08.25.2008 — Universal Remote Control is getting into the wireless lighting control business – and not just any lighting controls, but specially modified products from Lutron.

The lighting products – modeled after Lutron's Maestro wireless – are controlled natively from current URC wireless remotes. "Every one who bought a universal remote after January (2008) can control these lights," says Mitch Klein, director of research and market development. "The major point is that it is native. Any dealer who knows how to program a URC remote can basically drag in lighting, just like a DVD."

Klein says that URC "looked really long and hard" at other RF technologies like ZigBee and Z-Wave, but decided on the Lutron partnership.

"Why make an interim change?" Klein says. "We have a reliable, robust narrowband remote [line]."

Unlike ZigBee and Z-Wave, Lutron's wireless technology is a one-way solution, which means that lighting status is not reported to the URC remotes. Klein says he is "not at all bothered" by the one-way technology. "It's extraordinarily reliable," he says.

The Lutron Coup

Lutron historically has clung to its proprietary RF technology, despite new "standards" such as ZigBee and Z-Wave. The program with URC marks a huge departure for the lighting company and a major coup for the remote-control vendor.

Klein, who was one of Lutron's first HomeWorks and Radio Ra dealers when he operated an integration firm in Boston, said it was his long-standing relationship with the company that helped get the product line launched.

The launch at CEDIA Expo 2008 includes three lighting products: a wall dimmer, lamp dimmer and switch, all programmable through URC's heralded graphical programming enviroment.

Once the controls are programmed, consumers themselves can change the lighting settings. "They just walk around to the light switches and do a press-and-hold," Klein says. "There's no truck rolls.

Truck rolls? Don't dealers live by truck rolls?

"Dealers are wrestling with the issue of dropping prices and lowering margins," Klein says. "They have to adapt. In many cases they are taking the custom out of "custom" and mass customizing. In others, they're diversifying."

The product line, known simply as Universal Remote Control Lighting by Lutron, will be available exclusively through URC. The lighting devices are expected to retail for about $150 each. "There are full margins for dealers. They [dealers] cannot buy it anywhere except URC. It is not sold in the electrical channel."

For dealers installing home theaters with URC remotes and the company's new KP-900 keypad, it should be a no brainer to add lighting controls. "It's very scalable," Klein says. "All you need is one dimmer and one remote. If you're a dealer selling a $10,000 home theater system, for $600 you can add lighting control."

He emphasizes that the product line is primarily geared for one-room control, not whole-house lighting.

Technical Information

Individual URC RF Dimmers, RF Lamp Dimmers and RF Switches can
store up to three (3) “Lighting Addresses.” Each address has twelve
(12) commands:

• On
• Off
• Brighten
• Dim
• Scenes 1~8

In a typical installation, addresses might be applied as in one of the following:
With one address stored in all dimmers:

• Eight (8) Lighting Scenes involving all RF Dimmers and RF Switches.
• On, Off, Brighten and Dim control ALL the dimmers in the room.

With one address stored in all dimmers and one unique address stored in
each dimmer:

• Eight (8) Lighting Scenes involving all RF Dimmers and RF Switches.
• All: On, Off, Brighten and Dim.
• Each: On, Off, Brighten and Dim individually.

With two addresses stored in all dimmers and one unique address stored in
each dimmer:

• Sixteen (16) Lighting Scenes involving all RF Dimmers and RF Switches.
• All: On, Off, Brighten and Dim.
• Each: On, Off, Brighten and Dim individually.

So many colors to choose from.

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