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Thread: New Feature Requests

  1. #21
    I would like to see more robust climate control capabilities native to Homeworks. Outdoor temperature sensing, hrv/erv integration, and humidity control.

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  3. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by ekimla View Post
    I would like to see more robust climate control capabilities native to Homeworks. Outdoor temperature sensing, hrv/erv integration, and humidity control.
    I agree Im usually forced to go with Tekmar controls and their gateway to crestron. I found Tekmar to be a great product when more then just simple Heat/AC is required. Asking Lutron to go much further might be a stretch. But if they decide to go there please include snow melt options for me

  4. #23
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    1-26 would be good!!

    But I would settle for 5,7,8,9,10,11,13

    16 is also better under 5.1.6 so progress i being made

  5. #24
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    I would like to see the ability to swap the button programming between two buttons (even between keypads).

  6. #25
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    I don't even know where to start :). There are so many little things that if implemented could save us tons of time and make our work more efficient. For now here are a few.

    1. Please, please allow us to enter more than a 3-digit number in the load column. We have a well established process for wire labels that involves a room designator followed by a unique ID that we employ throughout all of our system documentation, but Lutron software won't allow us to use it. For instance, 101-008. 101 designates the room, 008 designates the load number. Instead we have to use a 3-digit number, which means that if we see that number on a wire we have no idea what room it goes to without referring to documentation.

    2. In software, when I look at a view, say the load view, let me see where the load is currently assigned (if it's assigned). I can't tell you how much unnecessary time I have to spend jumping between screens because information is not presented in one view. So let's say I see the load, I can't see where it is assigned. So now I go to equipment view and have to search through every panel to find a load! Sure, I know I can find this by searching through a report, but this information should instead be readily available when looking ay load view.

    3. EVERY device, meaning every keypad or load or shade etc. should have a note field. Because there is no space for a note field I endlessly have to keep referring back to other documentation. As an example, think of how common it is to have 5 or 10 lights loads in a room in a big house where 2 lights are for one painting, 3 lights are for something else etc. If I had a simple note field I could include enough of a description that I wouldn't have to look back at the blueprints every time I need to identify a load or make a change in programming, I could make a note that say "illuminates the painting above the fireplace" and for another load "illuminates the painting on the West wall". Trying to communicate this info in a title feed is next to impossible.

  7. #26
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    Quote Originally Posted by David Haddad View Post
    2. In software, when I look at a view, say the load view, let me see where the load is currently assigned (if it's assigned). I can't tell you how much unnecessary time I have to spend jumping between screens because information is not presented in one view. So let's say I see the load, I can't see where it is assigned. So now I go to equipment view and have to search through every panel to find a load! Sure, I know I can find this by searching through a report, but this information should instead be readily available when looking ay load view.
    .
    My apologies, this is possible now with the current version, at some point I don't think it was. I'd edit my post so I don't look like an idiot :D but it looks like the edit time allowed is only a few minutes :(

  8. #27
    Further to the "notes" request above, I'd like to be able to have the notes included in the device installation report.

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  10. #28

    HWQS, new features please.

    First of all, thank you Lutron for this forum. hopefully something good will come of it. I second the ideal that there should be a private dealer area.

    As a lighting integrator working on Illumination for the last 13 years, obviously QS has some growing pains, and I'll try to keep my absolute hatred of the new platform to a minimum. OK, there, I said it. It's terrible.

    I have a wish list. hopefully the engineers can see the value of what I am asking for, because every day we install /program, and integrate with QS, it's nothing but frustration. This was the short list sent to Lutron back in Feb, 2013, Possibly some of this has been fixed, but I don't have the time right now to test it all, so here goes:


    The QS software has been dummed so much that it takes me 4x as long to build a project in QS than in illumination, and I can only imagine the programming will be a nightmare just seeing the layout. I’ve played around with it, and I’m dreading programming the 190+ load project we have coming up.

    We have already lost money selling the new QS system, and if I have to learn a new programming platform, it might as well be one that makes sense to me, is well laid out, and I enjoy programming with. I may be in the minority, but I have talked with other dealers who share my frustration.

    We are currently looking for another direction to go with lighting control, and have some other software we are evaluating, but at least these changes may help another dealer, and I’ve already compiled the list, so here it is.

    1. “Swap” in load assignment. One of the most useful features in Ilumination. We balance all of our WPM’s and RPM’s, and the swap feature really speeds things up.

    2. Ability to change from a 20a project to a 15a. This is very important. This was one of the things in illumination that was a huge pain not being able to do it, I would think with new ground up software this could be done.

    At the very least, a complete report list. I now need to rebuild an entire project to 15a from 20a. I can’t run 2 instances of the software side by side, and can’t run enough reports to see my whole project, so I pretty much have to start from scratch. Yep, I get to work this weekend to rebuild this for an electrical inspection Monday.

