Lutronís Powerful HomeWorksô Interactive Whole-House Lighting Coknrol System Offers Unprecedented Flexibility And Versatility
The HomeWorksÆ Interactive Lighting Control System from Lutron Electronics Co., Inc. provides convenient, reliable operation of lighting and other home electronics from keypads throughout the home. The advanced lighting control systemís enhanced capabilities bring unprecedented flexibility, power and versatility to home lighting control and streamline interactive connections with other home systems. HomeWorks Interactive - a recipient of the prestigious Consumer Electronics Show (CES) Innovations '99 Award - features a unique system design that makes it easy to change the system or expand it to additional areas in the home. The systemís decentralized intelligence also allows simultaneous remote and local operation of dimmers and switches throughout the home with elegant keypads and controls. ""Much more powerful and flexible than other lighting control systems, yet easy to program, HomeWorks Interactive raises the bar for whole-house control systems,"" said Ari Supran, Marketing Supervisor of Home Systems at Lutron. ""Despite the added power and flexibility, HomeWorks Interactive is not complicated to design or install,"" Supran added. ""The modular components of the system can be installed in smaller panels and distributed around the house for a more cost-effective installation. ""In addition, the design process is much simpler,"" Supran said. ""With new software, system design and setup can be done from one WindowsÆ-based program. That makes integration of lighting controls with audiovisual equipment, security systems, HVAC systems, timeclocks, photocells or occupancy sensors much easier. ""The system is ideal for controlling other home electronics systems, such as multi-room audio, from attractive, ergonomically designed keypads located throughout the home,"" Supran pointed out. ""This eliminates the unsightly wall clutter of multiple controls on a wall by unifying them under a single master control. The added power of the system will be evident there, too. The systemís reaction time to the touch of a button is reliable, quick and efficient."" HomeWorks Interactive Processor The powerful HomeWorks Interactive processor is the center of a HomeWorks Interactive system. It communicates with keypads, dimmers, switches, preset scene controls, and central dimming and switching modules to operate lights, relays, motors, shades and other remotely-controlled devices. A maximum of 16 processors can be used in a HomeWorks Interactive system, compared with eight in the original HomeWorks system. Each processor is capable of controlling 256 lighting zones, compared with 48 zones in the original HomeWorks system. The total system capacity of 4,096 zones makes HomeWorks Interactive capable of handling the largest residences and those with even the most complex lighting designs. The processor contains features such as conditional logic and an integral astronomic timeclock, allowing the system to be configured for automated tasks that simplify any homeowner's daily life. Conditional Logic Conditional logic allows the occurrence of any system event to be conditional on other system states. For example, driveway sensors can be programmed to activate exterior lighting only after dark. Or, a single ""dining"" button can be programmed to activate a different lighting and music selection, depending on what time of day it is. This means one button creates the perfect mood for breakfast, lunch or dinner. There are countless possibilities with this feature. Astronomic Timeclock The HomeWorks Interactive processor provides the capability to program lighting and other systems for various times of the day or to be turned off or on at sunrise and sunset. HomeWorks Interactive can be programmed for multiple schedules of events, providing flexibility for different sequences for weekdays, weekends, holidays or when the homeowner is away. Of course, the homeowner can override any of the automatic events without changing the preset programming. Modular Concept And Prewire Capabilities The HomeWorks Interactive Lighting Control System is flexible and easy to change because of its modular design. Controls for lighting can be added or removed from the main HomeWorks Interactive system without changes in the homeís line-voltage wiring. This means system designers can prewire lighting zones during construction of a new home allowing future expansion to the system. In addition, the various components of the system - processor, dimming modules, interfaces - can be installed in several smaller panels in different, more accessible areas of the home rather than having the entire system contained in one, all inclusive panel. Or a combination of smaller 32 inch-tall panels and standard 59-inch panels may be used, depending on the needs of any particular installation. A typical HomeWorks Interactive system might include keypads by the front door, garage entry and master bedroom, with special local dimming controls in selected rooms of the house - all linked to the central processor. Unlike other systems, the decentralized intelligence of HomeWorks Interactive makes it possible to control lighting throughout the home not just from keypads, but also from Lutronís VareoÆ-style local dimmers or GRAFIK EyeÆ preset local controls in individual rooms. These local dimmers provide simple, convenient control - ideal for guestrooms, bathrooms and children's rooms, while also providing a connection to the system. An added benefit of local controls is that even if communication with the central processor is interrupted the individual dimmers still operate independently. Design And Programming Ease Integrated software makes it easy to design and program the HomeWorks Interactive system. With input of the basic requirements of the job, the software program will produce a bill of materials and all the necessary documentation to lay out and install the system. User-friendly, individual screens prompt the user through each step of the procedure. Aesthetic Consistency Combining high tech with high fashion, all HomeWorks Interactive keypads and local dimming controls complement one another and eliminate the ""wall clutter"" of banks of lighting or other integrated home system controls. Controls and accessories not connected to the system, such as wallplates, receptacles, telephone jacks and cable jacks, are designed to match as well. The full range of controls and accessories are available in a large selection of designer colors and finishes, as well as custom paint-matching, for a truly finished look. Additional highlights of the HomeWorks Interactive Lighting Control System include: Security System Integration HomeWorks Interactive can be connected to a home security system to activate lights to ward off an intruder. The selected lights will promptly switch on to a predetermined security level, or flash repeatedly for instant alert. Any attempt to disable this feature will be ignored until the security system has been reset. Telephone Interface An optional telephone interface allows the homeowner to access and control up to eleven different functions or events in a HomeWorks Interactive system from any touch-tone phone. The interface guides the homeowner through each step with customized voice messages and provides positive verbal response when a function or event has been activated. This capability can even be utilized from telephones within the house, so that any cordless phone becomes a convenient, portable keypad. Vacation Mode HomeWorks Interactive also features a Vacation Mode that keeps a home secure while the family is away. Vacation Mode memorizes and faithfully recreates a familyís actual lighting usage patterns when the house is unoccupied. One button, rather than dozens of timers, activates Vacation Mode, creating a realistic lived-in look that is far superior to timers or randomly sequenced lights. HomeWorks Interactive can also be integrated with the homeís security system for maximum protection. Power Failure Memory All components are designed with power failure memory so that if the power is interrupted and then restored, lights will automatically return to their previous levels - even after a period of up to ten years. Obviously, ten years is much longer than necessary in most cases. Yet a vacation home, for instance, might not be visited often and no matter how long the power is off, when it is restored the lights would return to programmed levels. The systemís master programming is not affected by loss of power either. For more information on the HomeWorks Interactive Lighting Control System, please phone the Lutron Hotline at 800 523 9466 or visit Lutronís Web site at www.lutron.com. About Lutron Electronics Lutron Electronics Co., Inc., headquartered in Coopersburg, Pennsylvania, is the worldís leading designer and manufacturer of lighting controls and architectural lighting control systems for residential, commercial and institutional applications. Through continued innovation, Lutron has grown from a one-room office marketing two products in 1961 to an international company now providing more than 11,000 products worldwide. Well known for their reliability, elegant design and superior performance, Lutronís products are used in millions of homes and businesses as well as countless high-profile locations including the White House, the Getty Center, Buckingham Palace and the Guggenheim Museum in Spain.