I'm curious guys... I'm trying to know if I will be able to upgrade my current lightswitch (simple, old school flip up is on, flip down is off) to an X-10 light switch with dimmer that can be controlled via a Harmony 880.

I know I'll need to get a couple of things on the X-10 side like an IR->X10 converter and of course a new faceplate for the lightswitch...

But my question is will the light be able to dim? Right now there's just "on" and "off" settings but if I get a faceplate with a slider will that magically make the light able to dim?

Also was curious about the same thing with table lamps. I've got a couple of table lamps that I'd like to control from my remote and be able to dim. Will new switches do the trick, or will I have to get new lamps entirely?

It should work as long as it isn't a floresent bulb and that the lights are can lights.

Lutron makes an IR dimmer (Maestro IR, available at Home depot, approx $55) that works with my Harmony 880.

The Lutrons require line of sight from the remote to the switch. Leviton makes a more sophisticated line that use a remote IR sensor and the house wiring to set dimming levels and scene control. Of course it's more expensive but it works great if you have more than one light to control. The dimmer, scene controller and IR receiver all run around $75 each.

The short answer is: yes. X-10 switches usually have dimming functions. However, they do have load limits, since they do not physically switch the load on and off light a regular light switch. This method generates heat, and that heat must be dissipated. They generally come with limits of 600W and 1000W. Also keep in mind that the load rating drops in multi-gang boxes where you have more than one of these switches (because the heat is dissipated by metal tabs that you must remove in order to fit the switch in a multi-gang box with other switches).

Personally, I prefer this Leviton switch because of the true "rocker" action (up for on, down for off). But I digress...

OK now there are several ways to control this via IR. The simplest option is the Lutron switch mentioned above, assuming that you have line of sight to the light switch. Then just add it as a device to your 880 and go from there.

If you are looking to change a lot of switches in different areas, you might want a standard x-10 switch (no built in IR) and then something that can convert IR signals to x-10. With a little work you can then train your remote to turn off the lights with you enter your "Play a DVD" action. You will also be able to brighten and dim the lights, but not to predefined levels. I personally have mine hidden in the closet with the rest of my equipment with just the TV on the wall and a little eyeball to transmit IR into the closet.

However, If you want your lights to be set to predefined levels, you will need something a little more robust. Now you're starting to really get up there in price, and now you're talking about a highly expandable system.

I could go much further, but the bottom line is that you have to decide exactly what you want. Do you just want this one light and that's all? Do you want to eventually add more and more, maybe even ALL of them?

And don't forget to let us know how it worked out for you.

*P.S. - I do NOT work for smarthome.com, and am in no way affiliated with that company. I just used their links.

Good advice. My Leviton scene controller with IR interface, remote control and 3 dimmers cost about $500 but it gives me seamless control over all 3 lights with 7 scenes (4 selectable with the remote), uses the electrical wiring for communication and doesn't require line of sight.

You really have my attention here. Are you saying that an X10 remote can be used to "setup a device" that would allow controlling of my lights? I have X10 all throughout my house. If it wouldn't be too much trouble would you tell me the general steps in setting up my 880 to "replace" my X10 controller? Thanks.

You need an X10 IR receiver like the IR543 (IIRC) which will take the IR signal from the 880 and send out the appropriate X10 commands. Once this is setup you can add the IR543 device to all your activities and send lighting commands before, during or after your activities. You could use it to replace your X10 remote for other things around the house but you'd need an IR543 within line of sight whenever you wanted to issue an X10 command.

If you already have x10 all over your house, get the IR543 as stated above and that's all you need. Then, just plug in your 880, login to the logitech setup website and add the X10 as a lighting device. It has all the home codes and light codes built into the setup. Nothing to program or do really. Then have at it with different lighting options all using your 880!

