Need to sync low voltage interior lights

866 Views 4 Replies 2 Participants Last post by NewLookElectric, 4 mo ago

NewLookElectric

Discussion Starter · 5 mo ago

I have a customer with open beam ceilings. She wants up-lighting running across the base of the beams on each side of the living room and also across the main beam in the center. I have a light switch installed on one of the walls with a small transformer and a run of low voltage tape lights providing the up lighting (hidden by trim) and customer is very happy with the effect. The main beam and far wall each have reasonably located access to 120 power. (Side note: Whole house is 20A 12 gauge wire, that’s been fun)

Problem is the customer doesn’t want to deal with drywall repairs to get the switch to operate the other two locations. She also doesn’t want to install a smart system or control it from her phone as the house is used as a vacation rental

I would like to add a transmitter to the existing switch and put hidden receivers at other two locations so all the lights are synced up. Feit lighting has their onesync system which fills the bill, but is overly complicated, hit-and-miss on components, and I hate that brand.

I have installed Leviton remote switches but the ones I have used are basically a remote control light switch at a wireless location. Handy, but wouldn’t work for this application.

Does anyone have experience with another system or have a suggestion? This day and age I should be able to find a transmitter with two synced receivers for this kind of application. I don’t do much landscape lighting but perhaps there is a solution there?

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Kevin

· #2 · 5 mo ago

I'd use lutron caseta or their VIVE product line, depending on what you need. Works standalone without a hub required.

Put a Pico remote where the switch currently is on the wall, use either a VIVE relay or a Caseta switch on each driver to turn it on and off. Simply pair the Pico with the devices and it'll just work, no smart stuff required. Replace battery in Pico remote in 10 years.

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NewLookElectric

Discussion Starter · #3 · 5 mo ago

Kevin said:
I'd use lutron caseta or their VIVE product line, depending on what you need. Works standalone without a hub required.

Put a Pico remote where the switch currently is on the wall, use either a VIVE relay or a Caseta switch on each driver to turn it on and off. Simply pair the Pico with the devices and it'll just work, no smart stuff required. Replace battery in Pico remote in 10 years.

The Vive looks like what I had in mind, I can just add a powpak to the line for the beam and another powpak for the far wall with a pico remote. But dang, those are expensive! That’s going to be a hard sale to the homeowner.

If I were to go the caseta route (more reasonably priced) I can see how to add the caseta switch at the run I already installed, but I do not understand how to add in the beam and the far wall. Do I need an additional switch for each location and add it in-line in the attic space near the j-box? I don’t see a powpak solution for the caseta line to get these locations added into the system.

or Should I go the RA2 route?

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Kevin

· #4 · 4 mo ago

NewLookElectric said:
The Vive looks like what I had in mind, I can just add a powpak to the line for the beam and another powpak for the far wall with a pico remote. But dang, those are expensive! That’s going to be a hard sale to the homeowner.

If I were to go the caseta route (more reasonably priced) I can see how to add the caseta switch at the run I already installed, but I do not understand how to add in the beam and the far wall. Do I need an additional switch for each location and add it in-line in the attic space near the j-box? I don’t see a powpak solution for the caseta line to get these locations added into the system.

or Should I go the RA2 route?

Apparently I missed this post.

Caseta line does not have powerpacs. Only the VIVE line does. They are different systems, the VIVE is designed for commercial (think installing it on a light in a T-bar ceiling).

You could put a single gang in the attic space and install a caseta switch there, or you could mount the switch in a wiremold box or something similar beside the receptacle if it will be hidden from sight after installation.

You could install VIVE packs everywhere and remove the switch altogether and use a PICO remote to cover the box with the right mounting plate.

I don't know if (on a non-smart) system you can mix and match VIVE and Caseta devices that are paired to a PICO remote. You can pair up to 10 items to the remote in stand alone mode.

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NewLookElectric

Discussion Starter · #5 · 4 mo ago

Kevin said:
Apparently I missed this post. Caseta line does not have powerpacs. Only the VIVE line does. They are different systems, the VIVE is designed for commercial (think installing it on a light in a T-bar ceiling). You could put a single gang in the attic space and install a caseta switch there, or you could mount the switch in a wiremold box or something similar beside the receptacle if it will be hidden from sight after installation. You could install VIVE packs everywhere and remove the switch altogether and use a PICO remote to cover the box with the right mounting plate. I don't know if (on a non-smart) system you can mix and match VIVE and Caseta devices that are paired to a PICO remote. You can pair up to 10 items to the remote in stand alone mode.

Thanks for the reply Kevin. Appreciate the help. The homeowner ended up finding a remote system that was around $80 per fixture. It doesn't have dimming but the transmitter switches can be placed anywhere (they look just like a diva switch) and she says they use kinetic energy so there isn't a battery that will wear out. I installed a lutron switch in another customer's home that uses this kind of kinetic switch but it was just a remote switch that was linked to the main switch, so this is different. The receivers on this system can be placed inside a gang box or mounted on the side of a junction box, so I was able to hardwire the main beam up in the attic with just the receiver. I had a hard time getting one of the receivers to fit inside a single gang junction box but that is because I had four 12/2 wires in it. All three receives came out of the box linked up to the two transmitters and its working like a three way switch. Looks very similar to the VIVE/Pico system but without dimming options. Clever system, I had never heard of it until she handed me the box.

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