When we built our showroom, I was planning on doing X-10 for simple lighting control. Since then I have gotten into programming a few Prontos, and now I want a more sophisticated lighting control. I want to be able to set scenes so that at a touch of a button the lights dim (or turn off). The key is that it has to work through the Pronto. I don't want something overly expensive because this room is right at $8K as is. I don't want to add another $5K just for a little lighting. Right now all we have is 6 can lights (2 on a switch).

Any ideas?

lutron Spacer Grafik Eye or RadioRa with an IR interface

Can you get hold of Rako where you are? Real simple retrofittable solution, IR interfaces, in fact loads of interfaces and it's wireless AND reliable AND good value!

www.rakocontrols.co.uk

worth a try..

What about staying with x10. Get an ir543 (cheap $20) that allows you to use your pronto to control the lights. Use x10 software if you want to save money (its free) and set as many scenes as you like. You don't even need a pc after you program the cm11a which holds the scene programming and plugs into the wall. I myself use homeseer, but I'm into a lot of lighting control.

graffik eye would probably be the cheapest. Run an emitter wire (CAT5) to the graffik eye for IR control, or place it in line of sight..

What about HAI, can you set scenes?

Mike

The problem may be with the switches that I bought. They are actually Leviton PLC. They work with the IR543 as far as on/off, but I can not get it to dim to a certain level. I am thinking about adding an MCE PC to that room, would it be easier to do through the PC?

I called about pricing on the Radio RA. WOW! A little more than I wanted to spend, but is it worth it?

Up until recently I have not been asked much about lighting control, but I got 2 calls just last week. I know this is a growing market, I just have not been impressed with the products out there.

Lighting control will experience a huge increase in market in the near future, Lutron, LiteTouch and Vantage all make excellent products, I would say that X-10 is NOT the way to go about professionaly installing lighting control.

I hope you're right on this; I would love the added business. What source are you quoting?

Agreed

Wow! X-10 and pronto. That sounds like a knockout punch to both your wallet and your sanity. X-10 is for DIY types to cheap to pay for a lighting control system that works. Whatever you put in don’t engineer for a price point, engineer for quality. If you can’t do a quality system for the price the customer wants don’t do the job. As far as pronto look at the good/bad products threat started by QQQ [Link: remotecentral.com] . The opinion there on the pronto stuff is unanimous. Cheap unreliable systems make you little money up front and cost you BIG money on service down the road.

tschulte
Do you want to stay in business? And make money? I thought so. Remove X-10 from your vocabulary.
You will spend more time traveling, fixing, replacing this product than it is worth.
This product can be found everywhere on the internet and local ,like radio shack and even Lowes. It is cheap and that is the lure, but the problem is it leaves you very little money to make.
The Grafix eye is worth it. Remember, it is not your money to be spent, it is the customer's money. Give them a professional solution that works. Lighting is very important and a large part of the home theater experience. Now, the question is are you worth it?

You guys speak of X10 as if its garbage. Thats just wrong. A pile of garbage is worth way more than X10 ever will be.

CEPro has had several articles on this, last month in their 5 top trends for 2006, and their issue showing industry growth and trends (October) lighting was installed in 2.8% of custom install jobs in 2004 and went up to 5.5% in 2005. Both Lighting and Automation had the largest gains of all the groups listed. I've been seeing a ton of advertising from Lutron on TV. With energy prices where they are I am getting more and more people asking about it so the "awareness" level is definately increasing with consumers and the options available are also increasing. Lighting is one of the few systems we install that we can now sell complete systems the are highly reliable (Vantage Radiolink and Lutron Homeworks RF) to existing home owners without any need for wires or any retro fitting which will open a huge market.

I have only dealt with x10 lighting, and I have never had a problem that I couldn't solve, but I know it is not the best stuff in the world. All these other systems you are talking about seem a lot more expensive. I don't know much about them. Do they run wireless, or are they hardwired similar to a keypad for abus? I would like to learn a little more about them. Also, have you ever heard of zwave? I have heard they are pretty good. I believe they are wireless lighting control similar to x10, but work on radio frequency and are much more reliable than x10. Maybe someone else can chime in who knows more.

Sounds like the right solution for you is the 3-Zone Grafik eye with an IR switch (like the NTGRX-4S-IR) You just run one wire from the Grafik eye location to the rack and install the IR switch in front of your remote.

Works well, and isn't too much money.