Main Repeater not found by RR software, but exists on network - frustating
I had a very bad experience this morning while setting up the simplest possible Ra2 job - One main repeater and 3 devices (there will be more added later but they wanted to put some things on timer).
I hooked up my trusty traveling router that I've used a thousand times to the main repeater, set up the version 10.4 software and was ready to activate the devices but the main repeater was not found. Lutron pats itself on the back on how the software uses multicast but it did not show up. I checked on my router and sure enough, the DHCP address for the main repeater was 192.168.1.105 so the router did its part. I tried removing the router and just connecting directly with the main repeater and still nothing. I thought maybe someone had attempted to program the system before so I factory defaulted everything but again, nothing.
Keep in mind this is something that I thought would take me 1 hour max as the devices were already installed. I called up tech support and had to be on hold for 30 minutes before someone answered and their solution was to:
1. Turn off the Windows Firewall.
2. Disable wifi
3. Connect directly to the main repeater.
4. change my network settings on the computer and put in a static IP address
5. run the Ra2 software and change from DHCP and put in another static IP address with 192.168.1.xxx
6. Do what I needed to do
7. Change everything back to the way it was and from that point on, my router "SHOULD" work...that is unless later the next person has a 10.10.10.xxx router in which case they are screwed as I found out a few months ago while updating a system to work with the new connect bridge.
From what he told me was that the router's IP field (even though on DHCP didn't match what the main repeater had been set up for in the factory). This begs the question:
WHY DOES LUTRON MAKE IT SO THE SIMPLEST SETUP- DHCP DOESN'T WORK OUT OF THE BOX??? It makes no sense. And don't blame Windows because every other networked software I use works just fine with the standard firewall and I shouldn't have to sacrifice my computer's safety over Lutron's incompetence.
This actually isn't the first time I went through this. The very first Ra2 job I did back in 2011 did the same thing and I had to call in and get it unlocked. I would hope that 5 years later, Lutron has figured this out. Just yesterday I had to deal with a Series 4 Homeworks Processor that was DOA and Lutron's solution was to replace it all with QS so needless to say, I don't think Lutron is the old Lutron I know and I won't be recommending them anymore. Yesterday I was on hold for over an hour FYI.