On the move

The Wiser really has made my cbus system come alive. Wow what a product It's got me thinking...it's so cost effective and portable...it really isn't beyond the realm of possibilty to transport all those hard earned hours of logic/programming and blood sweet and tears onto the next abode.

The real cost in rewiring a place with a new cbus system is not at the switchboard...but in the multitude of peripheral devices...
So yeh. I understand retrofitting a cbus lighting system requires rewiring the switchboard and running out pinkcbus cat5 cable to all switches etc, but with the WISER..I'm finding I'm using the wiser more and more and the actual switches less and less! ..

Suddenly a retrofit of an older house becomes so much more achievable..does it not? Don't laugh at this question : but would it be possible to just install new relays and dimmers for the light circuits at the main board and forget about cbus switches out in the periphery all together?

 

WH, I don't know, above seems a bit peculiar to me. I don't know about you, but when I wake up in the middle of the night, I want to hit a switch or button on a dedicated device like a Neo or a DLT. At that time of the morning, my state of mental boot strapping is not really suited to turning on a mobile phone, starting the Wiser UI, connecting on WiFi, selecting the desired widget and then affecting it. Okay, I suspect you're going to say that iPhone or iTouch can do that in 2.345 seconds but that's still 2s longer than a dedicated switch. My point is that you will absolutely need dedicated devices like dlt/neo/etc in every room (preferably next to the door, or next to the bed) for those instantaneous needs.

Wiser is intended to enable access from multi-purpose devices like mobile phones, web tablets, and others as well as enable remote access when desired. These access devices are by definition multi-purpose devices and therefore have very different usage characteristics than a c-bus switch. Their very nature of being multi-purpose prevents them from meeting the simplicity of a dedicated c-bus switch. If you're designing a home, not including sufficient dedicated switches would be a significant flaw in my opinion.

As for the point about portability between different homes, I'm not sure I understand. Your C-Bus switches have pretty much the same portability that Wiser has. It's in fact easier to wire a C-Bus network because of its open topology than it is to setup ethernet trunking (which requires all leads having to head back to a central switch) in a home.

 

What about wireless switches that you can 'stick' anywhere you want? Maybe you could have the (wired) C-Bus dimmers and relays and put the 'stick-on' switches over the holes where the old 240V ones are.... would mean not having to run so much pink cable...

Would you go for that?

 

Exactly

Do such switches exist? Or better still design a wireless switch that acts as an old fashioned manual one as well as send a wireless state back to cbus.

Ie when manual opens 240 V cuircuit - it sends it's open status back to cbus.
Visa versa when it is manually closed.

If on the other hand the curcuit is 'switched' by cbus (say on a Wiser) a wireless signal is sent back to the switch to reposition it's manual state.

That way a simple wireless retrofit to all existing dwellings. No rewiring. No replastering. No repainting. Happy wife.

 

How's that old saying go? Ask and ye shall...

http://www2.clipsal.com/cis/technical/product_groups/cbus_wireless

"The C-Bus Wireless product range incorporates a family of C-Bus Radio Frequency (RF) devices, including Wall Switches, Plug Adaptors, Remote Control and a Gateway to Cat-5 Wired C-Bus units.
C-Bus Wireless Wall Switches are designed to easily replace standard, 240V wall switches. They incorporate patented Clipsal technology and are two wires devices requiring no Neutral (240VAC Active and Load connections only)."

 

Gee thanks!

I did know CIS had a range of wireles switches- but you may be interested to know - I had no idea they could be slotted in and used as replacements for an old fashioned switch. Weird I know- but it's the truth!

Note to CIS.... why doesn't a customer like me who has been actively involved in the instalation of a cbus system into a renovation know this ?
This is a good example of how CIS needs to get the message out in a clearer fashion. Improve the look and feel of the web page. Send email updates to customers - not just the point ones etc. Etc.

Back to the wireless range. I do feel some more standard looking switches should be added. Even a period style one. Owners of the sort of dwellings these may go into may not want modern looking neo style switches! Just a thought to increase sales and get cbus seamlessly integrated into a rooms decor ( and accepted by the wife factor)

 

Probably very difficult to do given the form factor but wireless switches in an achitrave style would be very useful too.

Could possibly seperate the switch from the wireless components in a seperate box by a short length of cable that could go inside the wall but it would be nice to be able to do direct replacement of clunky old achitrave switches that seem to be v.common in 60s/70s build houses with nice sleek saturn style wireless c-bus ones without having to move the switch to the wall.

