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I have been doing this stuff for along time. Avoid Centralite  and low voltage switching like the plague!!!! Wire your home conventionally and use wireless communicating switches. Because when you wire your home for low voltage switching and whatever company (AKA) Centralite. discontinues there product , you are screwed.  I installed  a Litejet system and am having problems with it and they will not even return my phone calls. As far as Elk and HAI I would say 6 of 1 1/2 of dozen of the other. Elk support is always good but HAI is owned by Leviton, so think about the future.

Sorry to hear about your troubles with Litejet, but when did you install it? It was already a discontinued system in 2008 when I installed Centralite Elegance. So it's been almost a decade, and I have no problems with it. Since you already have your house wired for a central system, there are many more options available today than there were 10 years ago, like Elegance, Omni-bus and Loxone. You won't think that the wireless switches never fail? I had replaced my z-wave switches 3 times over the last 6 years. And you'll have a hard time finding someone who installed a wireless switch 10 years ago that is still working. My Stargate controller is still working great since 1998, but the company is long gone. So when it fails eventually, I'll have to replace it, but I doubt the replacement will live that long.

 

[UPNORTH]

Sorry to hear about your troubles with Litejet, but when did you install it? It was already a discontinued system in 2008 when I installed Centralite Elegance. So it's been almost a decade, and I have no problems with it. Since you already have your house wired for a central system, there are many more options available today than there were 10 years ago, like Elegance, Omni-bus and Loxone. You won't think that the wireless switches never fail? I had replaced my z-wave switches 3 times over the last 6 years. And you'll have a hard time finding someone who installed a wireless switch 10 years ago that is still working. My Stargate controller is still working great since 1998, but the company is long gone. So when it fails eventually, I'll have to replace it, but I doubt the replacement will live that long.

I installed it in in 07 a couple of years before they discontinued the litejet 48 and then they  went to the Elite which was a watered down elegance. Which I have also  installed by the way. So Elite lasted a few years, now that's gone too.  The old Elegance in the huge can is dead, And now the only make the Elegance XL, Which is the Elite but with more I/O in the old litejet can.Which they will not support a retrofit by the way!! Which is entirely possible. I am not saying that wireless is better. But if you wire your house conventionally, you can always put in a standard switch and have lights instead of gutting it a starting all over or pay to change it out with some other fly by night outfit. If they were worth anything some big company would have bought them out in the big crash  like so many others with promise and continue some support for it, instead they ignoring the problem for whatever reason, which I do not know because they are always out to lunch ,when I call . Call and ask about litejet or Ambiance or Elite if you don't believe me.  Try living in the dark for three weeks will they build you a custom part, and let me know how it goes.

 

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I installed it in in 07 a couple of years before they discontinued the litejet 48 and then they  went to the Elite which was a watered down elegance. Which I have also  installed by the way. So Elite lasted a few years, now that's gone too.  The old Elegance in the huge can is dead, And now the only make the Elegance XL, Which is the Elite but with more I/O in the old litejet can.Which they will not support a retrofit by the way!! Which is entirely possible. I am not saying that wireless is better. But if you wire your house conventionally, you can always put in a standard switch and have lights instead of gutting it a starting all over or pay to change it out with some other fly by night outfit. If they were worth anything some big company would have bought them out in the big crash  like so many others with promise and continue some support for it, instead they ignoring the problem for whatever reason, which I do not know because they are always out to lunch ,when I call . Call and ask about litejet or Ambiance or Elite if you don't believe me.  Try living in the dark for three weeks will they build you a custom part, and let me know how it goes.

I think you have many options available for your situation. You can do any of the following:
 
1. Figure out what parts are broken on Litejet and buy replacements from ebay
2. Replace 11 years old system with a newer one like Elegance, Omni-bus, C-bus or Loxone. The new Elegance comes with mechanical relays backup that will allow you to wire switches directly to the relays in case of MCP failure. Omni-bus and Loxone modules have a smaller footprint that may fit in your existing can.
3. Replace Litejet can with array of 6-gang electrical boxes and install wireless switches with z-wave or insteon tech. Wire your low-voltage switches to Elk zones and make it control the switches based on zone status.
4. Replace Litejet relays with electromagnetic power relays, low voltage switches with regular switches and control the loads the same way as any "standard" wiring would.
 
