Lightwave RF - what do i need to know?
Discussion
As per title am in the middle of a refurb. Getting new wiring / sockets and cat5e network cabling done for the house and keep coming across Lightwave RF products however I still dont fully understand what I need for it to make it work for me...
I see lightwave switches, wifi hubs and pluy sockets so can anyone please explain in simple terms how their products will be useful / practical for me and what I need to get set up
I dont want to spend thousands to get it intergrated and it doesnt need to be the entire house. Are there other alternatives or is it just a product for the sake of it?
I see lightwave switches, wifi hubs and pluy sockets so can anyone please explain in simple terms how their products will be useful / practical for me and what I need to get set up
I dont want to spend thousands to get it intergrated and it doesnt need to be the entire house. Are there other alternatives or is it just a product for the sake of it?
If you don't know what you need it for you probably don't need it.
I've used theirs and competitors products to add control points to upgrade systems where the client doesn't want to disrupt decor. Downside is you're adding failable electronics and battery powered devices.
In a new build/refurb you can install cabling everywhere to give you all the manual switching points you could need. EG, my bedroom has 4 hardwired switch points for lighting, door, either side bed and dressing table
I've used theirs and competitors products to add control points to upgrade systems where the client doesn't want to disrupt decor. Downside is you're adding failable electronics and battery powered devices.
In a new build/refurb you can install cabling everywhere to give you all the manual switching points you could need. EG, my bedroom has 4 hardwired switch points for lighting, door, either side bed and dressing table
I have their switches throughout the house. Done as it is relatively cheap, and despite doing a refurb, I did not want a non-standard wiring plan e.g. Luton, as I wanted to be able to just change the switches in future if new technology arrives, rather than be stuck with one manufacturer. Good stuff designed for retrofit to standard wiring seems to be the way things are moving.
The system works well, with some caveats (below). Allows control from phone, from their own wireless controllers and, of course, manually. You are not winning at home automation if you have to fiddle with a phone/play with a weird control interface just to turn a light on.
Pros:
- very nice looking switches (we have the plain white ones) and the build quality is high
- very reasonable priced compared to other systems
- seem to be reliable
- easy to programme moods/settings/timers etc
Cons:
- dimmers only: no simple on/off switches, because...
- ...they are sensitive to load. Below a minimum current draw, they will cause flickering with LED lights. Good, well engineered LEDs like the EcoLED spotlights we used in much of the house are OK, as long as you have a minimum of 3 connected to each circuit. Start using even expensive conventional fitting ED bulbs (we have some E27 LED filaments from LED Hut), and you can get flickering. This can be solved by using an incandescent bulb in the circuit (fine if the bulbs are wired in parallel rather than series), Or using incandescents for the circuit. So we have situations (circuits where the only lamp is a ceiling pendant, for example) Where we cannot use LED lighting. I am OK with this as in our house, such circuits are occasional use.
- such sensitivity even extends to some of the supposedly matched Meagan bulbs available. In our wall sconces, we have used 6W Meagan LED candle bulbs. They stay on permanently when you switch the switches off. On Megaman's website, someone asked why this is. The response was "some bulbs use cheap components, buy Meagan bulbs". Not helpful. Again, we will have to use incandescents in these circuits.
- The system is not Z-Wave compatible, so not really that automated. You can get around this though, by using something like Indigo Domotics, that "connects" Lightwave to other systems that Indigo can manage.
In short, I like the system a lot but if you want to use only LED, and if you want something that is naturally part of a larger universe like Smartthings or Z-Wave, Lightwave id probably not for you.
The system works well, with some caveats (below). Allows control from phone, from their own wireless controllers and, of course, manually. You are not winning at home automation if you have to fiddle with a phone/play with a weird control interface just to turn a light on.
Pros:
- very nice looking switches (we have the plain white ones) and the build quality is high
- very reasonable priced compared to other systems
- seem to be reliable
- easy to programme moods/settings/timers etc
Cons:
- dimmers only: no simple on/off switches, because...
