Lutron Maestro Wireless Dimmer RFI

[Ron Resnick]

I like the idea of integrated lighting control, but I will fight my clients to the end if they won't let me set the home up for hard wire connections.

I don't understand what you are saying here. Do you mean that even if a client wants whole house remote control you will run full hard wiring to every light switch anyway?

 

[mtemur]

I installed dimmers for lights in my listening room around 1996. they were not lutron but I guess all are similar. after a while I noticed some interference and compression in sound. it was worse when dimmers are turned down or lights were turned off compared to full on.
I removed dimmers and hard wired all the lights. since then I don’t use any kind of dimmers or energy efficient lamps on listening room.

 

[Kingrex]

Hi Ron. With some lighting control systems, the traditional style of branch circuits running back to a switch is not necessary. You could run a loop of wire around the ceilings and never touch a switch box. Yet still control all lights and receptacles. You don't need to run a travler with 3 or 4 way switching either. I won't do that. Maybe its old school mentality on my part. I like to have complete hard wire capability. My way tskes longer and uses more wire.

 

[Kingsrule]

I have a Lutron Homeworks system. It came in 2 versions, wired or wireless.
Mine controls both the lights and shades and is wireless.
I notice no difference in my system with it on or off....

 

[LL21]

We use Lutron hardwired. Shades are remote but battery which we change every 6-12 months. While I can hear the lights themselves (high pitch) most people have never even noticed them and some plain cannot hear them.

But they do not interfere with electrical noise in the system that I can hear.

 

[K3RMIT]

In amateur radio land we detect RFI by setting the frequency tuning control of a handheld AM transistor radio between broadcast stations. Once a relatively quiet spot on the AM frequency spectrum is identified one raises the volume and goes RFI hunting.

I have discovered that Lutron Maestro wireless dimmers are gigantic transmitters of RFI. The dimmer transmits RFI not transitorily upon turn-on (not just during a single RF instruction transmission) but continuously.

Further, when I put the AM radio right up close to the dimmer it is obvious that the dimmer generates RFI continuously even when the lights under the control of the dimmer are off.

Has anyone else observed RFI with these dimmers?

Is there any remedial action one can take to minimize their continuous generation of RFI when the lights under their control are on?

Has anyone determined conclusively whether the RFI generated by these dimmers has an audible sonic effect on your stereo system?

I may pull these RF dimmers out of my listening room, and replace them with the hardwired switches I had there originally.

Ron your room and house is filled with rfi and ur using a very non accurate method
the list is big
cell phones
wifi
Bluetooth
led and Florescent lights
even your audio emits plenty of it
pico that I use are very low output. so my first question is this. Do you hear anything ? just shut all off at the panel and put back on just your room and use a flashlight
then comment. I’ll ask do you stack your equipment ? most do but Your tiny pico is bad hahahaa
im not saying it’s not worth the try but even if all is off your bathing in RFI period
even if in the woods

 

[K3RMIT]

I don't understand what you are saying here. Do you mean that even if a client wants whole house remote control you will run full hard wiring to every light switch anyway?

Yes but he is not being clear it’s a matter of control point
if your room has lights where is the control from ? If in your room boom it’s all there. a better way is all fo to a room or closet or even panel and there is all the control points. so still RFI everywhere
but you can use low voltage control points but they use WiFi of you want to control from phones
if you use pads amd there wired then you won

 

[K3RMIT]

We use Lutron hardwired. Shades are remote but battery which we change every 6-12 months. While I can hear the lights themselves (high pitch) most people have never even noticed them and some plain cannot hear them.

But they do not interfere with electrical noise in the system that I can hear.

Buy better led lamps not all make acoustic noise we can hear also the dimmer used effects this.