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istreich

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Posts posted by istreich

    Nest Thermostats

    in Troubleshooting, Workarounds, & Bugs

    Posted

    On 11/29/2021 at 11:44 AM, msgreenf said:

    Are you using the Google account for nest or still on a nest account?

    By the way, is there a reason to or not to "upgrade" from Nest account to Google account? I have held off and kept mine on a Nest account. But it seems to create some issues on Nest to add additional users for example. It seems to be time to migrate to Google but unclear of what I would lose. Thanks

    GE ZWave Light Switches

    in General Control4 Discussion

    Posted

    Thanks a lot Jack.
    Do these work natively with Control4 or do you need a separate hub? Wasn’t sure based on below. 
    And are you using a Core controller? Happy with the experience and programming flexibility? 
    I have ordered one of the dimmers (same manufacturer as Enbrighten) to test. Seems like a solid alternative to native switches and dimmers especially in hidden/less critical areas. 

    GE ZWave Light Switches

    in General Control4 Discussion

    Posted

    Has anyone tried the UltraPro Z-wave dimmers and switches? I am very happy with my Lutron Ra2 system and its integration with Control4 but at $30, these dimmers and switches are a formidable alternative to Lutron and Control4 smart dimmers if they work well with Control4 and the Core controllers. Anything missing? Anyone tried them either directly via Core or via a separated z-wave controller?

    More details here at UltraPro Z-Wave Smart Rocker Light Dimmer with QuickFit and SimpleWire, 3-Way Ready, Compatible with Alexa, Google Assistant, ZWave Hub Required, Repeater/Range Extender, White Paddle Only, 39351 https://a.co/d/daLWonD

    Email notification if garage overhead door is open for more than 5 minutes.

    in General Control4 Discussion

    Posted

    On 1/20/2023 at 1:40 PM, RyanE said:

    Or you could use the 'relay garage door' driver, freely available in Control4's online database.  It provides a nicer Experience Button interface as well.

    It has an configurable 'open time' after which it will fire an event.

    If you have multiple contacts (door fully open and door fully closed), it can also alert you if the door takes too long to open or close.

    RyanE

    Ryan, where do you find the "open time" event?

    Kwikset lock installation - ZWAVE

    in General Control4 Discussion

    Posted

    Cho

    On 1/6/2023 at 2:49 PM, chopedogg88 said:

    The zwave is turned on and works great wirh Kwikset zwave locks. You just go to connections in composer and then zwave and enable the controller. 

    The Z-wave driver for Kwikset in from Oct 2019. Is there a more recent one for the new Core 5 controllers? And are all Kwikset Z-wave locks or chipset modules supported? Very confusing...

    HC800 vs Core 3

    in General Control4 Discussion

    Posted

    I updated my HC800 to Core 5. Biggest changes are speed of loading of iPhone app (almost instantly - huge improvement) and slightly improved Zigbee range (although it may be linked to other factors). No issues so far. 
    Still experimenting with Zwave support. 
    Happy with the upgrade. Vital for your system if working well - no… At least not yet. But no reason not to do it if you can/want. 

    Kwikset Signature 914 lock control.

    in Third Party Hardware

    Posted

    Does anyone know the Zwave range of Core 5 receiver? Is there a way to troubleshoot? I have a Zwave card installed in a Kwikset lock a floor below Core 5 but it is not been detected in Composer Zwave module? Is there a way to extend Wave range such as upgrading antenna for example? Or adding a "range extender"?

    Lutron Shades control not working after lost power for several hours

    in Troubleshooting, Workarounds, & Bugs

    Posted

    If you have credentials to log in your Lutron system, you can also make the IP address fixed (assuming you have reserved a a range of fixed IP in your router). A good practice to avoid these issues is to use fixed IP addresses for all your devices and systems controlled via Control4 and requiring "knowledge" of the IP address. Otherwise, losses of power and similar issues will create problems. 

    Practically speaking:

    - log in your router and create a range of fixed IP addresses (outside of DHCP)

    - using these IP addresses (one per device), log-in your devices and switch from dynamic/DHCP to fixed IP

    - for the rare devices where you could not make IP fixed, you can use address reservation in your router.

    The nice thing with used a range of fixed IP addresses is that if you need to replace your router, all you have to is to recreate the same fixed IP range and it works.

