Has anyone ever programmed there pronto to be able to control there lighting in there whole hosue by switcing to lutron IR/RF switch panels?

And if you have did you use IR/RF?

And iwould i be able to use rf for my pronto? or would i need to get the Extender for the pronto that recieves RF but sends IR?

it would help me alot if you can please respond to these questions.

Thank you

What do you mean by Lutron IR/RF?

AFAIK, Lutron offers two systems:

RadioRA, which uses 418MHz and should be controllable by a Pronto NG (if you can get the codes)

Lutron Spacer, which uses IR (you'll find codes in the Files area)

sorry im not a pro and im not sure if i phrased them correctly but you said they are 418 mhz and that it would work if i found a code? im pretty sure i can call lutron and ask for the descrete codes if thats what you are tlaking about.

but can you explain how to input the code or how to program the pronto to work with the codes?

I think you may mean Lutron RA-IR which is their IR2RF adapter for the RadioRA system.

According to Lutron's Application Note #57, ALL of their systems use the same codes. There are numerous Lutron CCFs in the Pronto Files area here. You should be able to import the codes into your setup.

Setting the device to RF will send them as 418MHz; setting the device to IR will send them as IR. I do not know for certain whether sending them as RF will work but it's worth a try before buying the RA-IR kit.

The Pronto manual explains how to set the device to IR or RF. There have been numerous detailed explanations here for importing CCF hex codes as well as setting RF vs. IR - a search will turn them up.

k thanks ill do some research =)

I use several of the IR interfaces and they work great:

[Link: lutron.com]

What Pronto do you have? Have you ever tried sending the same codes as 418MHz RF?

Lutron calls the RA-IR-KIT an " Infrared Repeating Kit" which implies that it merely repeats the IR as RF. If so, then NG owners should not need the RA-IR-KIT.

The Lutron Spacer System operates on IR, so it is really easy to get going. I have a few Lutron Spacer codes in my config, in the Files Area. More complete code offerings are also available for the Lutron Spacer, in the Files Area. Just do a search for Lutron Spacer, if that is what you have.

Good Hunting!

Dave

I'd like to find somebody (in the USA) with a RadioRA system who would capture all of the RF codes. I will provide a free copy of CodeGenPro™ and all necessary hardware (except batteries & PC). It should not take more than a few seconds per code.

The same offer is open to someone with a Crestron RF system.

If you are interested, you can email me using the "Contact:" link at the top of the embed-x™ page.

It would be extremely difficult to capture all the RF "codes" for a Lutron Radio RA system as they use unique codes for each system durring set up to keep adjacent homes from interfering with each other. This is done automatically durring repeater set up so there is little to no control over the codeset each system uses. Add to that the possibility of having up to 14 fifteen button master controls and 32 dimmers in a single system operating at as many as say, 20 possible unique codesets leaves about 10000 possible RF codes to learn. So first of all the Pronto would have to be recognized as a Radio RA device with full system intercommunication. The Pronto RF range has also proven to be somewhat of a black art to get to work consistantly in well consstructed upper end homes that a Radio RA system would be installed. IR would be the simplest method of control The Radio RA ir interface allows fifteen different commands plus all on and all off. Lutron Homeworks offers 16 different commands. The Grafik Eye gives you sixteen scenes plus off and dimming. The Spacer offers 4 scenes plus off and dimming. Capturing all the possible RF "codes" emitted from a Crestron remote would be next to impossible given the nearly infinite number of RF ID's and join numbers that can be applied to each device. If the lighting system has a Homeworks or Chronos processor as many as60 commands could be used when utilizing a Xantech IR to RS 232 converter.

The "unique code" will stay constant and be easy to identify in the captured codes. All that's needed is to capture the codes sent by the control buttons for analysis. Whether I will be able to generate all possible "unique codes" won't be known until I see some captured codes.

The RA-IR-KIT, HomeWorks, Spacer and Grafik Eye all use the same IR code set (or subset).

Given that RadioRA requires an RF repeater at 30' intervals would mean that range is unlikely to be an issue. RadioRA and the NG are both subject to the same FCC ERP limits.

The same goes for Crestron. The actual number of codes that one would need to learn is far less than you seem to think. Crestron sells a rebranded ProntoPro as an RF control for their system so unless Crestron's codes exceed the maximum size restrictions of the NG, it's obvious the Pronto can send the codes.

Another point is that even though both the Pronto and Radio RA work on the same frequency what one system sees as gold the other may see as garbage. The real point is whether or not the Pronto can generate RF commands that the Lutron system can recognize as useful, probably not. The Pronto takes IR hex and transmits in RF to the extender. The actual language protocol for Lutron vs Pronto is likely very different otherwise people would get 32 Radio RA dimmers and buy a Pronto instead of keypads. As a pronto or crestron can control many devices discretely the possible actual number of different unique RF codes that are transmitted per a specific RF ID or Channel are quite great. A Radio RA IR interface is relatively cheap at 600 bucks and it works. Unless you are doing it for the joy of a hobby, if you make the dough to afford lighting systems and color Pronto's it doesn't take long to burn up 600 bucks of yout time.

Bruce,

You might baffle your customers with that BS but I'm not buying any of it - I got my commercial FCC license in 1962. RF is RF; frequency is frequency; a protocol is a protocol. Unless RadioRA or Crestron uses codes that are longer than the max length a Pronto can generate or use FSK, there is no problem with sending the codes and I doubt either use codes that exceed the Pronto's maximum length.

Numerous folk in Europe use the RF from their Prontos for direct control of RF operated lights and appliances and things like the ATI Remote Wonder.

$600 for a device that only repeats (or even translates) a maximum of 19 codes from IR to RF is highway robbery unless it's actually made of gold. $25 is more like it.

I am not trying to start any arguments with you. If you honestly can make this work then explain how and/or prove it.. In Pronto edit NG software there is no way to alter the programming language of what the Pronto sends out as an RF signal. It only converts IR hex into RF for translation by the RF receiver.Therefore, even if you "crack the RF code" you can't make the Pronto issue it as a command. You would have to search high and low for a specific IR hex code that duplcates the same Pronto RF translation that a Radio RA system could recognize. And then because Radio RA systems use unique codes to keep house to house interference from happening, the "cracked code" would only work in that specific home and be useless to anyone else. Well that is unless they happened to have a system that is using the same unique code that you are, but the unique house code is chosen automatically by the lighting system and you have no control over which one the system chooses. Companies like Crestron and Lutron have gone to great lengths to keep their products reliable and free from interference of other products using the same frequency. Yes frequency is frequency but how what is sent out over that frequency is translated is a different story. I would love for you to show me that it works. It sure would make my life as a home systems integrator lots easier. And there would probably be a RF code database here on Remote Central and the Crestron programmers database for all of us to share. Just where is that file sharing data base? I can't seem to find it.

Then I suggest you learn the fundamentals before offering your opinion.