I'm moving this week and was looking into a new Vox light controlled setup. I'm going to be ordering the parts for my new setup very soon and this HALi controller looks great. I had some questions though that I was hoping you all could answer.
Is HALi compatible with Z-wave products? ,e.g. http://www.amazon.com/GE-45612-Wireless-Lighting-Control/dp/B006LQFHN2/ref=pd_sim_hi_4
It looks like it'll be able to replace my USB-UIRT IR transmitter/receiver too?
Would it work with some of the highly rated RF dimmers on amazon?, e.g. http://www.amazon.com/Leviton-VRI06-1LZ-Incandescent-Capable-Dimmer/dp/B001U3Z6YG/ref=sr_1_9?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1364219328&sr=1-9&keywords=Z-wave+dimmer and http://www.amazon.com/Lutron-MRF2-600MTHW-WH-Multi-Location-Controller-Wallplate/dp/B003U8Y9QA/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1364219575&sr=1-1&keywords=RF+dimmer+light
Thanks in advance for the help!
HI Fatty,
Yes, Hali/ Unimote can replace your USBUIRT for sending IR. It may or may not be able to replace it for receiving IR though, I think it depends on a few factors.
No, Hali / Unimote does not support Z-Wave. But it can send RF signals to simpler RF switches provided you have matching frequencies. It will work with this type of switch:
http://www.amazon.com/Heath-Zenith-BL-6133-WH-Solutions-Wireless/dp/B000NCV2V6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1364222606&sr=8-2&keywords=rf+light+switch (must verify frequencies though).
If you want to be able to do Z-Wave stuff without having to have a PC running (i.e. with your phone or tablet), then I suggest looking into the VeraLite. It is compatible with the GE and Leviton, but I think the Leviton stuff is over-priced. Evolve makes nice dimmers. If you decide to go with Z-Wave there are a few things you should consider first. The two main difficulties I encountered:
1 - the dimmers and switches are huge... I had a hard time fitting them in my breakout boxes. In some cases I simply could not do it.
2 - Many switches require 4 wires. Hot, Return, Neutral, and Ground. Many boxes do not have a neutral. Ideally if you have a neutral in a box you should buy a switch that uses it, since it is much better (quieter and allows for non-incandescent bulbs), but if you don't have a neutral in your box you need to look at switches that don't require a neutral. Dimmers that use the neutral need to have a neutral wire or you can forget about installing them in that box.
- Also note that some Z-Wave devices broadcast their status when it changes immediately, and others don't, so the controller needs to poll these every couple of minutes. If you want to use a wall switch as a trigger, I think the GE switches send a broadcast right away. If you want a quiet dimmer that works with CFL and LED lights, but does not broadcast its status then consider the Evolve dimmers and switches.
If you can afford it, the Z-Wave stuff is really nice. Reliable, and since I own one, it will be well supported by VoxCommando.
Oh by the way the VeraLite uses about 8 watts, all the time.
Warning: Don't buy the Vera if you own an Onkyo Network receiver since Vera will interfere with it (and it does not look like there will be a fix any time soon, if ever). I don't know if it's a problem with other network receivers though... probably not.
You can plug your USBUIRT into a Vera, although it's a bit clunky to actually use it, and you can only use it to transmit IR, I don't think there is a way to use the USBUIRT to trigger Vera Events.
