Frequently Asked Questions
about
RadioRA Wireless Central Home Lighting System |
GENERAL INFORMATION |
 Q1: What is RadioRA®?
RadioRA® is a
whole-house lighting control system that uses radio frequency communication. RadioRA® helps manage and monitor house
lighting for convenience, security and energy savings. RadioRA® sets the mood for daily
activities by recalling lighting scenes. RadioRA® uses radio signals for communication, which means the system is
installed without any additional wiring. (Please see the RadioRA® Designers' Guide for more
information.) |
Q2: Is RadioRA® a power line carrier product?
No, RadioRA®
is not a power line carrier product. It does not utilize the house wiring for
communication purposes. Therefore RadioRA® is not susceptible to other household product cross talk, which can
cause interference or erratic system behavior. |
Q3: What kind of special wiring do I need for the RadioRA® system?
None! RadioRA® utilizes similar technology to a portable phone so that no
extra wires are needed for the system to work.
|
| SYSTEM RELIABILITY |
Q4: Will RadioRA® systems in neighboring houses interfere with one another?
No. While it is true that all RadioRA® systems operate on the same frequency (418MHz), the RadioRA® Repeater uniquely codes each
system during startup to prevent cross system interaction. RadioRA® has over 250 unique codes
available, so that even condominiums and apartment buildings will not be a problem. |
Q5: Do other radio frequency devices inadvertently turn on my
RadioRA®
system?
No. Lutron built in multiple safeguards to ensure that RadioRA® will not accept stray signals.
Rigorous testing and proven installations throughout the US have demonstrated that RadioRA® technology is completely
reliable. |
Q6: Will the RadioRA® system interfere with other equipment
in my house?
No, RadioRA® uses a dedicated frequency and will not interfere with
remote controls, cellular/portable phones, or wireless devices. |
Q7: Can lightning or surges harm RadioRA® in any way?
RadioRA®
components utilize circuitry similar to that found in surge suppression outlet strips to
help guard against lightning and surges. While it is true that nothing will survive a
direct lightning strike, RadioRA® will remain unharmed by normal electrical storms and static
electricity. |
Q8: What happens to a RadioRA® system after a power outage, or if I unplug a master control?
Nothing. RadioRA® utilizes an EEPROM memory chip, which maintains all system programming and
addressing for a power outage of up to ten years! Furthermore, after a power outage,
RadioRA's power failure memory restores the system to its pre-outage state. In other
words, if the lights were off before the power outage, they will stay off when power is
restored. If lights were on, they will come back on to the same level. |
SYSTEM LAYOUT |
Q9: What are the system limits for RadioRA®?
A RadioRA®
system can have up to:
- 32 Dimmers and Switches (total, not including
Accessory Dimmers and Accessory Switches)
- 12 Master Controls (Wall Mounted or Tabletop)
- 4 Repeaters (1 minimum)
- 1 System Interface (accepts Switch Closure Inputs)
|
Q10: What does the RadioRA® Repeater do? Why do I need it?
You need the RadioRA® Repeater because it performs four important functions. The Repeater ensures
that the system communicates reliably and maintains the signal range. The Repeater enables
the programmer to set-up the system and diagnose problems. The Repeater gives each home a
unique digital code. The Repeater allows the homeowner to add controls in the
future. |
Q11: Where should the RadioRA® Repeaters be located?
All RadioRA®
Master Controls, Dimmers, and Switches must be within 30 feet of a Repeater in any
direction, including up and down. (This does not include accessory dimmers or
accessory switches.) The RadioRA® Repeaters can be placed under sofas, in closets, or on top of
furniture in order to reach these devices on different floors. |
Q12: The RadioRA® Repeater covers a 30 foot range in any direction. That does not
sound like much!
Lutron modeled a "worst case" home, including construction techniques such as
cement, metal studs, stone walls and foil wrap. It was determined that in this worst case
world, a conservative range for the Repeater is 30 feet. So, if the average height of a
room is ten feet, a RadioRA® Repeater could cover six floors (three floors above the Repeater
and three floors below it) or a sixty foot diameter sphere (30 foot radius). The coverage
area of a Repeater is approximately 2,800 square feet per floor. Using all four RadioRA® Repeaters, you could cover a
floor as large as 10,000 square feet, or a volume of over 450,000 cubic feet. |
Q13: RadioRA® Dimmers are rated for up to 1000 VA of incandescent or magnetic
low-voltage loads. What RadioRA® controls do I use to dim high-wattage loads or electronic
low-voltage, fluorescent, neon/cold-cathode or high-intensity discharge loads?
