Cliffs: looking for a multi channel lighting controller for exterior lighting with some smart features.
The deetz:
So. My house has a 1977 vintage low voltage relay panel that controls all my exterior lighting. All the exterior light circuits are terminated at a relay panel in the basement. There are low voltage switches at the doors in the house that control individual lights and a 10 switch panel in the master bedroom where I can control everything as well.
I want to replace this garbage with something more modern. A few switches don’t work and everything is antiquated looking. The panel has already been gutted and I just leave the lights I want on running 24/7.
The way things are wired right now, the exterior lights are split into 8 separate circuits. (There’s a lot of lights)
I’m looking for something with most or all of these features:
-10 separate controllable circuits
-ability to create scenes of different groups of lights
-schedule based control
-web portal or app for remote control
-photocell input or some smart equivalent based on sunset times (would be nice, not a must have)
-dimming (would be nice, not a must have)
I can’t find anything that isn’t a $1600 commercial product that meets my needs. Residential stuff is mostly IOT based garbage single switches or an ecosystem of having a switch at every light. I don’t have 120v control at the local locations of the lights so that doesn’t really work for me. I could do something dumb like make a panel of 10 smart switches in the basement where all the high voltage wiring meets up, but no thanks. I want an all in one solution.
Have also thought about DIY’ ing something with an arduino or raspberry pi. The refinement of any app/web control is going to be shitty enough that the wife will hate it.
I’m not up to speed on what pro level residential equipment is out there for automation either.
The deetz:
So. My house has a 1977 vintage low voltage relay panel that controls all my exterior lighting. All the exterior light circuits are terminated at a relay panel in the basement. There are low voltage switches at the doors in the house that control individual lights and a 10 switch panel in the master bedroom where I can control everything as well.
I want to replace this garbage with something more modern. A few switches don’t work and everything is antiquated looking. The panel has already been gutted and I just leave the lights I want on running 24/7.
The way things are wired right now, the exterior lights are split into 8 separate circuits. (There’s a lot of lights)
I’m looking for something with most or all of these features:
-10 separate controllable circuits
-ability to create scenes of different groups of lights
-schedule based control
-web portal or app for remote control
-photocell input or some smart equivalent based on sunset times (would be nice, not a must have)
-dimming (would be nice, not a must have)
I can’t find anything that isn’t a $1600 commercial product that meets my needs. Residential stuff is mostly IOT based garbage single switches or an ecosystem of having a switch at every light. I don’t have 120v control at the local locations of the lights so that doesn’t really work for me. I could do something dumb like make a panel of 10 smart switches in the basement where all the high voltage wiring meets up, but no thanks. I want an all in one solution.
Have also thought about DIY’ ing something with an arduino or raspberry pi. The refinement of any app/web control is going to be shitty enough that the wife will hate it.
I’m not up to speed on what pro level residential equipment is out there for automation either.