    3.Ability to assign different WPM's a 15a or 20a feeder. If QS is so powerful, why can’t is do this simple calculation. Equally important, especially in a retro project or on a project that has limited breaker space.

    4. "unnasign all" on a WPM.

    5. When you resize boxes, they should stay resized, same with customize columns.

    Also, snap to ½ screen when pushed to margins of monitor like everything in Windows (just convenient).

    6. Ability to change font color/type. Why Lutron decided to use a small and faint text I don't know. Could they make it harder for us to see what we are doing? Green on green. Seriously. Stop trying to make it pretty, and make it programmer friendly. Program on this until 3 AM after a full day in the field and get back to me on how great the fonts are. And I program on dual 28” monitors.

    7. Usage of decimals in wattage. All LED loads seem to be a fraction.

    8. Ability to see all unassigned loads from one screen, when assigning.

    9. Ability to assign any load to any switch/dimmer, and have software warn/correct, like in illumination. I shouldn’t have to go back and forth between loads and controls to try to figure out what is what. “Auto” should be just that, Auto. When you change the load type from a dimmed to switched load in load schedule, the software does not recalculate the dimmer to a switch. This creates an erroneous BOM. This just cost us a failed electrical inspection, blown Cert of Occupancy, 2 weeks schedule, another trip for the electrician, another trip for us, and an upset builder and homeowner.


    10. When loads are assigned, the dimmer type should reflect what the dimmer is.

    11. Better grabbing for resizing of columns. Takes 2 or 3 times sometimes to grab.

    12. Turn off rollovers. I don’t need enlarged images of pictures of devices that already take up way too much screen real estate.

    13. Load assignment pop up box. Show load wattage.

    14. Assign load #’s consecutively

    15. Report Center
    Needs EVERY report in Illumination. No Floorplan? Seriously?

    Wiring Report- Include Dimmers assigned to loads. How am I to tell the electrician what dimmers go where in a 4 gang box, and with what switchlegs? I run a report for WPM’s, but have to decipher all the dimmers and manually write it up in a separate document outside the software. PITA.

    I need to rebuild a whole project because it was set up with the wrong amperage, and I can’t see my whole project. So I have to print a bunch of reports, open the old project, scribble a bunch of notes, open the new project, decipher the notes, open the old project, try to remember what is missing in the new project, open the new project, try to remember what to add in from the old project, repeat.

    16. Show all unassigned loads, regardless of link. We had wired dimmers in a project but no H48 interface, so the software showed all dimmers assigned as a complete project.

    17. Complete TRG’s. If you have it in the software, HAVE IT IN THE TRG. Again, we just lost money because wired dimmers are in the software, but there is NO MENTION of a H48 necessary in the TRG. The thing we were told about QS, however, was, “it’s easy, everything just runs on the QS bus”.

    18. Ability to run two instances of the software side by side.

    19. Load # in WPM assignment screen, it’s on the report, but not in the customize columns.

    20. Ability to see the entire load schedule from one screen, and sort any way we want. When I need to add loads to a project, I have to hunt through the software to find the last ID I used so I can identify the new load correctly.

    21. Maintain continuity in nomenclature between illumination and QS. They are both HOMEWORKS. Use HOMEWORKS language. The Global scene we have been programming for 12 years is now a “shared scene”. Call it what it is, a Global scene. It’s global to the project. Why make it more confusing? Oh yea, because QS is really RA2. It’s bad enough we have to learn the layout, but new terminology?

    22. Misinformation from Lutron Tech Support,
    We wired a 8,000 sq ft home with 7c shade wire because it was our first QS project, and I called support to verify wiring topography. They told me use 7c, the 10PNL was the same. Obviously that was not the case. That was money waisted. On the same project we have roughly 150 loads, 15 of which are dimmers. I also asked if there was a wired dimmer coming out because I don’t trust RF and we hardwire everything we can.(this was last summer when we wired this project). Tech said yes, and they will run on the QS bus.”QS is great, it’s so simple to wire”. We landed those loops in the processor panel. Now I have to find a way to retro a H48 with enclosure into a finished project, at my expense, on two projects. Not to mention add another processor. Only 2 links per processor? Who thought that would be a good idea? And extend the dimmer links. Between hardware, labor, drywall repair, Paint, and finding power, I’m guessing it will cost me about $5k. Thanks Lutron.

    23. Tech support hold time. I know I need level 2 tech support on some things. I’ve been doing this a long time. I’ve been to factory training on Homeworks and Shades. I’ve been programming Illumination for 10+ years. Do I really need to sit on hold for 10 minutes to get to someone who can’t help me with homeworks, only to transfer me to someone in homeworks and be on hold for another 15 minutes, then get someone who can’t answer my question, only to transfer me to level 2?