- ...they are sensitive to load. Below a minimum current draw, they will cause flickering with LED lights. Good, well engineered LEDs like the EcoLED spotlights we used in much of the house are OK, as long as you have a minimum of 3 connected to each circuit. Start using even expensive conventional fitting ED bulbs (we have some E27 LED filaments from LED Hut), and you can get flickering. This can be solved by using an incandescent bulb in the circuit (fine if the bulbs are wired in parallel rather than series), Or using incandescents for the circuit. So we have situations (circuits where the only lamp is a ceiling pendant, for example) Where we cannot use LED lighting. I am OK with this as in our house, such circuits are occasional use.
- such sensitivity even extends to some of the supposedly matched Meagan bulbs available. In our wall sconces, we have used 6W Meagan LED candle bulbs. They stay on permanently when you switch the switches off. On Megaman's website, someone asked why this is. The response was "some bulbs use cheap components, buy Meagan bulbs". Not helpful. Again, we will have to use incandescents in these circuits.
- The system is not Z-Wave compatible, so not really that automated. You can get around this though, by using something like Indigo Domotics, that "connects" Lightwave to other systems that Indigo can manage.
In short, I like the system a lot but if you want to use only LED, and if you want something that is naturally part of a larger universe like Smartthings or Z-Wave, Lightwave id probably not for you.
Harry Flashman said:
I have their switches throughout the house. Done as it is relatively cheap, and despite doing a refurb, I did not want a non-standard wiring plan e.g. Luton, as I wanted to be able to just change the switches in future if new technology arrives, rather than be stuck with one manufacturer. Good stuff designed for retrofit to standard wiring seems to be the way things are moving.
Forward and back - compatibilitys a good idea, I hope for your sake they've improved it since my dabble in it a couple of years ago though - gave up on it after a couple of jobs, both had faulty/poorly working lightwave components, both with different vendors that stubbornly refused to simply replace the malfunctioning components, which in the trade is about as big and red as red flags get.DSLiverpool said:
Guys I need straight 3 channel remote control lighting from a remote not the iphone - do I get a 3 chan master dimmer and a remote or do I need some sort of controller - maplins give conflicting info
You just need the 3 channel master dimmer and a remote. The controller box is optional and only needed to use the phone app. You can also get secondary switches that are like wall mounted remotes - no wiring or hole in the wall is needed. Just spend some time looking at their site and thinking about what you might want to control remotely.
The real beauty of these products is that they are very easy to retrofit to standard wiring. There are few things you cannot do with them with a little thought.
A basic set up would have light switches and plug in adapters and use the handheld remotes so you have a standalone system. Personally I wouldn't bother with the sockets - unnecessary though would be a little neater when controlling items plugged into them. Again, you could add later.
If you have higher powered kit to control they have inline units which I think work in that mode. But tbh I'm not sure of the wisdom of controlling items that need a lot of juice remotely...(Luddite me doesn't even use the timer on the oven
).
You add the wifi hub if you want to control it all from phones/tablets and/or remotely from the house. You can add this later if needed.
My OH wasn't a fn of the thought of remote controlled lighting, but loves it now. Our house has low ceilings in certain areas which means lots of floor standing lighting. Turning all this on/off each day was a ball ache. Now it's one button (and they are set to come on at different brightness levels to suit their location). I'll add the wifi module later - can use this for added security by being able to control the lighting more randomly when away.
The real beauty of these products is that they are very easy to retrofit to standard wiring. There are few things you cannot do with them with a little thought.
A basic set up would have light switches and plug in adapters and use the handheld remotes so you have a standalone system. Personally I wouldn't bother with the sockets - unnecessary though would be a little neater when controlling items plugged into them. Again, you could add later.
If you have higher powered kit to control they have inline units which I think work in that mode. But tbh I'm not sure of the wisdom of controlling items that need a lot of juice remotely...(Luddite me doesn't even use the timer on the oven
).You add the wifi hub if you want to control it all from phones/tablets and/or remotely from the house. You can add this later if needed.
My OH wasn't a fn of the thought of remote controlled lighting, but loves it now. Our house has low ceilings in certain areas which means lots of floor standing lighting. Turning all this on/off each day was a ball ache. Now it's one button (and they are set to come on at different brightness levels to suit their location). I'll add the wifi module later - can use this for added security by being able to control the lighting more randomly when away.
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