OnQ Lighting

[Tymon]

Is anyone using OnQ lighting?
Is all you need a neutral and cat 5 running to each switch to have hardwired lighting?
We just finished building our house and I made sure each light switch has a neutral and there are 2 cat6 running to each switch.
Does this mean I can do hardwired lighting?!?!
I have been looking at Z-Wave but to heck with that if I can do hardwired.

How does OnQ tie back to the automation system?
I am running Mainlobby, Homeseer and an Elk M1 Gold.

Man am I excited. Please tell me I have this right.

Thanks
Ty

 

[mbally]

I would recommend the i-LiNE system from EDT. It is much easier to install and program and is fully supported by the ELK M1. Check out thier web site at www.edt.biz.

 

[Tymon]

EDT looks very interesting.
Couple of questions.

1. I cant find anything about them online other than their home page.
No pricing of any kind. Makes me think this is dealer only which sounds like $$$.
2. On thier website it says the cat5 has to be daisy chained. All of my cat5 is homerun from each switch. So, I dont know if that will work.

Looks very promising but not as common as OnQ.
Makes me a little nervous.

As anyone on here using EDT I-Line?

Thanks
Ty

 

[elcano]

2. On thier website it says the cat5 has to be daisy chained. All of my cat5 is homerun from each switch. So, I dont know if that will work.

If you have enough conductors in every leg you can always convert a home run into a daisy chain, by returning the signal to home before connecting to the next leg.

Assuming it only needs 4 condutors, 1 Cat5 cable woulr work for wiring either home run or daisy chain. The only watch-out is the limits on daisy chain lengths, if any.

 

[Spanky]

ELK did a geat deal of testing of the OnQ and EDT lighting systems. They are both good systems. At the time we were doing the tests, which was well over a year ago, one test showed a difference in the operation of OnQ and EDT: Upon a AC mains power failure and restoral, OnQ would come back up in the state that the lights were in when the power failed. EDT would come up in the light off state.

Personally, I would like the lights to come back on in the state they were in when the power failed.

Again, this operation may have changed in the last year or so. If anyone knows, I would like to be corrected.

 

[DavidL]

Of course, with all the software Tymon has running, one could always write a "Power Recovered" script to turn the lights / devices back on to were they were on power off.

 

[Rupp]

one could always write a "Power Recovered" script to turn the lights / devices back on to were they were on power off.

This is built in to HomeSeer.

 

[Rupp]

HomeSeer just added a new plugin for the CentraLite LiteJet system.

http://www.centralite.com/products/LiteJet/index.aspx

 

[rbroders]

I believe EDT recommends putting a UPS on the iLine network power-supply. It draws only a little power so even a small UPS would last a very long time.

 

[mbally]

In the EDT i-LiNE system, only the dimmer does not come back on to it's last state, unfortunately this is a UL requirement. There is no loss of programming with the loss of power. The i-PoWER-M4p has a connection for a standard alarm sytem battery and includes a charging circuit, so you end up having UPS for less than $20.