Cooper27 Posted October 14, 2017 Share Posted October 14, 2017 I am new to control4 and starting to expand my current system. Prior to buying several dozen switches, dimmers and key pads I was wondering what the expected service life of a C4 brand switch will be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cooper27 Posted October 20, 2017 Author Share Posted October 20, 2017 Thank you for the answers, it reassuring to know that I will not be repurchasing new equipment every few years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanE Posted October 17, 2017 Share Posted October 17, 2017 Controllers only become obsolete if you want to keep up with the latest OS release. Other than a bad batch of power supplies quite a while back, controllers should also last quite a while. They go obsolete because new OS features require newer, faster hardware. Such is life. RyanE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcovach Posted October 14, 2017 Share Posted October 14, 2017 13 minutes ago, Cooper27 said: I am new to control4 and starting to expand my current system. Prior to buying several dozen switches, dimmers and key pads I was wondering what the expected service life of a C4 brand switch will be. I wouldn't be able to tell you for sure but I know of a couple homes still using 1st generation Control4 dimmers/switches/keypads originally installed 10 years ago. The newer 3rd gen are much better but they were released some time in 2013. Time will tell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanE Posted October 14, 2017 Share Posted October 14, 2017 All new Control4 equipment comes with a 2-year warranty, which if you're familiar with the failure rate curve for electronics, which is shaped roughly like the outline of a bathtub, with more failures early and very late, takes out the 'front end' of the bathtub. After the first 2 years, it's unlikely to fail for many years. The failure rate on Control4 current-generation dimmers is extremely low. In my house, I had a couple of devices (I think it was one dimmer and one switch) fail in the first year or so, but they were all the original Gen1 devices. Other than those, I don't think I've had any of my dimmers fail, and I have around 100 of them, most of which are still original Gen1 dimmers, and they've been installed and working daily for 12+ years. The original Gen1 switches (less so the dimmers) tend to get a bit mechanically 'mushy' after 10 years of daily use, but they still work. A handful of those in my house have now been replaced by Gen3 Fan Speed Controllers. Like anything, they can wear out, but they're not as likely to electronically fail. RyanE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
South Africa C4 user Posted October 14, 2017 Share Posted October 14, 2017 I guess that I have had 100 or more gen 3 switches, dimmers and keypads in my house since 2013 (may even be 150 - I used to know and am too lazy to count again). One stopped working at some stage early on and was replaced. One dimmer fried due to a lightening strike (I think) and we moved it to another spot in the house where it is still in use as a keypad although it no longer works as a dimmer. Overall, very reliable in my experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaphod Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 I have lots of 1st gen dimmers, switches and keypads that were installed a decade ago and they are all fine. The issue is more with controllers as they will become obsolete in a decade or perhaps less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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Cooper27
I am new to control4 and starting to expand my current system. Prior to buying several dozen switches, dimmers and key pads I was wondering what the expected service life of a C4 brand switch will be.
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