Hardwired Lighting Systems - New Construction

[EDP]

Newbie here.....I've been following the forum here for quite some time and reading as much as I possibly can on pre-wiring and the different home automation option. It seems like the more that I read though - the more confused I get. One thing is for sure - the home automation industry seems to definitely be in a state of flux. There are so many different options available and more popping up all the time.

We are currently having a home built (Ranch Style (2,300 sq ft) with walkout basement - unfinished). Our builder has graciously agreed to let me prewire whatever I want and I have about another week to decide what I'm going to do. The idea of course is to "future proof" our home as much as possible. My plan at the moment is to install a structured wiring panel in the basement where I will home run Cat6, RG6QS, speaker wire and station wire to various areas in the house. I will also run 2" smurf tube from the panel to the attic and 1 1/2 inch smurf tube from the panel to the Media Center upstairs. I will strictly be prewiring at this point and installing a system later. So far....so good.

Where the confusion comes in for me is whether to plan for a hardwired lighting system (like HAI Omnibus or Centralite Elegance XL) versus going with a power line solution like HLC UPB, an RF solution like Ra2 or something else all together. The builder has agreed to let us come in after the electrical has been run and I'd like to try to keep things as simple as I can (e.g., by not having the electrician involved if possible). It appears the main difference is with the HAI Omnibus I would be daisy chaining Cat5 or 6 between switches, whereas the Centralite Elegance XL would require Cat5 homerun to a central control panel. I'm not completely clear on how either of these solutions interface with the main electrical panel?? If someone could shed some light on that for me, that would be great.

Any opinions on the hardwired options (and the best way to prewire for it) vs going with another option is greatly appreciated.

 

[picta]

Hardwired lighting systems is the best option available for automated lighting, but it is not considered "standard" and requires a home-run wiring to the fixtures. So you'll have to convince your builder to do that instead of conventional romex wiring when multiple fixtures and switches are daisy-chained and then connected to a breaker panel. The hardwired system will have a wire from each load connected to a system relay and a bank of relays (usually 4 per breaker) is then connected to the breaker. Advantages of home run dedicated wiring are obvious: high reliability, instant status update, ease of configuration and high flexibility. The disadvantage is it is non-conventional, so you'll have a lot less people who can understand it.

Centralite has an electrician's guide you can download from their site to help with installation. I personally have Elegance system installed, and I would not trade it for any other lighting solution. The system has all required registrations, so it was no issue to get approval from the building department. If you decide to go hard-wired rout I would highly recommend running a dedicated cat5 to switches: you can always daisy-chain a home run, but not the other way around.

 

[EDP]

Thanks picta! It sounds like if I want to go with the Elegance I should find an electrician that has installed these systems before.

 

[picta]

Thanks picta! It sounds like if I want to go with the Elegance I should find an electrician that has installed these systems before.

Not necessarily. My electrician has never installed such system before, but he used the centralite guide and it worked out well.

 

[edge]

"Hardwired lighting systems is the best option available for automated lighting, but it is not considered "standard" and requires a home-run wiring to the fixtures."



----Not really the case if you choose to go with ALC.
It is Cat5 based, & uses traditional wiring methods. Switches can be used normally even if not connected to a controller. You can search ALC on these forums and find a LOT a reading material.
I did a total ALC retro-fit (not really recommended) but can be done with good documentation, and planning.

 

[Big517]

Just a side note, if you want full occupancy detection as part of your automation in the future run alarm wire to every door jamb for 2 wire door jamb contacts and 4 wires to corners of rooms and halls for occupancy sensors. A bit overkill, but I did this and after setting up the rules and programming we rarely have to touch a light switch anymore.
Run 3 cat6 linea to where every TV will hang also.

 

[picta]

----Not really the case if you choose to go with ALC.
It is Cat5 based, & uses traditional wiring methods. Switches can be used normally even if not connected to a controller. You can search ALC on these forums and find a LOT a reading material.
I did a total ALC retro-fit (not really recommended) but can be done with good documentation, and planning.

ALC is a hard-wired system and was one of the best lighting systems 15 years ago, but since has been discontinued. Part of the reason Legrand dropped it could be due to continuous controversy over the code readings that states that conductors of Class 2 circuits shall not be placed together with conductors of electric light. That system would be impossible to approve in my building department today. Lutron seems to be phasing out a similar homeworks system and replacing it with wireless, a friend could not get approval for that system in remodeling his office in CA.

 

[edge]

"ALC is a hard-wired system and was one of the best lighting systems 15 years ago, but since has been discontinued."

The product line was purchased from On-Q / Legrand by Stewart Electronics about 2 years ago, and all mfg was moved from China and is now made in the the USA. Tony Stewart was one of the developers of the product line when On-Q had it and is now sold at www.setnetpro.com

True, the mix of LV and HV in the same box some inspectors don't like, but the recommended termination for the cat 5 is on top of the box within the wall. My sister in Atlanta is having her house wired for ALC, her inspector was familiar with the product line, and saw no issues. I dunno, all depends on the inspector you get for your county, so ymmv.

I agree, ALC is not as popular as in the past due to a lack of marketing, but It's still around, and I don't mind supporting products that are made here.

 

[Del91574]

Without discussing all the options out there for manufacturers, you need to determine how you're planning on integrating.

Either you go with a controllable switch/outlet via whatever method that manufacturer supports or you go with centralized loads and then run the lighting accordingly from controllers. Centralized is going to add expense based on the numbers of home run loads back to panel locations and many times the resale of a house with a centralized, programmed controller is going to be less than a "standard" wired home.

By the statement of "coming in after the electrician" that sounds like a centralized or generally hardwired data method isn't going to be an option, leaving line carrier or the retrofit products for you to choose from.

 

[EDP]

First, I'd like to thank everyone for the great input. I actually researched ALC in the beginning and I was intrigued. At the risk of offending the folks at Stewart Electronics....it seems a bit risky to go with a solution that may or may not be supported in 5 years. I was also worried about going the "non-standardized" route as DELInstallations and a couple of other folks have pointed out. While I'm planning on staying in this house for the long term.....there are obviously no guarantees and I want to make sure I don't negatively affect the resale value of the home.

While I still would rather go with a hardwired solution, I think the best thing for me to do at this point (with upfront cost a primary consideration), is to go in and prewire for as much as I can and then decide later which lighting control solution I should go with. Right now I'm leaning towards Centralite Azela (Zigbee with the HA standard) tied into an HAI OmniPro II (since I want security as well). I'm not dead-set on it, but it seems like Zigbee is starting to gain some traction. With that being said....I also think HAI's lighting control (HLC) using UPB shows promise as well as Lutron's RadioRA2. Since the OmniPro II can control all the above.....I think it just comes down to personal preference at the end.

Since I'm new to all this, I would love to hear from the rest of you whether I'm off base here.

 

[sic0048]

If you are not going to install a hardwired system from the beginning, then I would simply forgo any special wiring and just plan on using some wireless mesh solution in the future. There are plenty of good reliable system available today (like RadioRA, etc) and I'm sure the solutions will continue to grow with time.

Clearly a hardwired system is the best choice, but it sounds like you are a little too late to really consider that option at this point.

 

[EDP]

Not too late.....just out of money

 

[Neurorad]

It's easiest for lighting to decide up front.
 
Make sure the electrician doesn't use metal junction boxes for the switches, and make sure there are neutrals in every junction box.  This would require a formal discussion with the electrician.

 

[EDP]

Thanks Neurorad.  I'm meeting with the electrician tomorrow and will make sure of this.