlled (there's an omni-directional blaster on the front of a shelf above my gear rack). Snowman uses Lutron as well and has no problems. I've done remotes for a couple of houses which Lutron controls and I was able to add them to the remote but again as IR devices. The integration of URC's RF module into the standard Lutron dimmer was a beautiful combination IMHO.
I also second T7's words about RC lighting - it's handy as he!! and very cool!! I get more comments on that than just about anything when a noob watches something at the house.
John
In my HT I use Lutron dimmers because the URC ones weren't out yet. They work well but are IR controlled (there's an omni-directional blaster on the front of a shelf above my gear rack). Snowman uses Lutron as well and has no problems. I've done remotes for a couple of houses which Lutron controls and I was able to add them to the remote but again as IR devices. The integration of URC's RF module into the standard Lutron dimmer was a beautiful combination IMHO.
I also second T7's words about RC lighting - it's handy as he!! and very cool!! I get more comments on that than just about anything when a noob watches something at the house.
John
