6-button switch WITH LOAD CONTROL

Not my idea, but such a great one I wanted to post it here. In a thread about a recent software upgrade AJF wrote:

I agree with that wish list . I'd also add:

Multi-button keypads that can directly control a load . This would allow you to replace an existing switch rather than having to add another and thereby cut down on the wall clutter.

An additional more upscale hand held remote (a la Nevo, RTI T3, MX950) to use in the theater . I think the existing remotes are great at their price point and would only wish they made the LCD screen a little larger for us aging techno-geeks. :-)

We did our setup recently and my ONLY regret is that I would have put it more 6-button switches if I'd realized how powerful and flexible they are. I have about 10 in the house, I'd probably add 10 more if I could do it without having to open up the walls and bring the electrician, drywaller and painter back in.

AJF's idea, essentially a 6-button pad where perhaps buttons 1 and 4 would be the equivalent of a top and bottom rocker switch, would make retrofitting multi-button functionality MUCH easier! I think it's one of the best ideas I"ve ever heard of for making C4 an even more flexible and friendly solution.

Please oh please oh please . . . is this something in the works, and would other people also find it useful??

Thanks for the idea AJF! Waddya say, Control4?

--Jason

Agree 100 %

I think the ultimate switch would be one that could switch a load and have a installer replaceable faceplate with a 2, 3, 4 and 6 button option. Basically you would buy the load switching module and purchase a separate 2, 3, 4 or 6 button faceplate that you could just snap into place. This would also make it easy to upgrade in the future should the customer want more buttons at an existing location.

Alan

I have been asking for this product for a while. In fact CYTEXONE is on the dealer advisory board and last year and this years council I brought up this product. They definitely didn't shoot it down, I just don't know how high up on the priority list it is.

Dan

I'm a bit ashamed for not having thought about it myself :-) but having read about it it was love at first post. Whenever I've spoken to friends or family about retrofitting Control4 into their house, they've been excited about how the switches can just sub in for their existing switches without running new wires or cutting new holes in the drywall. But the control buttons were always where that fell apart because the switches themselves in the absence of any keypads obviously limit what you can do with the system.

This would just be such a killer app -- full keypad functionality without cutting any new holes in the wall. I can already think of at least 10 places in the house where I would put something like this in in a heartbeat . . . great for new retrofit jobs, great for existing C4 users looking to expand . . . great for C4!

I would agree, I would have 6 button and/or 3 buttons keypads everywhere if they could control a load.

Wow, after all these accolades I'm thinking of putting it on my resume'!

I agree 100%. I had brought this up when the product first came out and I thought they would implement it by now. I figured you could have button #1 control the load, then the other 5 (in a 6 button keypad) be programable to control anything else. It certainly would help on both retrofits and new construction.

Joe

I agree 100%. I had brought this up when the product first came out and I thought they would implement it by now. I figured you could have button #1 control the load, then the other 5 (in a 6 button keypad) be programable to control anything else. It certainly would help on both retrofits and new construction.

Joe

I could even live with 2 buttons to control the load so it behaved more like a traditional switch (i.e. rock up and down on a normal dimmer, press 1 & 4 or 1 & 2 on a 6-button layout). Having four extra keys with no added clutter and no paint/drywall would be plenty for me, and you could still assign programs to those load control buttons the same way you can to a current load switch.

I feel a letter writing campaign coming on :lol:

referenced here:

http://www.c4forums.com/viewtopic.php?pid=20169#p20169

so I thought, why not bump :-)

I have to think this is in development. I'm no engineer, but it couldn't be that hard to do, could it?

Why would you think this has to be in development?

Also, why would you think this wouldn't be that hard? It'd be an entirely new product, you can't just take two firmware images and stuff them into the same product. I'm not saying it's extremely difficult, but it's certainly more difficult than designing a new dimmer.

Control4 does not typically pre-announce products, but I'm pretty confident that this is not on the roadmap in the near future.

Sorry.

RyanE

ETA: Ha!

Control4 does not pre-announce products

Sorry.

RyanE

You forgot to put 'typically' in front of 'pre-announce'...

CAUGHT YA SLIPPIN!!!

Edit for typo... hahaaa, I'm that way too.

The reason I say that is because it would be such a phenomenal product, and I am sure Control4 has thought of this.

I agree it would be a nice product and all, and it has certainly been suggested to Control4 previously, but there are currently other priorities that would likely be higher than this one.

It's pretty easy to cut out a j-box and put in a j-box that has an additional spot for a 6-button keypad, and most dealers would just go that route.

I personally don't put them at dimmer level. I put my 6-button keypads at touchpanel height, which is a little below my eye level, and they're easy enough to retrofit to that height, just cut in a remodel box, drop the romex down to the switches below, and hook it up.

RyanE

6 button keypads at touchpanel height....I hadn't thought of that.

Considering my wife is 12 inches shorter than me eye level might be tough to acheive.....

Do not get her a step stool for mother's day.