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ALD-H48 v. Lutron 4 Series

AvophileAvophile Posts: 70
in AMX Hardware
I am debating offering the ALD-H48 to my residential customers with medium-sized homes and smaller budgets. From what I can tell, the ALD-H48 and the Lutron Series 4 processor share some features, but the AMX device has some serious shortcomings. These limitations were presumably placed on the AMX device to protect Homeworks dealers:
  • The ALD-H48 has no Link 8 option for a hybrid RF repeater (no wireless control for dimmers or car visor).
  • Where the Lutron Series 4 allows you to place either 32 wired keypads or four H48 dimmer interfaces with 48 Maestro dimmers on each configurable link (links 4, 5 and 6), the ALD-H48 restricts you to just 48 dimmers and 24 keypads.
  • The ALD-H48 doesn't allow you to connect multiple processors together on Link 2. However, you can add additional ALD-H48s as Netlinx devices.
  • GRAFIK Eyes are not enabled in the ALD-H48 firmware.
  • Sivoia QED shade control is not enabled in the ALD-H48 firmware.
  • AMX only offers the Slim Button Keypads and the Maestro dimmers (the See Touch keypads will work with the ALD-H48, but are not sold by AMX).

Interestingly enough, you could get around some of these limitations by including a Radio RA system for RF capability, and you could include GRAFIK Eyes independently of the ALD-H48.

Has anybody used the ALD-H48? Does it work with the Lutron HWI-WPM-6D wallbox power modules? Does anyone have an opinion on the relative merits of these two products, or any corrections where I am misinformed on their features? Since integrating Lutron processors with AMX control systems is routinely done, is having the ALD-H48 appear as a Netlinx device worth the sacrifice in functionality? What do the marketing geniuses at AMX and Lutron have in mind with this offering?

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    philg5140philg5140 Posts: 13
    ALD-H48 vs Lutron Series 4

    Did you ever work with the ALD-H48 yet? I have been comparing the two systems and my concerns are the same as yours. Thanks in advance.
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    viningvining Posts: 4,368
    Interestingly enough, you could get around some of these limitations by including a Radio RA system for RF capability

    RA and HomeWorks don't talk to each other. I have used the RA MFE for car visor control to HomeWorks via the contact closure outputs of the MFE and the contact closure inputs on the HomeWorks series 8 processor but on the series 4 you would need the CCI board to do this. I've never used RF for car visor control always contracts closures. I would guess the ALD doesn't support the CCI's either.

    Does the ALD come with configuration software or is everything done through the module. By the sounds of these limitations and differences between the ALD and series 4 I would guess configuration is strictly by the module otherwise why would there be any differences at all. It makes no sense to build different products. Even if they limit AMX to the series 4 w/o port 8 (RF Link) one would think you would have 32 keypads with the ALD. The processor link would probably work but no way of configuring except through the module.

    Out of curiosity I just skimmed over the ALD module docs and I am now thoroughly confused. They created their own web pages on the master(?) for configuring dimmers?

    As far as WPMs I would say they are not supported as they reside on the GRAFIK Eye link. I would suppose AMX doesn't sell them as well.

    If you're limited toconfiguration by making changes in the modules and the masters web pages you seriously limit the Homeworks capabilities, scene saver, vacation mode, sequences, etc.
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    DHawthorneDHawthorne Posts: 4,584
    vining wrote:
    RA and HomeWorks don't talk to each other. I have used the RA MFE for car visor control to HomeWorks via the contact closure outputs of the MFE and the contact closure inputs on the HomeWorks series 8 processor but on the series 4 you would need the CCI board to do this. I've never used RF for car visor control always contracts closures. I would guess the ALD doesn't support the CCI's either.

    The new Homeworks P5 series processors will talk to the new RadioRA devices. I'm not sure if you can retro older RadioRA or not.
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    viningvining Posts: 4,368
    The new Homeworks P5 series processors will talk to the new RadioRA devices. I'm not sure if you can retro older RadioRA or not.

    Now that you mention it I think I recall hearing something to that effect at the roadshow or some where and I know I've brought the need for this up with the engineers a while back.

    They can't really change the RA protocol so this new HomeWorks P5 feature has got to compatable with any RA devices new and old.

    I can't seem to find any reference to this RA Bridge (device?) on either of the HomeWorks site or in the help files of the beta app. Where do you find out how to impliment this feature?

    Any way for those using the ALD you can use the RA MFE w/ car visor tramsmitters and just run low voltage wires from the MFE contact closures to the Netlinxs Masters I/Os and then use a channel event to trigger a scene (ALD "group").

    Actually you can use the RA MFE and car visor transmitter to inteface with any thing with this method through the Netlinxs Master, X10, UPB, Vantage, Radia, etc.
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    DHawthorneDHawthorne Posts: 4,584
    I was in error, the P5's do not support RadioRA. They have inherent support for RF devices, which I thought were RadioRA compatible, but they are not. It's their next-generation solution, and it's not backwards compatible.

    So, unless you want to re-tool the entire job, you are back to the relays and closure boxes.
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