HAI Upstart, and Lighting Control Tips

[premiernic]

I am looking for tips, suggestions and any help with a pretty involved HAI lighting control scenario.
I have about 80 HAI switches. All of which have been installed. The homeowner chose to make every switch in the house a HAI dimmer, or regular switch.
Here are some of they main things I am trying to accomplish.
Random lights on in away mode.
House all on
House all off
Turn lights on at % to save energy.
I have 3 scene switches, one in the master bedroom, one in the great room, and one by an entry exit.
I have a touchscreen (5.7e) and have 2 pronto remotes.

I am looking to use upstart, but if someone has some tips, I would gladly take them.
Just looking for some advice on how to start, organize, and make this a simple and rewarding process. I have never done over 100 switches before???
THANKS

 

[ano]

I am looking for tips, suggestions and any help with a pretty involved HAI lighting control scenario.
I have about 80 HAI switches. All of which have been installed. The homeowner chose to make every switch in the house a HAI dimmer, or regular switch.
Here are some of they main things I am trying to accomplish.
Random lights on in away mode.
House all on
House all off
Turn lights on at % to save energy.
I have 3 scene switches, one in the master bedroom, one in the great room, and one by an entry exit.
I have a touchscreen (5.7e) and have 2 pronto remotes.

I am looking to use upstart, but if someone has some tips, I would gladly take them.
Just looking for some advice on how to start, organize, and make this a simple and rewarding process. I have never done over 100 switches before???
THANKS

I'm assuming you are using a HAI Omni Pro II, so you have a choice to go the HAI route or UPStart route. Sounds like you want the UPStart route, which is more flexible, but also more work.

I could write a book on all I learned from UPB, but let me give you this tip. Take lots of care in determining your links, and keep them as organized as possible. You want to make them hierarchical. For example, almost every switch should respond to an ALL OFF link. All Fans should respond to ALL FANS OFF. All lights to ALL LIGHTS ALL. Then you might want to do an ALL OUTSIDE LIGHTS. ALL INSIDE LIGHTS, ALL BACK YARD, ALL FRONT YARD, etc. Next I would go by room, and do an ALL for each room. Last you want to create a link for each switch. Then its also helpful to do some MOODS, light PARTY, NIGHT LIGHT, etc. but you can wait on these as well. While you CAN control each light directly, you have more control by using links. So activate a link to turn on the light instead of setting the switch directly.

Each device can respond to 8 links, and this sounds like a lot of links, but it WILL be very helpful when you do the programming later on. You will use these, and these in total really only add 3 or 4 links per switch, so it leaves you with a bunch left for custom links. There is a total limit of 254 links or something like that, but I don't think that will be a problem. If later you have to delete some links you never use, that is fine, but I wouldn't do that until you have to.

For me, this was the biggest time saver, because you will use most of these, and its far easier to create and program them at once FIRST, then constantly have to add them in UPStart.

 

[JonW]

Ano - when doing the UPSTART method like this (instead of HLC) does the status tracking of individual lights work?

I've been using UPB for many years now but have just switched to an HAI OmniPro II controller. I'm debating whether I should keep my original config (similar to what you describe) or change over to the HLC style of doing things.

 

[ano]

Ano - when doing the UPSTART method like this (instead of HLC) does the status tracking of individual lights work?

I've been using UPB for many years now but have just switched to an HAI OmniPro II controller. I'm debating whether I should keep my original config (similar to what you describe) or change over to the HLC style of doing things.

the best answer is, it depends. If you are happy with the HAI method, of so many lights per room, and so many rooms per house, and have the controllers setup like HAI tells you, then the HLC method is best. Its easy and you get status. If you use UPStart, you also can control the status lights, but they are not automatically controlled. So it really depends what your after. If you have everything HAI, then by all means, that would be the way to go.

 

[JonW]

Ano - when doing the UPSTART method like this (instead of HLC) does the status tracking of individual lights work?

I've been using UPB for many years now but have just switched to an HAI OmniPro II controller. I'm debating whether I should keep my original config (similar to what you describe) or change over to the HLC style of doing things.

the best answer is, it depends. If you are happy with the HAI method, of so many lights per room, and so many rooms per house, and have the controllers setup like HAI tells you, then the HLC method is best. Its easy and you get status. If you use UPStart, you also can control the status lights, but they are not automatically controlled. So it really depends what your after. If you have everything HAI, then by all means, that would be the way to go.

I wasn't referring to the status lights on the switches, I was referring to the ability of the OmniPro panel to track the status of (UPSTART configured) lights so that Web-Link, Snap-Link, PC Access and my Pronto remote all showed the correct light on/off status. Is that as simple as just just configuring each switch to send their status on top rocker/bottom rocker actions?

 

[ano]

Ano - when doing the UPSTART method like this (instead of HLC) does the status tracking of individual lights work?

I've been using UPB for many years now but have just switched to an HAI OmniPro II controller. I'm debating whether I should keep my original config (similar to what you describe) or change over to the HLC style of doing things.

the best answer is, it depends. If you are happy with the HAI method, of so many lights per room, and so many rooms per house, and have the controllers setup like HAI tells you, then the HLC method is best. Its easy and you get status. If you use UPStart, you also can control the status lights, but they are not automatically controlled. So it really depends what your after. If you have everything HAI, then by all means, that would be the way to go.

I wasn't referring to the status lights on the switches, I was referring to the ability of the OmniPro panel to track the status of (UPSTART configured) lights so that Web-Link, Snap-Link, PC Access and my Pronto remote all showed the correct light on/off status. Is that as simple as just just configuring each switch to send their status on top rocker/bottom rocker actions?

Yup, the switch just needs to send its status and it will be tracked, but keep in mind, that is only true if you physically change the switch. If you use a link, like ALL BEDROOM LIGHTS ON, the panel will have no idea that all lights are on in the bedroom, because it can't decode links, and because the light just turning on doesn't send status, you have to physically turn it on to get status.

So, the panel may or may not be correct, depending upon the method used to switch the light.

 

[premiernic]

Ano - when doing the UPSTART method like this (instead of HLC) does the status tracking of individual lights work?

I've been using UPB for many years now but have just switched to an HAI OmniPro II controller. I'm debating whether I should keep my original config (similar to what you describe) or change over to the HLC style of doing things.

the best answer is, it depends. If you are happy with the HAI method, of so many lights per room, and so many rooms per house, and have the controllers setup like HAI tells you, then the HLC method is best. Its easy and you get status. If you use UPStart, you also can control the status lights, but they are not automatically controlled. So it really depends what your after. If you have everything HAI, then by all means, that would be the way to go.

I wasn't referring to the status lights on the switches, I was referring to the ability of the OmniPro panel to track the status of (UPSTART configured) lights so that Web-Link, Snap-Link, PC Access and my Pronto remote all showed the correct light on/off status. Is that as simple as just just configuring each switch to send their status on top rocker/bottom rocker actions?

Yup, the switch just needs to send its status and it will be tracked, but keep in mind, that is only true if you physically change the switch. If you use a link, like ALL BEDROOM LIGHTS ON, the panel will have no idea that all lights are on in the bedroom, because it can't decode links, and because the light just turning on doesn't send status, you have to physically turn it on to get status.

So, the panel may or may not be correct, depending upon the method used to switch the light.

Ano
if you wouldnt mind Id like ifyou could email me, I have a few ?'s and you seem like an uber expert...
nic at premiertechgunnison dawt com <=AVOIDING spammers...