Lutron is adding new features and new dimmer and keypad options to its RadioRA 2 and HomeWorks QS series of custom-installed lighting-control systems.
The systems also add free remote access for the first time from a smartphone or tablet.
New keypad options consist of a designer-oriented Palladiom keypad; a new Grafik T dimmer that is now phase-selectable for use with almost all types of lighting loads; and a new seeTouch C.L. hybrid keypad that adds LED-light-control ability.
The Grafik T product series also gets its first hybrid keypad, providing local-zone dimming as well as whole-home scene-based control.
All new keypads and features will be available in early 2016.
Here’s what’s coming:
Lutron Connect App, Connect Bridge: The company’s new $300-suggested Connect Bridge, which now connects to the cloud, and the new Lutron Connect App will add such new features as free remote access instead of paid access, geo-fencing, support for Apple and Android widgets, and the like.
With AppleWatch connectivity, users will be able to make changes to, and receive alerts from, RadioRA 2 or HomeWorks QS system from a remote location. With geo-fencing, lighting and shade scenes and thermostat changes will be triggered from a smartphone when the systems detect that a user is within a select distance from home.
Also new is integration with Nest and Honeywell Wi-Fi thermostat support, enabling control of the thermostats through Lutron’s Connect app.
The app will also display the battery status of Lutron’s Radio Powr Savr occupancy sensors, Serena battery-powered shades, and the Pico wireless remote control.
Keypads: The Palladiom keypad, starting at $300 depending on finish, connects to a HomeWorks QS system and offers a new aesthetic with minimalist design. It also features buttons and faceplates made of the same plastic, glass or metal. The keypads feature large, tactile buttons with backlit, engraved text and backlighting that changes intensity automatically with ambient light conditions.
The prices are $300 for plastic finishes, $400 for glass finishes, and $500 for metal finishes.
The new $299 Grafik T phase-selectable dimmer, intended for RadioRA 2 and HomeWorks QS, works with incandescent halogen lights like the previous version but adds ability to work with almost any load type, including LED lights. The faceplate lacks knobs, buttons, or sliders. Users touch anywhere along the dimmer’s LED light bar to set lights to the right level.
Also new: the seeTouch C.L. hybrid dimmer/keypad, priced at $399 for RadioRA 2 and $499 for HomeWorks QS. The keypad replaces a light switch and offers local-zone dimming while also functioning as a keypad that enables whole-home scene-based control from a single device.
The new model adds ability to control LED loads while maintaining custom-engraved buttons with backlighting.
The $549 Grafik T hybrid keypad, compatible with RadioRA2 and HomeWorks QS, is the first hybrid keypad in the Grafik T family, providing local-zone dimming and whole-home scene-based control. Key features include compatibility with many LED loads. It will be available with two, four, five or six fully programmable buttons in several finishes, including metal and glass.
