backinorange Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 Hi all, I'm looking to remove a C4 system from my new house. In particular, I want to uninstall all the C4 low voltage keypads to go back to regular light switches. Is this possible without having to re-wire the house? Any insight would be much appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msgreenf Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 Not easily if it's all low voltage. Lighting is the most stable part of Control4. Why do you want to remove it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
backinorange Posted January 6, 2020 Author Share Posted January 6, 2020 Thanks for the quick response. We don't want a home automation system - we're actually removing the whole thing from our new house. Everything seems straight forward except for lighting, so I'm hoping I can get some insight on here. What would need to be done in order to remove C4 from our house lighting considering it's all low voltage? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SouthernSmarthome Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 Thanks for the quick response. We don't want a home automation system - we're actually removing the whole thing from our new house. Everything seems straight forward except for lighting, so I'm hoping I can get some insight on here. What would need to be done in order to remove C4 from our house lighting considering it's all low voltage?It really depends on what you actually have. It could be wired in such a way that you have to have lighting control system in place. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mujtaba.khokhar Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 It’s probably not possible. If they were regular c4 keypads then yes it’s quite straight forward but with low voltage it’s a headache to just remove. If you are unhappy with the system I wouldn’t mind taking a look at it and sorting some issues out you might have. I always believe in fixing things rather than just plain old ripping them out. Thanks Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
backinorange Posted January 6, 2020 Author Share Posted January 6, 2020 I understand that it's probably not straight forward--but what does it entail? My wife and I are committed to removing the whole system and selling the equipment. We bought the house with it installed and we just don't want it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SMHarman Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 I understand that it's probably not straight forward--but what does it entail? My wife and I are committed to removing the whole system and selling the equipment. We bought the house with it installed and we just don't want it.A thought process that should have been completed with a dealer or electrician before you closed. You may need to spend thousands to fish new high voltage cable to replace the wiring for light control. As others have said lighting is stable and standalone. You are likely best leaving the lighting with a basic controller not connected to the Internet or even a dealer of those are your concerns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LollerAgent Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 3 minutes ago, backinorange said: I understand that it's probably not straight forward--but what does it entail? My wife and I are committed to removing the whole system and selling the equipment. We bought the house with it installed and we just don't want it. You haven’t really explained what you have. Are you sure they are low voltage wired keypads? Do you have panelized lighting? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SouthernSmarthome Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 I understand that it's probably not straight forward--but what does it entail? My wife and I are committed to removing the whole system and selling the equipment. We bought the house with it installed and we just don't want it.If it’s actually low voltage keypads then you will probably need an electrician and a lot of drywall patchingSent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SMHarman Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 If it’s actually low voltage keypads then you will probably need an electrician and a lot of drywall patchingSent from my iPhone using TapatalkAnd possibly wiring plans and electrical permits. Especially if that Orange is OC California Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mujtaba.khokhar Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 I understand that it's probably not straight forward--but what does it entail? My wife and I are committed to removing the whole system and selling the equipment. We bought the house with it installed and we just don't want it.It entails removing as much of the low voltage cable as you can and running in new high voltage cable to each of the switch locations and to each fitting or set of fittings location. Honeslty it’s a lot of work and could cost you thousands to replace - cheaper to get it fixed and working the way you want and you can even take the controller off the network (like previously said) if you’re concerned about that.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mujtaba.khokhar Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 Is there any pictures or videos you could send so we can get a better idea of your setup Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
backinorange Posted January 6, 2020 Author Share Posted January 6, 2020 The former owner confirmed all the keypads are low voltage unfortunately. Is the are way to keep that low voltage wiring to control the lights manually with third party low voltage switches? I'm shocked I need to re-wire my entire house to stop depending on C4, that's going to be >$10K Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mujtaba.khokhar Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 I can’t really see the pictures Well yes you can there are other low voltage systems out there.But again nothing that’s cheap and in expensive. You’d be better off sorting your issues out with your current setup. A new system could cost $10k+ Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SouthernSmarthome Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 The former owner confirmed all the keypads are low voltage unfortunately. Is the are way to keep that low voltage wiring to control the lights manually with third party low voltage switches? I'm shocked I need to re-wire my entire house to stop depending on C4, that's going to be >$10K You can switch to Lutron. It’s going to be expensive but the walls would stay intact and you would be going to the 800lbs gorilla in the lighting industry. If your house is large enough to have panelized lighting then i would recommend that you look into the benifits more. Lighting control is the single best thing you can do to improve your experience in a large home or any size home for that matter. Ripping it all out simply because you don’t fully understand it sounds like a rushed decision without all of the information. Now if you don’t like the dealer then hey, get a new one. You don’t like how the C4 keypads look, then look into Lutron. I have lighting control in my modest 2600sq ft home and would never do it any other way. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk mujtaba.khokhar 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mujtaba.khokhar Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 You can switch to Lutron.Lutron is my personal preference with palladiom keypads Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
backinorange Posted January 6, 2020 Author Share Posted January 6, 2020 To be frank, I just don't want a system where any time something goes wrong, I have to call a dealer. So switching to a similar system isn't a solution for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
backinorange Posted January 6, 2020 Author Share Posted January 6, 2020 55 minutes ago, SMHarman said: A thought process that should have been completed with a dealer or electrician before you closed. You may need to spend thousands to fish new high voltage cable to replace the wiring for light control. As others have said lighting is stable and standalone. You are likely best leaving the lighting with a basic controller not connected to the Internet or even a dealer of those are your concerns. Our system is connected to an EA-5 controller. Can we configure it so that the keypad only controls on/off and dimming, and then take it offline so that we don't need a dealer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mujtaba.khokhar Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 To be frank, I just don't want a system where any time something goes wrong, I have to call a dealer. So switching to a similar system isn't a solution for me.You know with control4 you can get a version of composer that you can edit your lighting scenes with and make other changes too. You can even do custom programming against variables etc, and edit keypad programming too You only need a dealer if you need to add or remove drivers etc for example you want to change a tv. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mujtaba.khokhar Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 Our system is connected to an EA-5 controller. Can we configure it so that the keypad only controls on/off and dimming, and then take it offline so that we don't need a dealer?Yeah of course you can Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mujtaba.khokhar Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 It also depends on what else you have connected to your Control4 system. Weather or not it can be disconnected from your network. What’s the main reason for this? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
backinorange Posted January 6, 2020 Author Share Posted January 6, 2020 1 minute ago, mujtaba.khokhar said: Yeah of course you can Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Excellent. We have other things connected, like audio and security, but we're going to unplug that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mujtaba.khokhar Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 Okay, What’s your main reason for “unplugging” everything? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
backinorange Posted January 6, 2020 Author Share Posted January 6, 2020 We understand the value of C4 and the reason why people spend thousands (or tens of thousands) of dollars to automate their homes. I struggle with the lack of control that system like this bring into my life, as well as the cost of maintaining it. Even the best systems out there fail, and a centralized solution like C4 could bring big headaches to my life, like losing all lighting in my house because something went wrong with my controller. I can't even call a regular electrician to fix my lighting issues, I have to depend on a specific product with specialized dealers, that's a deal breaker for me, but it's just an opinion, I'm sure there are many happy customers out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mujtaba.khokhar Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 completely fair enough. let see if we can get your current issues looked at and fixed and them move forward from there who knows you guys might start to like the system it does have a lot to offer and by the sounds of it your home seems to be loaded up with c4 and various other automation components. if you'd like me to login to your system and have a look just PM me please. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.