RA2 System programmed with Essentials, what do I need to change contractor?

[FlyingDiver]

Your biggest problem will be WPMs and Grafik-T devices. There is no direct replacement and you'll probably have to replace the 4-gang boxes with 6-gang boxes.

[GMD999]

Can you post a list of the equipment that's being installed? That way we can provide some insight on how hard it will be to convert.

Here is what they provided on their quote for the Lutron components:

2 - LUTRON REPEATER (PRE-WIRE) (CAT-6, LUTRON GREEN)
Wiring for Lutron repeaters.


1 - LUTRON MAIN REPEATER (WIRING NOT INCLUDED)
Repeaters for Lutron lighting and future Lutron motorized shades.


1 - LUTRON AUXILIARY REPEATER (WIRING NOT INCLUDED)
Repeaters for Lutron lighting and future Lutron motorized shades.


21 - RAZ DIMMER PRO LED PLUS (DECORA)
Per electrical plan dated 3.22.22
Per ID's dated 4.7.22 (add puck lighting to GR built in)


5 - RA2 SWITCH (DECORA)
Per electrical plan dated 3.22.22


11 - RAZ KEYPAD DIMMER (RF) (6 BUTTON) (DECORA)
Per electrical plan dated 3.22.22


1 - RAZ DIMMER AUX (DECORA)
Per electrical plan dated 3.22.22


1 - LUTRON CONNECT BRIDGE (WIRING NOT INCLUDED)
App access / communication for Lutron lighting control and shades.

[FlyingDiver]

Wow. 2 repeaters and an Aux for 37 devices? House must be really spread out. FWIW, he's screwing you because you don't need 2 repeaters for that many devices. He could have done 1 repeater and 2 auxs, and you would have been fine with Essentials.

The two repeaters would get swapped with RRa3 processors. Not 100% sure on the aux, as I've never used one. You might need it, you might not. But there's workarounds. The connect bridge also goes, because that's built into the RRa3 processor. All the rest should be OK. Take the on-line training and you'll be able to figure it out.

[GMD999]

Thanks for the quick reply. I had a sense that I was paying for a lot more than I needed. I now plan to definitely take the course.

[FlyingDiver]

If it were me, and I could not get him to change products (with minimal upcharge), I'd complain to Lutron when it's all done. They should pull his cert for doing that install in 2023 (or even 2024 before he's done).

[GMD999]

I am about to start the RAA3 training. However, I am curious about what capabilities I will have after the training and downloading the Designer software.

With the Designer software will I be able to look at the RA2 programming file (contractor told me that they were using Inclusive for the programming)? If I do have access to that file will I be able to edit it? I ask these questions for 2 reasons:

- I want to see what I have with the RA2 system before I fully decide to upgrade to RA3; and

- I believe that I need access to that RA2 file to upgrade from RA2 instance to RA3, which Lutron says is an easy process.

I also read somewhere that I should make sure that the contractor sets up my Lutron account as the owner and not their account. Is this a simple change and can this be easily changed after the initial programming?

[FlyingDiver]

You can't look at the file contents directly. All you can do is import it into an RRa3 project and see what you end up with. It'll give you a warning about devices it can't import. Between that and the resulting device list, you should have everything.