    Hope it helps and good luck.

    By the way, everyone should have access to the credentials for their equipment, even if managed by reseller/installer. I know there is sometimes push back due to concerns of consumers messing up settings BUT this is your equipment and things happen... Keep a file somewhere or even a sticker at the back of your units. This applies to your router, Lutron receiver, Control4... Up to you to discuss with your installer who makes changes... 

    Lutron Keypads & Scenes With Control4

    in General Control4 Discussion

    Posted

    Carter, I would recommend you program the lighting scenes in Lutron and then use of the phantom (I think this is what they are called in Lutron) buttons to activate them in Control4. The reason is "popcorn" effect if you control more than a few lights. Basically, each light will turn on (or off) one or a few seconds after each other. Not a great user experience. Creating the scene in Lutron then mapping it to a Control4 scene allows the light command to be run from the Lutron processor and be instantaneous. In Control4, you can easily create a "combined" command that would then run a number of actions from a button press. For example, when pressing keypad button, turn down lights, turn on projector, amplifier, pull screen down and start a movie. If you use Lutron keypads, you can actually do the same thing. The only thing you lose (vs a Control4 keypad) is the multipress as these are not recognized in Composer for a Lutron keypad. 

    Integration between Lutron RA2 (and de facto RA3 or Homeworks) works very well and is very stable. Reach out directly or on the forum if you have specific question on it or need help. And programming in Lutron is quite easy and software is/can be (depending on version) accessible to anyone. Hope it helps.

    HC800 replacement decision criteria

    in General Control4 Discussion

    Posted

    Thank you. Now we have a pretty complete picture of HC-800 -> EA series -> Core series and decision making process for upgrade (or not). Thank you everyone for these great contributions. 

    Curious to hear from anyone who has replaced a HC-800 by a Core 3 or Core 5, or replaced a EA-5 by a Core 3 or Core 5. Or even better, those of you who have gone HC-800 -> EA-5 -> Core 3 (or 5). I am really curious about performance improvements (such as response speeds, latency,...). Obviously when they are used as Director... (not with a CA-10 for ex)

    Info on paper are great - real life experiences even better!

    HC800 replacement decision criteria

    in General Control4 Discussion

    Posted

    Thank you Ryan and everyone. Really useful thread. It looks like unless one can find a really cheap EA-5, keeping the HC-800 as long as possible then switching to a Core is the way to go.

    On the Core, I took a more detailed look at the specs of each unit. Unless I missed something, they share the same processor (i.MX8Mi) but the Core 1 and Core 3 have 2 GB of RAM while the Core 5 has 4 GB.  Beyond that, it looks like both the Core 3 and Core 5 support Zwave while the Core 1 does not.

    Finally, the last main difference (some variations on contacts and relays but irrelevant if you have an extender) comes from the audio section as mentioned previously.  The Core 1 only has digital audio out (1 HDMI and 1 coax,) and no DSP and importantly no audio in (to connect a Sonos source for example). The Core 3 has an (digital only) audio in and both digital and analogue audio out. The Core 5 has similar options to Core 3 but more in and out (both analogue and digital), plus a "sophisticated" DSP. 

    In a nutshell, to summarize (please correct me if I am wrong):

    - all 3 units share the same processor and architecture. But the Core 5 has more RAM which could support more simultaneous processes (as indicated above. Less clear why Core 1 and Core 3 would perform differently though...)

    - Only Core 3 and Core 5 support audio in (one distinction is Core 3 is only digital coax in while Core 5 includes both digital and analogue) if you need to get an external source of music (streamer,...). And similarly only these 2 units support Zwave 

    - Core 5 adds more flexibility (additional contacts, relays, audio in/out) and includes a DSP plus an additional 2Gb of RAM. Otherwise, the Core 3 includes pretty much the same  features as the Core 5

     

    Basically, decision seems to be driven by 2 factors:

    - future proofing: size of install and Zwave support

    - audio needs, especially need to connect analogue streamer/processor vs. digital only option. 

     

    Obviously the Core 5 is the best option with the most flexibility but this needs to be put in perspective with the price of each and existing configurations (leverage matrix, extenders, streamer... or workarounds).

    Let me know if I missed anything and if someone knows why different performances should be expected from a Core 1 and a Core 3.

    Thanks again everyone for some great information here.

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