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Comparison of LiteTouch® and Lutron® Lighting Control Systems
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The table below compares the LiteTouch 5000LC and Lutron HomeWorks® Interactive
lighting control systems. This information is based
upon manufacturer's specifications and our experience with these two systems.
It is our intention to keep this up-to-date and accurate. If you feel that any
of the information presented here is inaccurate or has changed, please
email us the details.
We are still verifying details on some of the less frequently used features of
these systems as well as preparing sections covering differences in the system
programming features and tools. The latter is probably of more interest to
installers and dealers than to a homeowner. Please check back with us
for updated information. If there is some specific information
you would like to see as part of this comparison, please
send us an email.
We also would welcome your comments on the usefulness of this comparison as it
relates to your project and how it helped you in your selection process.
(Send feedback.)
And finally, if there are other manufacturers or types of controllers you would
like to see compared, let us
know. We'll consider all requests, but priority will be placed on those
systems and manufacturers that have features and functionality appropriate for
use with our custom Home Management Systems. The next comparison we're preparing is
for HVAC control systems from Trane, Carrier, Siebe/Barber Colman, Johnson Controls,
and Alerton. That's a fairly large bit of work that we expect to have finished in
two to three months. Until it is done, there is a page in place right now from
which you can request an email notification be sent to you when the HVAC comparison
is complete. (Click here
to open the HVAC notification page in a new window.)
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Feature
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LiteTouch 5000LC
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Lutron HomeWorks
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Manufacturer's Links
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LiteTouch
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Lutron
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Cost
Details
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More cost effective on larger installations.
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More cost effective on smaller installations.
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System Capacity
Details
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Loads:
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2048
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Keypads:
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256
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Buttons:
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2304
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Loads:
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4096
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(Any mix of HomeWorks, Vareo®, or GRAFIK Eye® loads)
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Keypads:
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1536
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Buttons:
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26112
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(Adding Vareo switches or GRAFIK Eyes to the system reduces the above numbers for keypads and buttons.)
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System Architecture
Details
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Single central controller.
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Multiple distributed controllers.
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Aesthetics and Keypad Configuration
Details
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Customizable number of buttons and locations.
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Maximum nine buttons in a single gang.
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Fixed keypad options.
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Maximum ten programmable buttons plus two for "all on/all off"
in a single gang.
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Backup Lighting Control
Details
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Pre-wired loads at full intensity.
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Requires simple contact closure to function.
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A preset scene per controller.
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Requires controller to be functional.
Vareo loads continue to operate as usual.
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Vacation Mode
Details
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Predefined loads and time windows.
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Playback of the previous 1, 7, or 14 days of lighting
with minor timing changes.
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Integration with Home Management Systems
Details
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Both have simple ASCII-based (i.e. alphanumeric character) protocols.
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Control of Motorized Equipment
Details
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Both support safe bi-directional motor control through a
3-wire interlocked relay mechanism.
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Local Service and Support
Details
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Widely available. Of course, your mileage
may vary! Check out your local service
and support dealers. If you can't get
comfortable with their abilities, continue
looking.
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Warranty
Details
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Limited lifetime warranty.
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Non-transferable if you sell your home.
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Eight (8) years on a sliding scale.
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1st and 2nd year:
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100% |
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3rd thru 5th:
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50% |
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6th thru 8th:
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25% |
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Cost:
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We have found from past experience that for typical installations Lutron is more cost
effective for smaller installations and LiteTouch is more cost effective for
larger installations. By typical installation, we mean a reasonable mix of dimmer
and relay modules. Your experience may differ. The difference between small
and large is not black and white, and there are many factors that contribute to cost.
With LiteTouch you purchase a single controller and then add load modules and keypads as
needed until the total system capacity is reached. With Lutron, a single controller
supports 96 keypads and 512 loads. As either of these limits is reached
on a single controller, additional controllers must be purchased as needed to support
your keypad and load requirements. (Adding Vareo switches or GRAFIK Eyes reduces the number of keypads
a controller can support. The tradeoff in actual numbers is not easily described.
If you need more information, feel free to contact us.)
The specific load modules required can also have a dramatic affect on price.
The type of load modules (e.g. relay modules are significantly cheaper than low voltage
electronic ballast dimmer modules), the number of outputs on them, and their load capacity
all have significant effects on the total system price.
Keypad configurations can also contribute to system price differences. Specifying standard
LiteTouch keypad configurations will keep its system cost close to Lutron's standard keypad offerings.
If however, you do want to take advantage of LiteTouch's large or custom keypad options, these can
contribute significantly to the system cost.