A RadioRA®
Multi-Location Dimmer with Neutral plus a Lutron Power Booster or Interface will dim
high-wattage and specialty loads. Contact the Lutron Hotline at 1-800-523-9466 for more
information. |
Q14: What does the RadioRA® Switch control?
A RadioRA®
Single-Location Switch or Multi-Location Switch will switch 8 A of permanently installed
lighting loads, including incandescent, magnetic or electronic low-voltage, fluorescent,
neon/cold-cathode, and high-intensity discharge. |
Q15: Can I expand my RadioRA® system after it has been installed and programmed?
Yes, you can add Dimmers, Switches, Repeaters, and Master Controls at any time. However,
they must be within the appropriate distance from other
Repeaters: 60 feet for a new Repeater, 30 feet for Dimmers, Switches, and Master Controls (Note:
This does not apply to Accessory Dimmers and Accessory Switches) and adding them must not cause the number of devices to exceed the
system limits. (See Question 9) |
Q16: Can I use more than one RadioRA® System in the same house to
increase the size of my system beyond 32 Dimmers and Switches?
No, it is not possible to increase the size of a RadioRA® system beyond 32 Dimmers and Switches. |
Q17: What is the range of the car visor?
Your lights and/or garage door can be controlled from
typically 75 feet away with the car visor. |
SYSTEM INSTALLATION |
Q18: Are RadioRA® Dimmers and Switches difficult to install?
No, RadioRA®
Dimmers and Switches are easy to install. RadioRA® Dimmers and Switches can replace existing switches and wire just
like standard wall switches. |
Q19: How do I add a wall-mounted master control if there is no
wallbox?
Here are four ways to retrofit a wall-mounted master control:
- Replace a set of "3-Way" switches with a dimmer
and master control. (Note: Not all 3-way wiring schemes will allow this replacement.)
- Rough out a new wallbox over an existing box, mounting the
master control at eye level (60 inches) and running hot and neutral from the existing box.
- Add a gang to an existing wallbox.
- Rough out a new wallbox over an existing receptacle, mount
the master control at eye level and run hot and neutral from the existing receptacle.
|
Q20: What is a Room Button on a Master Control? What is a Scene
Button on a Master Control?
Room Buttons are used to turn room lights on and off with the touch of a button and to
monitor room light status from an entryway or bedside. Scene Buttons are used to activate
whole-home or individual room lighting scenes by turning on one or more lights to the
levels you preset. |
Q21: How do I program a Master Control?
RadioRA®
Master Controls are programmed manually by pressing the desired Master Control button and
walking around the house to set dimmers and switches to desired levels. It is just that
simple, and described in the setup guide. No computer is required and changes can be made
at any time! |
Q22: How do I connect a
security system to RadioRA® so that, when the alarm is tripped, the interior lights turn on
and the outdoor lights flash?
The RadioRA®
System Interface has two security closure inputs, labeled "Full" and
"Flash." Local Dimmers, Switches, and Master Controls will be "locked
out" whenever the security inputs are activated. To set your System Interface to turn
on the interior lights and flash the outdoor lights when the alarm is tripped:
- Wire the security switch closure output to the System
Interface Full input
- Wire the Full and Flash inputs together
- Assign interior Dimmers and Switches to the System
Interface’s "Full" input channel (see the RadioRA® Setup Guide for more
information).
- Assign outdoor Dimmers and Switches to the System
Interface’s "Flash" input channel.
Important Note: To achieve this "interior on /
outdoor flash" effect, no Dimmer or Switch should be assigned to both the
"Full" and "Flash" input channels. |
 Q23: How do I control my RadioRA® system with an infrared
remote control?
With the RA-IR you can control your RadioRA® system with a standard Lutron
GRX-IT, or GRX-8IT infrared remote control. For more information under the Technical Info
tab open the Lutron IR (Infrared)--Code Mapping data sheet. |
Q24: Will the RadioRA® system communicate with other electronic
devices in my house, i.e. stereo, tv, dvd, etc.?
Yes RadioRA® can communicate using the RA-IR-KIT (Infrared Kit).
For more information open the RA-IR-KIT
(Infrared Kit) Installation Instructions. |
Q25: Where can I buy RadioRA® or get more information?
For more information, please call the Lutron Technical Support Center at
1-800-523-9466. |