For reference, I have Starthome's Insteon rocker dimmers that double as X10 switches as well. They are more resistant to 'noise' on your line than standard X10 switches. This noise can cause your standard x10 switches to go crazy and even stop responding randomly. That is what happened to me and I haven't had an issue since getting the Insteon's.

The Insteon's respond and repeat Insteon signals, but also have X10 built in as well. That means you can use them as regular X10 dimmers using the IR543 RF to IR converter as mentioned above ($25), using your Harmony 880. It's quite simple. Just add an X10 lighting unit as a device on the 880 and that's it! Setup the dimmers with X10 addresses per the instructions that come with them and then it's just a matter of clicking the light code on the 880 and then hit dim, bright, on, off, etc...while pointing at the IR543 unit that sits on a table. There are several different models of the Insteon dimmers at different price levels from $19.95 each to $60 each. The more expensive one's have more 'scene' settings etc... I have the cheap one's and just program in settings with the 880 activities.

There are also VERY nice brand new Lutron systems (in addtion to their older Maestro IR's etc...)that will also work with the Harmony 880. These will cost you way more money however although they have very cool features like wireless connectivity and IP addresses etc...

Anyway, for the inexpensive route (and very easy), the Insteon's are great and way better than the standard X10 switches. You can do 3 switches for $60 plus the $25 X10 RF to IR.

Byron:

The IR543 is simply an IR receiver that converts those commands to X10 signals, it is hardly a replacement for a robust x10 controller, but can be added to your system for pretty small sum. (I got mine for $30 and I overpaid.)

It's important to note that the IR543 can be set to only one house code at a time, and also that it sends address and control codes seperately. This is important because with the harmony reomtes there is no way to send "Light A10 On" as one command - it would be "Light A10" then "On". The upside of that is that you can control several lights all at once by sending a stream of addresses, then a single On or Off command. A Harmony can only do this entering and exiting an activity. If you want single button control of a particular light while in an activity, you'll need another remote in addition to your harmony to learn the required string in RAW mode as a single code, which can then be mapped to a button. Once that's done, you can do wild things like map the lights in the room to come on when you hit pause on the remote, and to go off again when you hit Play.

Another important thing ot remember is that you cannot set lighting levels with the IR543, though it can brighten and dim. If you have switches that remember their last level when you turn them on, they will always come on to that level.

If you'd like to have more control over them, you'll need a dedicated controller. I have an HAI system, and there are others both more and less expensive that can do this. This way, instead of having the IR543 control the lights directly, you can set it to a house code not in use, and then trigger the control system, which can then cause any number of things to happen. For instance, with the IR543 set to house code G, you can have something like this happen:

Your Harmony sends "Light 10" "Off", and your Control System is triggered by "G10 Off" and turns the lights in your TV / Movie viewing room to 25%, lowers the thermostat, and closes the blinds. All the while, your Harmony continues to set up your other components. Instant movie theatre with ONE button push. Ain't that cool?

Does anyone know if you can use the IR543 and X10 to control an RF Ceiling fan and light?

Not that I've heard of.

Yes, but you'd have to use an X10 compatable switch like the 2475S In-LineLinc Relay V2 for the fan and a X10 compatable switch for the light.

The IR543 does not convert IR into RF, it converts IR into X10 on the powerline.

Hope that is helpful.

But then you're not using the fan's RF interface. You're using the X10 switches in place of the hard wired controls. Should work but that's a slightly different question and it may not give you exactly the same controls.

If you try to use a regular X10 switch, you will technically have dimming controls, but because of the power requirements of the fan, you WILL hear a buzz from the fan. You need to use a relay switch (as mentioned above) because they will physically disconnect the load. (Other x10 switches are "always on" and use triarcs to manage the load). With a relay switch, you will not have dimming control, just ON and OFF, which means you have to leave the fan 'ON' and just use the switch.

If the light is in the fan, you would either have to leave that on or off depending on your preferences.

Generally ceiling fans are not good candidates for X10 control unless you want then to be ON or OFF, as in a large warehouse or restaurant.