The only true way for you to determine which system is more cost effective for your project is to solicit
bids for both systems. Bear in mind that the lighting system requirements must remain the same
for the bids to be valid. We have seen many situations where the bidding dealers received different
requirements because requirements were written and rewritten with a bias toward controller features rather
than homeowner requirements. The best way to insure that you have valid bids is to hire an independent
engineering firm to create a single set of lighting system specifications, solicit the bids, and then
evaluate the pros and cons of the submitted bids.
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System Capacity:
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System capacity has never been an issue with either of
these systems. The largest residential system we have
encountered has approximately 1000 loads, 160 keypads
and 1300 buttons. The largest home we have provided design
services for is 60,000 square feet and it didn't even come
close to reaching the limits of either of these lighting systems.
Should system capacity be exceeded, a properly designed home
management system could tie two or more complete lighting control
systems together as one. In fact, one ESC Home Management System
installation combines a LiteTouch system with the European lighting
system, Teletask, so both work together as one.
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System Architecture:
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System architecture is one key factor in finding the right fit for your needs.
This may be a more critical decision factor if your project is a retrofit, but
it has implications in new construction as well. Not all system architectures
will be possible in all applications and system architecture may affect cost
given similar requirements.
LiteTouch runs all load wiring to control modules in one or more locations.
Lutron is typically wired in the same manner, but also has an option for local
load control using their Vareo smart switches which replace standard light
switches. Both systems require low voltage communication wiring to be
daisy-chained between their keypads/switches and load modules and run back
to a central computer.
LiteTouch is a centrally controlled system. All lighting
loads are wired to load modules (relays and dimmers) which are usually
installed in mechanical spaces (basement, garage, etc.). There are no high
voltage switches on the walls of your living space. These load modules are then wired
via a communications bus back to the LiteTouch computer. The computer controls
loads, turning them on, off, dimming them, etc., through the load modules. Low voltage
keypads are mounted on the walls in the living spaces. The keypads are connected through
a second communications bus to the computer. LiteTouch is very difficult
to install in a retrofit situation if the majority of the electrical wiring
is to remain unchanged.
LiteTouch's system addressing is flat, that is, you have a single computer with
one communications bus in a single tier addressing scheme. Each keypad and each module
has a unique address from 0 to 255. LiteTouch keypads require
one keypad address per gang.
Lutron HomeWorks is typically wired in a manner similar to LiteTouch. However, it
also offers a conventional wiring architecture and the two wiring schemes can be mixed.
By conventional wiring architecture we are referring to high voltage wiring connecting loads
to wall mounted switches as in any standard home. HomeWorks can then be retrofitted into a
conventionally wired home by running low voltage wiring from the switch locations to the
Lutron controllers and replacing the standard toggle switches with Vareo switches (smart
switches). Additionally, low voltage keypads can be mounted in the living spaces and wired
via a second communications bus to the controllers. Lutron HomeWorks with its Vareo switches
is the better choice in a retrofit situation if the majority of the electrical wiring will
remain unchanged.
Lutron's system addressing is hierarchical, i.e. it has multiple levels of addressing.
Keypads and modules are connected to controllers and multiple controllers are connected
together. Each keypad is assigned an address from 1 to 32, unique per controller link.
Each controller has 3 communication links or busses on
which it can communicate with either keypads or Vareo switches (but not both on a single
link). Each controller is assigned a unique address from 1 to 16. Therefore, in order to
communicate with a keypad you must specify a processor number, a link number, and a keypad number.
Lutron keypads, no matter how many buttons they have, require only one keypad address.
Load devices (modules and Vareo switches) have a multi-tier addressing scheme similar to the keypads,
but with two additional address parameters.
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Aesthetics and Keypad Configuration:
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Your personal taste will determine which manufacturer's keypad's appearance
you prefer. You may favor one keypad style over the other. Both companies
offer a wide variety of standard and premium finishes. Additionally, there
are third parties that will custom finish the keypads to match your wall
coverings. We have seen faux painting (this can be done to most faceplates),
wallpaper and wood veneer overlays. The latter two options work best with a
flat faceplate (no curved edges). Not all keypad styles will support all
finish options.
When you are building a beautiful new home, the last thing you want to do is
clutter up the walls with "wall acne". Every system provider wants to put a
widget on the wall (security keypad, HVAC thermostat, lighting switches,
distributed audio volume control, etc.). One of the key benefits of a
lighting control system is to minimize wall clutter by replacing a number of
light switches and dimmers in a large multigang box with a single lighting system
keypad that fits neatly into a single gang box. With a properly designed home management
system, you can also use lighting keypad buttons to perform non-lighting functions
(e.g. audio, HVAC, etc.) eliminating some or all of those other widgets.