 

Oh well, I'll settle for a working scene cycle function on the wireless switches then....

 

Might be..but the retrofit/reno market is HUGE

Ashleigh. My fantastic installer has already worked out a solution for integration of period style brass dome switches wired into cbus (you know the ones mounted on large wooden blocks)...so given these are physically huge and could easily house the necessary wireless electronics..(they are twice the size and thickness of a neo wallplate)...what's the problem

Seriously....CIS needs to increase the range of wireless cbus switches. IMHO. Not everybody wants to live in a house that looks like Starwars and blurts out "gee: aren't I just the most sofisticated modern technological geek in the neighbourhood" ...There is such a things as "hidden technology" in design...particularly in getting acceptance from people who have grown up around the simple "flick on/off" switch....

 

Hi Wappinghigh,

Yes you can use period style switches by placing a C-Bus Coupler 5104BCL but you will still need the pink at those locations

 

Thanks for that!

Yep. Used these already. But a wireless version of the cbus coupler would be a start...with no pink....the sort of houses that have these sort of switches often have solid larden plaster walls, but it's not just these houses...lots of flats etc have hard to access wallls and then there is the problem of slab houses etc etc....seems like a no brainer to me........

 

Wappinghigh, do you seriously think CIS has not thought of all of the issues you have suggested? You always seem to have a "better" way to do things, and I understand why from a consumer point of view...

However, all of the installs I have done, and the many people I have talked to, have been more than satisfied with the look and feel of the saturn and neo switches. And they also seem to understand they can not have the best of both worlds. Remember, every system has its limitations.

Here's an example. The consumer requests a wireless switch which can retro-fit into existing period style switches. Not all period style switches are mounted on wooden blocks, and not all are the same...Given the extreme niche market required for this particular product, I seriously doubt CIS would take it upon itself to go through 1-2 years design and testing, as the end would just not justify the means.

I'm sure CIS appreciates all your feedback, but I sometimes get the impression (as I can imagine a lot of other people reading your posts), that you are almost 'bagging' CIS because their solution does not suit your particular needs.

Do not take this as a personal attack or anything, it just grinds my gears when one person says a product should do this and do that, when this customer has a unique situation. Businesses like CIS do not cater for unique situations, or customers who have one in a million needs (unless they want to pay extra for specials).

For the record, no I don't work for Clipsal, but have been involved with them over the past years, and if you knew what lengths the marketing, product development and engineering departments go through to get a product from inital design until final release, I think you would have more of an appreciation of CIS's products as a whole, and maybe have some faith in the company to cater for the markets needs.

END RANT

 

I'm not bagging the company.

Why is it that everytime anyone makes constructive comments about CIS they are said to be bagging the company?

Why wouldn't a wireless coupler be a usefull additional product?
Not eveyone wants to ripp down a house just to install a cbus system.
This is not niche thinking. It's mainstream.

I love cbus. I've spent 5 years putting it into a major Reno. Spent hours to get it right. Just sharing my feedback about how difficult things can be. Not everyone has this sort of patience. If you don't want to hear the limitations- fine- I'll shut it. But how else does the company get feedback ? I haven't received ONE marketing questionarre in the 3 years Ive been buying cbus gear.

 

Maybe it was the "no brainer" comment. In written messages, sometimes the tone of the writer can be misunderstood. You did have a smiley though, so that is a good start!

We do encourage all feedback. Please don't be discouraged...

It would be very handy. At the moment, there are other priorities, so this is unlikely to get done for a very long time

 

I mean well!

How about a wireless thermostat? This would be very useful.

 

Product development is always a case of developing products that are the most required in the market and fill gaps. There are a large number of products in varying states of development, many of which have been asked for on this very forum. You will see over the coming weeks, a number of these new products coming to market. They will have a very fast uptake by the market and can be easily justified from a development perspective.

I'm kind of hoping the response will be... "Wow, where did they come from"!

Stand by

 

In the coming weeks you say.... Sounds good to me! On that note - where does one go to find out about new Clipsal products? Is this forum the best source or is there a 'latest news' section of the Clipsal website that I have not yet seen?

 

Can we take that as confirmation that those wireless DLTs and battery powered wireless switches are about to arrive in the next couple of weeks then confirmist?

 

I can certainly post on the forum. One thing to bear in mind... Products are not always released in all regions at the same time. The release almost always happens in Australia first and whilst a product is made available globally, the various regions may not always release immediately due to preparation of their own sales channels.