RC11 Posted March 5, 2018 Share Posted March 5, 2018 Requesting input regarding my potential C4 system - specifically your opinion on whether or not to go with a panelized lighting system. Building with a panelized system seems great in theory, but my primary concerns are reliability & inability to restructure down the road (specifically in the event i want to move away from a C4 system 4 or 5 years from now). I have met with two dealers multiple times - they have walked through the project & I have done my best to keep them involved throughout the process. However, they seem to fall off the map for weeks at a time. Using a remote dealer for support on AV, scenes, locks, cameras, garage doors etc from the forum in case the dealer is unresponsive is something i can live with. However, in the event I start having issues with the panelized system, I feel like it would put me in a bad place. The job size is relatively small - I attached a few prints to give everyone an idea on the lighting layout. Thanks for any insight you can provide E2.pdf E3.pdf Site.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobbieF Posted March 5, 2018 Share Posted March 5, 2018 The Control4 Panelised lighting is great, and rock solid! If you want more flexibility for the future you may want to consider Lutron (Integrated into C4). I don't think you should though..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegreatheed Posted March 5, 2018 Share Posted March 5, 2018 C4 panelized lighting can be adjusted to any other type of panelized lighting, no weird wiring requirements. Override switches can be located in closets to give you backup control if you feel that is needed (should the system totally crash). Override buttons are also on the front of the modules. Mix wired and wireless keypads to give you a good ZigBee mesh, but that won't be too hard with your footprint. The same bus cable can be ran to each keypad location for both keypad types. The wireless kp will just power off the bus and communicate ZigBee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livitup Posted March 6, 2018 Share Posted March 6, 2018 I don’t know nuttin’ bout panelized lighting, other than that my builder refused to discuss installing it. Replying just to say I love your house, and if you’re willing to share pictures when it’s done, I’d love to drool over them. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAV Posted March 6, 2018 Share Posted March 6, 2018 Consider a hybrid. Zigbee keypads per room controlling the main room fixture. Accent, relay, outdoor lighting on panelized. Local fallback, great mesh, clean, cost effective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BraydonH Posted March 6, 2018 Share Posted March 6, 2018 C4 panelized lighting has been amazing for us with nearly no product failures, rma's or weird service calls. To put it simple, it just works. I wish I had done my own custom house this way when I was building it. Something I really like doing with my panelized lighting projects is to mix both wired and wireless (like mentioned above) (for example) if your house needs 20 keypads total I would spec in around 15 hardwired keypads (C4-KCB) and I would spec another 5 Wireless Configurable Keypads (C4-KC120277) Even though the keypad has 120 in the part number it can still be powered off the 48 volt bus that all the hardwired keypads use. Then you get the best of both worlds, reliable great wired keypads as well as a strong zigbee mesh. Don't let panelized lighting scare you, it is awesome. If you dont want control4 down the road Lutron, Crestron, and all the other major players use the same wiring so you 'could' swap it out for any other panelized system down the road. I think panelized systems are super flexible and even making changes and adding things later on down the road is pretty easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rea Posted March 7, 2018 Share Posted March 7, 2018 My house is a relatively new build and I did a hybrid system. I have panelized lighting in all the "essential" areas and traditional lighting in all the guest rooms, etc.--primarily rooms where there would only be one switch. It's been very nice and certainly looks better than the wall of switches we would've had in a few places if we'd gone with traditional lights or retrofitted wireless ones in afterwards. I do have a few wireless keypads in place though and, along with my EA-1s, my Zigbee mesh seems to be quite good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SMHarman Posted March 7, 2018 Share Posted March 7, 2018 Consider a hybrid. Zigbee keypads per room controlling the main room fixture. Accent, relay, outdoor lighting on panelized. Local fallback, great mesh, clean, cost effective.This is what I did. Works great. If I sell to someone who does not want a smart home a SR250 will control lighting just perfectly. The din rail devices can be substituted for other brands. In face half my C4 din 5 pack doodad is full of dmx controllers and dmx 24 din transformers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SMHarman Posted March 7, 2018 Share Posted March 7, 2018 I don’t know nuttin’ bout panelized lighting, other than that my builder refused to discuss installing it. Replying just to say I love your house, and if you’re willing to share pictures when it’s done, I’d love to drool over them. Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkMine did to until I got to his electrician. Once he realised he just needed to plumb it and programming was not his problem we were best buddies. It's easier for an electrician to install. It's all home runs (like lan cable for lights) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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