Recent content by johntarr

I'm starting to see that the higher priced pieces are usually just the dimmers. But what I don't understand is why I can buy Cooper Aspire switches (non-dimmer, non-Vizia) for $3, and Leviton Vizia switches are $20. At the same time, Aspire RF is much higher than Vizia RF. Just the controller is...

I'm not seeing prices listed online for alot of these brands. Are they all well over $15 per switch (for non Z-wave switches)? If so, I'm going to have a hard sell of replacing every switch in my home to match. The HA20C looks OK, but I don't like how the switch is always in the center position...

Ok, tell me if I'm looking at the wrong thing, but the Vizia line is out of the question based on the prices I just saw. If that is what you are referring to, the cheapest I saw was around $15 per switch, which is way more than I was expecting to pay for a non automated switch. Does anyone else...

Thanks for the reply. Any companies that you know of who make non-decora zwave switches, in case I decide to go that route? I'll look into the Vizia Line, but if I wanted to stick with Intermatic HomeSettings decora switches, do they make matching non-zwave switches?

Does anyone know which brands offer matching normal switches to go along with their z-wave enabled switches? I recently purchased several intermatic HA06 switches, only to realize that it is going to look very silly to have some of the new style decorator switches along with the standard...

I'm guessing that derating has to do with not being able to handle full load as you mentioned? How do I determine how much load is on my switch? For instance, if each switch is rated for 300w, and I put a 150w load on each switch, can I then have 4 switches per gang?

The package for the Z-Wave Intermatic HA06 dimmer switch says that it was designed for up to 2 gang installs. Does this mean that you could have two HA06's in a 4 gang box along with 2 regular switches/dimmers? Or does this mean that you can only place HA06's in a 1 or 2 gang box? Does anyone...

I just purchased an Intermatic kit this evening and got it programmed to do just that. We'll see how it goes tomorrow. Hopefully it will address the issue of simulating sunrise. I only went with 4 steps to get to full brightness, but I may do more later. I'm guessing that I have 28 events from...

I think I'll go with the Intermatic Family Pack. I know this forum isn't necessarily a fan of Home Depot, but they have it for $99, and that is probably cheap enough to get my foot in the door. Also, how does Intermatic scale up? It looks like only 28 events can be programmed. Is there any way...

I need some recommendations for a really simple automation project. I just want to have a lamp in my bedroom gradually ramp up over about a half an hour. Maybe later I can talk my fiancee into more, but for now that is all I need to do. Any ideas on how to go about this? I know they sell alarm...

So, considering the number of things I'd like to automate, the high upfront cost of an Elk system may be worth it for the savings on using hardwired equipment (all 5 of my exterior doors are already wired with contacts). Since I'd still need some way for the Elk to tell the lights to turn on...

Thanks to everyone's responses, I think I have a better handle on how I want to proceed. I'm fairly set on Z-wave, as it seems more reliable than powerline (I don't think there is alot of wireless saturation around here). Higher end systems like the Elk are out of the question for now, as the...

Sounds like my best (and maybe only) bet is to go with a hybrid solution and get an elk box to tie it all together like most everyone else has done. Just out of curiosity, is there a large jump in price associated with wired systems? For instance, I'm seeing roughly $65 or so for a Z-wave...

So now I have two questions: 1) If you go with a system such as z-wave devices, but you want to add on non-standard items (maybe pressure sensors, door open/closed circuits, or anything non z-wave compliant), how would you do so? Would that require everything run to a hardware box that...

I appreciate all of the replies. I did have one follow up question. If you go with a system such as z-wave devices, but you want to add on non-standard items (maybe pressure sensors, door open/closed circuits, or anything non z-wave compliant), how would you do so? Would that require everything...