I have a romex run to one keypad in every room to allow for the "dumb" operation during service on the system, have not had to use it yet, and the system has been working for a decade without any replacements needed. I have 96 loads, 8 fans, 300+ control buttons and I would never trade this for a "wireless" solution. Considering that I had to replace my z-wave switches every 2 years, it would be quite a chore had I opted for that technology.

 

[Del91574]

LV can also control another technology like touchplate....those systems have been around for 60 years or so and the new ones talk to industry standard platforms.
 
Touchplate was a bulletproof system....until you have HO's and electricians that don't understand it or monkey with it....or a poor/sloppy installation to begin with.

 

[UPNORTH]

I think you have many options available for your situation. You can do any of the following:
 
1. Figure out what parts are broken on Litejet and buy replacements from ebay
2. Replace 11 years old system with a newer one like Elegance, Omni-bus, C-bus or Loxone. The new Elegance comes with mechanical relays backup that will allow you to wire switches directly to the relays in case of MCP failure. Omni-bus and Loxone modules have a smaller footprint that may fit in your existing can.
3. Replace Litejet can with array of 6-gang electrical boxes and install wireless switches with z-wave or insteon tech. Wire your low-voltage switches to Elk zones and make it control the switches based on zone status.
4. Replace Litejet relays with electromagnetic power relays, low voltage switches with regular switches and control the loads the same way as any "standard" wiring would.
 
I have a romex run to one keypad in every room to allow for the "dumb" operation during service on the system, have not had to use it yet, and the system has been working for a decade without any replacements needed. I have 96 loads, 8 fans, 300+ control buttons and I would never trade this for a "wireless" solution. Considering that I had to replace my z-wave switches every 2 years, it would be quite a chore had I opted for that technology.

I really appreciate your input, and I am sure the person who started this thread does too. My background is industrial electronics, plc's that kind of stuff. I know a hard wired system is far better than wireless, upb ,zigbee, etc. They are a retroitfit solution but cannot compete with electron flow. I am venting on Centralite a little, because I used to be a dealer and they know me very well and will not address my concerns. I only want to be sure my lights stay on in the future, I spent my life savings building this house and  I am trying to retire. I have been tracing out the mcp board for two days and I guess I like being old , It's only Octal technology. I will be ordering better parts  from Newark on Monday. So a good lesson learned. cover your ass, products come and go.

 

[UPNORTH]

I think you have many options available for your situation. You can do any of the following:
 
1. Figure out what parts are broken on Litejet and buy replacements from ebay
2. Replace 11 years old system with a newer one like Elegance, Omni-bus, C-bus or Loxone. The new Elegance comes with mechanical relays backup that will allow you to wire switches directly to the relays in case of MCP failure. Omni-bus and Loxone modules have a smaller footprint that may fit in your existing can.
3. Replace Litejet can with array of 6-gang electrical boxes and install wireless switches with z-wave or insteon tech. Wire your low-voltage switches to Elk zones and make it control the switches based on zone status.
4. Replace Litejet relays with electromagnetic power relays, low voltage switches with regular switches and control the loads the same way as any "standard" wiring would.
 
I have a romex run to one keypad in every room to allow for the "dumb" operation during service on the system, have not had to use it yet, and the system has been working for a decade without any replacements needed. I have 96 loads, 8 fans, 300+ control buttons and I would never trade this for a "wireless" solution. Considering that I had to replace my z-wave switches every 2 years, it would be quite a chore had I opted for that technology.

I really appreciate your input, and I am sure the person who started this thread does too. My background is industrial electronics, plc's that kind of stuff. I know a hard wired system is far better than wireless, upb ,zigbee, etc. They are a retroitfit solution but cannot compete with electron flow. I am venting on Centralite a little, because I used to be a dealer and they know me very well and will not address my concerns. I only want to be sure my lights stay on in the future, I spent my life savings building this house and  I am trying to retire. I have been tracing out the mcp board for two days and I guess I like being old , It's only Octal technology. I will be ordering better parts  from Newark on Monday. So a good lesson learned. cover your ass, products come and go.