fcwilt
Active Member
The reasons I've been resisting using Lutron, Crestron or Control 4 are the following:
*I believe the proprietary aspects of these systems will significantly drive up their cost compared to an 'open' system with a standard protocol like UPB or Z-Wave
You kinda mixing things up here.
Crestron and Control4 are "complete" Home Automation systems and they tend to have their own hardware solution for just about everything.
Lutron (unless they have done something new) focuses on lighting control.
UPB and Z-Wave are mostly protocols that define how devices communicate - devices using these protocols may well be used in a Home Automation system but they are not the "core" of a Home Automation system.
There are Home Automation systems (the core part) that are good for the DIYer and are well documented - so these may fit your definition of "open". There are both hardware based (ELK, HAI, HomeSeer, etc) and software based (CQC, MainLobby, Elve, HomeSeer, etc) systems. The ELK or the HAI might be a good fit energy wise. They are top notch security systems with home automation capabilities but they are somewhat limited compared to a Elan, Creston, AMX, Control4 system.
Then they are Home Automation systems that are hardware based that are not aimed at the DIYer. Some do NOT offer a "one-stop" solution for all hardware needs but rather rely on 3rd party hardware - my system of choice is Elan g! - the best mid priced system I know of. Then you have the "one-stop" solutions like Crestron, AMX, Control, etc
With something like an ELK, HAI or Elan system you can use UPB devices and Z-Wave devices. The support of Z-Wave devices beyond lighting may be limited though.