Lighting & Climate Control

The concept of a household lighting "system" is very similar to that of home automation and whole house audio distribution. All homes have lighting fixtures of some nature because they are a necessity of life; i.e. you want to be able to see when it gets dark outside. But usually these fixtures consist of a floor lamp here, a table lamp there, etc. - all totally independent devices that are switched on and off as needed. A lighting system integrates the functions of lighting control just as a whole house music system lets you control the music heard throughout your house. Centralized lighting control is more than just a practical concept. The warmth, mood, and ambiance of your home can be at your fingertips. Improved aesthetics, added convenience, and enhanced safety are the cornerstones to this type of system.

Advantages of a RadioRA Wireless Central Home Lighting Control:

• RadioRA gives you one-touch control of all the lights in your home.
• RadioRA lets you control your lights from any car or phone with the touch of a button.
• RadioRA lets you create and recall beautiful preset light levels for every occasion.

The Benefits of RadioRA Wireless Home Lighting Control:

1. RadioRA Dimmers and Switches simply replace existing dimmers and switches, making installation quick, easy, and hassle-free, without rewiring!
2. Because RadioRA operates via high-frequency radio signals, the system can be retrofit into any home without damaging walls.
3. A RadioRA system can be easily added on to at any time, and can be taken with you if you move.

Here are some specific brilliant ideas...
Make your house look nicer by reducing "wall clutter" in key areas (foyer, master bedroom, kitchen, rear patio doorway, etc.). You can have a control keypad anyplace where there was going to be more than 3 or 4 devices mounted on the wall. By engraving each button function, there is no guessing as to what switch does what.

Make it easy to monitor what has been left on throughout the house. On the way out the door, or just before going to bed, check what has been left on and shut off those areas without having to trek throughout the house. Areas to monitor might be children's bedrooms, playrooms, exterior lighting, gates, pool and spa pumps and heaters, wine cellars, etc.

A system can be designed so that you only have to touch one button in order to recreate the proper levels for various activities. No more grappling with knobs or flipping switches - "preset scenes" let you set the lights up once the right way. Reading vs. watching TV, formal vs. family dining, late afternoon vs. evening - each activity ideally needs it's own lighting scene.

You can make it easier to get from one place in the house to another. Press a "pathway button" and eliminate the need to turn first on, and then ultimately turn off all the switches you would normally encounter going from room to room. Want to go for a swim? Hit one button in the master bedroom and light a path down the hall, stairway, through the breakfast room, out the back door, and down to the pool. Other common paths are bedroom to kitchen (for late night snacks), garage to kitchen, garage to master bedroom, 2nd floor hallway to garage, etc.

You can control not only lights but also other equipment at the touch of a button. This concept can be expanded to multiple rooms or the whole house. Having a party? Just touch one button and set the house up to look stunning. Want to jump into the spa? Hit one switch and the whirlpool jets come on, the heater kicks on, and the spa lights come up to a faint glow.

By integrating a lighting system with drapery and blinds closure, you can create window scenes to control daylight just as you would use dimmers to control artificial light. No more manually operated shades - press a button and watch the shades scroll to the correct position or allow a timeclock function to automatically scroll to the "Good Morning" scene at the appropriate time.

Systems can be programmed so that one button can simultaneously turn something's off while turning other things on. A button labeled "Away" in the breakfast room might shut off the morning path down to the kitchen as well as the lights in the kitchen, while at the same time turning on the garage lights and opening the garage door.

Enhance the security of your home by making it look lived in while you're on vacation. Set up a simple timeclock schedule, or better yet, let your house "learn" what your daily use patterns are, and then "play them back" while you are away. Modern systems have battery memory backup for their programmed functions. You never have to reset any of the automatic individual timers when the power goes out. If your security system goes off, designated lights could either flash or go to full on to attract attention and startle the intruder.

By integrating a lighting system with your telephone you can call ahead from the office and turn on the spa, or tell the house to exit the vacation mode and return to normal before the family arrives home. Close the hurricane shutters on your vacation home from 2000 miles away in the event of an approaching storm. Make it so you never enter a dark house when you arrive home. Use a phone interface on all the lights before you walk through the door.

The preceding features are based upon special wiring and hardware having been installed at the time of construction or remodeling. It is also possible to retro fit your home with many of those features and no additional wiring. This would be accomplished through the use of RF (radio frequency) remote control.

These are only a few ideas how a lighting system can add to the quality of your life. Startec is proud to carry the Lutron HomeWorks and RadioRA central lighting control systems