Centralite

Any ideas on the pricing for Clipsal and the upcoming Lightolier?

What attracted me and I assume Stormy to Centralite was the price.
 
No pricing on the Lightolier yet but I would expect it to be in the approximate range of the current Compose stuff less the cost of the firewalls.
 
OK, I bit the bullet and got a Centralite LiteJet. It came in last Friday.

I got the panel installed Saturday, and connected 6 20A circuits to feed power to the system.

Sunday, I connected a couple of loads (lights) to the system, and ran a couple of CAT5 wires to switch locations. I then connected a laptop to the serial port and ran the LiteJet software to configure the lights, switches and a couple of test scenes.

Yesterday, I connect my Elk to the Centralite.

Everything is working great so far. I still have some testing to do, but so far I am very happy with the results. I had originally gone down the Insteon path, which was a PITA in my opinion.

NOTE: This is not a system that is easy to retrofit. I am in the middle of a major remodel, including new romex, so this was an easier choice.

I will report more later...
 
Which switches did you go with? Are you happy with them?

Also, did you terminate all your cat5 runs or did you run them to a block and patch from there?
 
I ended up going with the stock Classica switches. They are okay, nothing fancy, but great for the price ($12.50/button.) I also like the clean minimal look. I haven't decided if I'll get them engraved.

So far, I have only installed a few of them ... still running wire. I may try some of the other switches that you found (mystique), but for now, I have plenty to play with.

For the first few switches, I just terminated with RJ45s. The block connections would save some ports, but I should be able to accomplish the same goal with some splitters.

What did you decide to do?
 
Lighting has been put on hold for the summer (which can be short here in Minnesota) - my wife has me building the ultimate kids playhouse... but that's for another thread (though it will have lighting and security tied into the house!).

I'm in the process of getting a Lutron quote - I found someone willing to work with an advanced DIY'er. Since I need to pull the trigger soon, it doesn't seem likely that I'll be able to hold out for Clipsal. If the Lutron quote is in the budget, we'll go with that. Otherwise, Centralite. Really glad to hear directly from a satisfied customer (and cocooner).

Do you happen to know if Centralite supports doing special functions on either a quick double tap or if it supports holding the button to brighten/dim? I thought I read about the latter, but now I can't find it... I've been looking at too many different lighting docs and can't keep them all straight!
 
On the Centralite, the press and hold adjusts the dimming level.

On a side note, the interaction between the Elk and Centralite has been fantastic. I am currently playing with CQC and their Elk driver, and really like the level of interactivity this combination allows.
 
Just to follow-up on what I decided to do...

After countless hours of research and reflection, I went with Lutron. I was fortunate enough to get a deal on the two most expensive components (top of the line 8-series processor new in the box for $1750 and eight dimming modules [incandescent, maglev, elv] for $800).

My wife and I preferred Lutron from the start and given the opportunity to get some expensive pieces at the right price we decided to go for it. Having an dealer willing to work with me is key though. If I hadn't found someone to work with, it would have been impractical to go this route.
 
Yes, Lutron is a very nice and elegant system. Congrats on your deal!!

I decided to sacrifice elegance for the ability to have more loads and still stay within my budget. My main purpose for getting a lighting controller was for automation, and the ability to see status of all devices from anywhere. i just couldn't afford to do this with anything more expensive than the Centralite.
 
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