Both LiteTouch and Lutron have keypads which is all that is required to control
lights with either system. Lutron offers keypads with 2, 5(7), 6, 9, 10(12) and
15(17) buttons. The 5-, 10-, and 15-button keypads have two additional buttons
on them for master on and master off functions. LiteTouch keypads are available
with any number of buttons the client desires. We have seen quite a variety of
LiteTouch button combinations ranging from a single button, single gang keypad
up to a 45 button, 7-gang keypad. You can get them bigger if so desired.
(Very definitely not recommended however! Read further.)
Lutron's Vareo switches are a logical choice for rooms
with only a single load, e.g. a utility closet or small powder room, but installing
Vareo switches at the same location as a Lutron keypad makes little sense.
LiteTouch has no equivalent to the Lutron Vareo switch, but you can get a single
button keypad.
Whichever system you choose, you should follow our "Simple Sophistication"
philosophy — the fewer the buttons the better. For optimal system simplicity,
you need to have exactly the right number of buttons on each keypad, no more — no
less. More often than not we see installations where too many buttons are
installed (regardless of the system installed). Many people feel that
more buttons add greater control flexibility. What it really adds
is confusion.
The key to successful lighting system control is to use "functional lighting."
Most rooms have no more than five or six specific functions that they would be
used for and many have less. You want each button on the keypad to light a room
(or rooms) for a particular function, e.g. watch a movie, clean up, or entertain.
If each button manipulates a single lighting circuit in the room, each time you
walk in the room you have to push and hold multiple buttons to set each light's level.
Instead, if you use functional lighting, you walk into a room and press a single button
for the function for which you are going to use the room. Much simpler, much more
sophisticated.
What makes functional lighting difficult to achieve during system design is
knowing exactly how many different functions for which a room will be used.
The resulting uncertainty is usually solved by "throwing in a
few extra buttons" on each station. Using LiteTouch "H" series keypads
resolves this dilemma. Initially install the keypads fully populated with
all nine buttons, but without faceplates. Program the typical three or four
buttons that most rooms will use and leave the rest of the buttons unprogrammed.
The client lives with the system for a few weeks and the lighting gets fine-tuned
by adding or removing button programming as necessary. Once the homeowner is satisfied,
engraved buttons and the appropriate faceplates are ordered. Unused buttons are
removed and left empty; the voids covered by the faceplate. Should the
situation change, instead of ordering a new keypad, unnecessary buttons are
removed or new engraved buttons are added along with a new faceplate. This is much
more economical than ordering an entire new keypad.
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Backup Lighting Control:
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A back up control method (also know as redundancy or fail-safe operation), may be
required should the controllers fail or communications between controllers, keypads,
and load modules is disrupted. In the grand scheme of things we do not feel that a
back up plan should be placed at the top of the priority list. Both systems are extremely
reliable, so this should not be a major decision factor in choosing between the two.
In the past 10 years we have only seen one system fail (the house took a direct lightning
strike). This is not to say you should ignore the possibility of failure, only to keep it
in perspective. With that said, here are the different methodologies used for
back up contingencies in the two systems.
Back up in a LiteTouch system is accomplished by connecting selected loads to one or
more manual override stations. These are specialized keypads with 6 switches. Turning
on one of the switches will turn on the connected loads assigned to the switch. The
manual override station bypasses the controller and all communications activating
the loads directly. All selected loads turn on at full intensity. This works
for all LiteTouch systems, new and old.
LiteTouch's 5000LC system has a modular controller. Switches and loads will operate
without the CPU card since it is only required to make programming changes. All boards
can be "hot-swapped" for replacement. Some of our clients keep a spare set of boards
on-hand in case of a catastrophic failure. One client has a completely programmed
spare computer available. We have never seen any of these spare parts used.
Lutron's back up method connects a manual override switch to one or more controllers.
The switch activates a backup "scene" for all loads on a given processor. While this
requires the controllers to be alive and functional, what are the odds of more than one
controller failing at once? In a normal failure scenario where a single controller fails you
would lose system control of only those loads assigned to that controller.
Using a conventional wiring scheme and Lutron Vareo switches, the Vareo switch controls
the attached load directly and does not require communications with a functional controller.
A typical failure (one that does not disrupt communications for other devices) of a Vareo
switch causes a loss of control only for the load to which it is attached.
System reliability greatly depends on making sure load modules are appropriate for
the attached loads. Drawing too much current through a load module, connecting a magnetic
ballast load to an electronic dimmer, or any other inappropriate installation can destroy
modules or cause very strange happenings (randomly blinking lights are a favorite).
Any time lighting fixtures are swapped for a different type of lighting or lamp wattage is
increased, the effects on the load modules must be kept in mind.
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Vacation Mode:
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Vacation mode is a feature that gives your home the "lived-in" look.