    I understand you guys are busy, and the new software makes it worse, and you are probably getting a call from every electrician who is trying to make heads or tails of the new software, but can we get a direct line in for dealers who are qualified?


    I’ve been struggling with the slowness of QS running on my Dell laptop. I5 Quad coreM520 running at 2.4gig and 6Gig of Ram, Win7 Professional 64 bit. The software was unusable. This has gone on for 6+ months. All my other programming software runs fine. I was so frustrated after many calls to tech support, among other general dissatisfactions with QS in general (see above) that I evaluated (and still am) other lighting platforms. Even just ordered more memory. I FINALLY got to Ty in level 2, and he got the software running the way it should in about 20 minutes. I should not have had to go through that.


    The single reason we didn’t/don’t sell ra2 is because of the software. It’s garbage. I’m sure I’m in the great minority here, but the illumination software was great. Had all the information you could need from a programming and design standpoint easily accessible, very easy to make changes on thefly.

    Ra2 looked like it was designed for electricians to program small jobs with their first time opening a computer, or AV guys who just buy through distribution. Homeworks Illumination was a professional software designed for lighting integrators and was very powerful, and the line required commitment. Now Homeworks is RA2 with different colors.
    QS is like going from Micrsoft XP to Vista. Looks pretty, but sucks in general.

    And for a hardware idea, maybe not possible, but a WPM that didn’t need all these interfaces hanging off it to do switching and ELV sure would streamline things. The lutron designers of hardware probably have never steeped foot onto a resi lighting project, but let me tell you how it usually goes for us.
    Integrator meets with homeowner, pitches Lutron, Homeowner likes it. Integrator prices it. Homeowner says it’s more expensive than (insert competitor here). Integrator convinces Homeowner Lutron is the best. Agreement. Integrator gets load schedule from interior designer. Integrator redesigns system from orig electrical layer from architect, hands documents to electrician. Electrician builds it to spec. Interior designer visits jobsite, adds more light loads. Integrator redesigns where loads are landed, tells electrician to rewire. Electrician rewires. Interior designer changes loads from MLV to ELV. Integrator redesigns, tells electrician to add 4 square boxes. Add more power. Electrician rewires. Interior Designer visits jobsite. Changes fixtures, Adds LED, Intgrator redesigns, tells electrician to rewire, electrician says he’s sick of this, and lutron sucks, and why can’t they just install regular switches, or (insert competitors name here). Complains to interior designer, Interior designer now doesn’t like Lutron because it’s making her look bad to General contractor because now the schedule has been held up with all these changes. Interior Designer talks next customer out of Lutron lighting control.

    We see this ALL THE TIME.

    OK Rant off. Hopefully this information can help someone.

    And a few more

    Addressing: A read disaster when you are addressing dimmers, especially in multi gang boxes. I really would like to see the name of the load that the dimmer is attached to. When you have dimmers scattered throughout a house it burns up unnecessary time trying to figure out what load is "Device 1".

    WPM:
    On the old WPM's we had a little sticker inside the cover to write the load. Now we have a cute little LCD screen, and no label. And the zone name does not transfer to the LCD screen upon programming. So again, mystery loads.
    ON the design screen. I balance my WPM's, but I can no longer conveniently see the total WPM wattage without poping up another window. Nor can I swap loads from one WPM to another.

    Reports:
    Why do I have to run an Integration report to get addresses? I can get addresses in RA2, but not in the flagship software? Fail.

    Show Shade View/Show Shade Group View. I have to figure out what I'm looking at by looking at the tiny button to switch the view to what i'm not looking at? How about a label.

    Program devices. Show ALL. I don't want to have to sort through all the various things I can see, I want the ability to see them ALL.

    I'm sure there is more I can come up with, but its late and I have other things to do. The bottom line is that the software seems to be designed by software engineers who have never stepped foot onto a working project. What the software can do on paper looks real good, but put it into the real world and its a failure.

    OK, rant off. We are just a very frustrated dealer who has been selling homeworks for the last 15 years or so, and really just want to be happy selling Lutron again, instead of cringing and loosing money every time we have to program a QS project.

    Thanks for listening.

    PS. Thanks to all the Lutron engineers who have helped us out of a jam late at night with your excellent tech support. I wont name names, but you know who you are.
    Last edited by Ty W.; 10-22-2013 at 07:41 AM. Reason: Removed profanity

  11. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by mcignarella View Post
    I would think the report center could use some TLC. It seems when ever I print an integration report it only fills the page with 3 lines of text. More importantly being able to export the reports to excel would be HUGE.

    Excel is a must

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  13. #30
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    I would like to see the Keypad programming report!

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