I purchased a few switches from both systems and installed them temporarily in my house for some hands on evaluation. Here are the results:
UI similarities: both switches have essentially the same user interface: Single On Click - light comes up to preset. DBL ON Click - light to full on, doesn't change preset. Push and hold on or off, adjust light level and preset. Single Off click light turns off.
UI differences: When ramping off, OnQ allows extremely low light settings (if you get close to the bulb, you can see that it is still on). EDT seems to turn the light off below a certain level, so it is much less likely to leave the light on a teeny tiny bit (or to set the preset to a very very low setting). EDT SoftON/OFF is quite slow, and you can interrupt it by pressing OFF. This allows you to make big changes to light output quickly, and then fine tune them using the normal push and hold adjustment. EDT dimmers have six two intensity LEDs along the side so you can tell the current output (if you can't tell from the light itself). The bottom LED is always on at half intensity to act as a locator. EDT switches also have a physical off switch so you can safely change bulbs without pulling the breaker. OnQ switches (some models, but no AUX models) have a status LED at the top.
OnQ switches are big (tall, actually - depth wasn't the problem)! I couldn't fit the thing into my box, and so I had to hold it while my wife checked it out (the children were locked in a closet for their safety
). The OnQ switch had poor tactile feedback (it was a bit mushy). There was a click, but it was soft and you weren't always sure you had pressed it enough. Interestingly, the OnQ AUX switch had much better buttons. The OnQ default settings: SoftON speed: very fast (<1sec); SoftOFF speed: instant. Ramp speed medium: 5 secs up, 4.6secs down.
EDT switches fit in my boxes okay (squeezing the CAT5 out the front was tight). The switches have good tactile feedback. EDT default settings: SoftON/OFF speed medium (~3.8 secs). Ramp speed slow: 5.7secs up, 6secs down.
My wife really did not like the slow SoftON/OFF of the EDT switches. If you are trying to get the right switch in a bank of four, waiting 4 secs for each one is very annoying. However, I was able to use the EDT installer software to change the rates and now she is very happy.
As an installation issue, the EDT system requires the network. It will not work if the network is loses power or shorts out somewhere. They claim this is a good thing, as the LV side of the switch is better isolated from the HV side. EDT switches are self addressing. The OnQ switches do not require a network, and individual switches (and their AUXes) work fine without a network (I did not setup an OnQ network in my tests). OnQ switches must be manually addressed (via 5 dip switches on the side of each switch). Thus the 32 switch branch limitation.
Thanks -- Bob
UI similarities: both switches have essentially the same user interface: Single On Click - light comes up to preset. DBL ON Click - light to full on, doesn't change preset. Push and hold on or off, adjust light level and preset. Single Off click light turns off.
UI differences: When ramping off, OnQ allows extremely low light settings (if you get close to the bulb, you can see that it is still on). EDT seems to turn the light off below a certain level, so it is much less likely to leave the light on a teeny tiny bit (or to set the preset to a very very low setting). EDT SoftON/OFF is quite slow, and you can interrupt it by pressing OFF. This allows you to make big changes to light output quickly, and then fine tune them using the normal push and hold adjustment. EDT dimmers have six two intensity LEDs along the side so you can tell the current output (if you can't tell from the light itself). The bottom LED is always on at half intensity to act as a locator. EDT switches also have a physical off switch so you can safely change bulbs without pulling the breaker. OnQ switches (some models, but no AUX models) have a status LED at the top.
OnQ switches are big (tall, actually - depth wasn't the problem)! I couldn't fit the thing into my box, and so I had to hold it while my wife checked it out (the children were locked in a closet for their safety
). The OnQ switch had poor tactile feedback (it was a bit mushy). There was a click, but it was soft and you weren't always sure you had pressed it enough. Interestingly, the OnQ AUX switch had much better buttons. The OnQ default settings: SoftON speed: very fast (<1sec); SoftOFF speed: instant. Ramp speed medium: 5 secs up, 4.6secs down.EDT switches fit in my boxes okay (squeezing the CAT5 out the front was tight). The switches have good tactile feedback. EDT default settings: SoftON/OFF speed medium (~3.8 secs). Ramp speed slow: 5.7secs up, 6secs down.
My wife really did not like the slow SoftON/OFF of the EDT switches. If you are trying to get the right switch in a bank of four, waiting 4 secs for each one is very annoying. However, I was able to use the EDT installer software to change the rates and now she is very happy.
As an installation issue, the EDT system requires the network. It will not work if the network is loses power or shorts out somewhere. They claim this is a good thing, as the LV side of the switch is better isolated from the HV side. EDT switches are self addressing. The OnQ switches do not require a network, and individual switches (and their AUXes) work fine without a network (I did not setup an OnQ network in my tests). OnQ switches must be manually addressed (via 5 dip switches on the side of each switch). Thus the 32 switch branch limitation.
Thanks -- Bob