Whether you are away for the evening or on vacation, this feature turns
your lights on and off to give the appearance that you are home.
Both LiteTouch and Lutron systems have a vacation mode and they operate very differently
from each other. LiteTouch requires loads to be predefined as well as the time ranges within
which these loads will be randomized when the system is in vacation
mode. Lutron simply repeats the previous week's lighting with slightly
randomized variations. While LiteTouch manipulates any load during
vacation mode, Lutron ignores motorized loads for safety reasons.
Of course, that eliminates all drapes and shades from the vacation
mode which may make your absence all the more obvious.
LiteTouch is programmed with loads assigned to time
periods during the day which are randomly turned on and off (during
the specified periods) to simulate "normal" activity. This can be a time
consuming task in larger installations. Lutron has a much
easier approach to vacation mode. They memorize your usage for either one,
seven or fourteen days. When vacation mode is activated,
the recorded activity is played back over and over, randomizing
the on and off times slightly. There is no programming required and the
pattern is natural since the homeowner creates it during the course of their
normal activities.
However, the drawback to Lutron's vacation mode is it does not include non-lighting
loads. A very unfortunate situation. The vacation mode is supposed to give
your home the "lived-in" look while you are gone. If you open and close your
window treatments several times a day when you are home, they should also operate
when you are gone. This is not only to complete the lived-in appearance, but
also for other varying needs requiring the window treatments to go up and down
during the course of the day. Plants and pets require sunlight; furniture must
be shielded from it. We have clients who are otherwise very happy with their
Lutron system except its handling of motorized loads in vacation mode.
Lutron's position is that motorized devices should not be operated without
the homeowner being present for safety reasons. The scenario quoted to us
was a blind could knock over a lamp and start a fire and they don't want the
liability. Of course, there are many blinds, drapes, and curtains that have
no lamps anywhere near them. The homeowner and installer should be given the
option.
Whereas a home management system (HMS) cannot solve problems within any manufacturer's
system, lighting or otherwise, an HMS can augment lighting system features.
As an example, Electronic Solutions Company can use its HMS to record all button presses
for some previous period of time and filter out only those that truly should not
be used during a homeowner's absence. The filtered list of button presses can be
played back with randomization during vacation mode just like Lutron does but with
motorized devices as part of the mode. This can also be implemented with a
LiteTouch system as well.
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Integration with Home Management Systems:
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Both systems have relatively simple protocols consisting of nothing but alphanumeric characters.
Neither system uses any checksum or CRC (cyclic-redundancy-check) to verify the validity of a
message. This is probably due to market pressures to allow easier integration with low-end
home automation systems which only have the ability to send or receive predefined byte strings or
very simple command strings. Checksums and CRCs require calculations that must be performed for
each message — a function not available on low-end systems. The older LiteTouch systems (the
Compact and Standard), which are still in production, support both a simple ASCII-based protocol
without CRCs and also a binary protocol complete with CRCs.
Why Checksums and CRCs are Important:
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The purpose of a checksum or CRC is to validate that a message between
two systems has not been altered or corrupted by noise. Suppose a message
from a home control system to the lighting control system requests a button
press of button 5 on keypad 30. If a single bit in the 1's and 0's representing
the keypad number gets misinterpreted because of noise, the lighting control
system could end up activating button 5 on keypad 22. Most likely not
what you wanted!
When a communications protocol puts a CRC or checksum on the end of the message,
they can detect that the bit was misinterpreted and send back a response that
the message was corrupted to the originating system. The originating system
can then resend the original message a second time.
Of the two, CRCs are the preferred option. They use complex polynomials to
generate and check the CRC. It provides the greatest level of error detection even
in the presence of multiple bit errors. Checksums are a much more simplistic form
of error detection that relies on simple addition (checkSUM) of the messages bytes --
better than no error checking but not nearly as good as CRCs.
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Motorized Equipment:
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Both systems support 3-wire, two-way motors. These are
most often used in window treatments, skylights, windows,
etc. These types of motors are bi-directional and have
two windings. Energizing both windings at the same time
is detrimental to the health of the motor. Both lighting
systems have special modules designed specifically for this
application. They contain relay pairs that are interlocked
to prevent them from both being on at the same time. One relay is
turned on to operate the motor in one direction, switching off the
first and turning on the second operates the motor in the other
direction, and if both relays are off the motor is stopped.
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Local Service:
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These systems are as good as the designers, dealers, and installers
who service you. Both companies distribute widely and have
established dealer bases. Your choice of service provider is as
important as your choice of system. Check with the manufacturers,
request and check references, and check with your builder or other trade
personnel for recommendations. Evaluate their ability to understand
your needs. As with everything in life, there are good installers
and bad installers, and they will make or break your system.
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