My wife and I are looking to retrofit total room darkening shades for our family room to allow for use of a projector / home theater system. I don't want unsightly wires and plugs dangling everywhere so I was intrigued by the Hunter Dougles Battery Powered PowerRise Motorized Shade system.
Does anyone have experience experience with PowerRise and if so, can you please share your experience?
Lastly, if you have other battery powered, motorized and remote controlled shade suggestions please let me know.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Deane Johnson /forum/post/20852228
I have had great success in learning the older PowerRise IR codes with my Pronto TSU-2000. Works better than the Hunter remote. Not all brands learning remotes work well, however.
PowerRise 2.0 cannot be used in a learning remote. The reason is that there are actually two transmissions with a button push. An RF transmission to wake the receiver up, then the IR code to raise or lower the shade.
Thank you for the information. WTF??!! Who on earth thought that would be a good idea? I would love to hear the engineers' logic behind that one. I remember looking at the HD website and IIRC, they advertise the Power Rise 2.0 products as being available with either IR or RF control. That is primarily false....misleading at best. The choices should be RF only or the silly RF/IR combo....with an asterisk that points out that you CANNOT use any other IR learning remote to operate these products. Brilliant!
Hunter makes great and innovative products, but their record of acheivement on electronics is abysmal. To make it even more non-understandable, they own one of the best electronics companies in the US. (Electronic Solutions Inc.)
To make things clear, the PowerRise 2.0 can be operated with the Hunter remote using RF only, or using the IR on the same remote.
Hunter now makes a small AC operated RF module that will run them. Remove power and they go down, apply power and they go up. I use one of these with a Z-Wave appliance module and it's working great.
i have 3 Duettes with PowerRise operated by a wireless wall switch that is about 10-20 feet away from their sensors. They usually work but occasionally it takes a second or third selection of a shade and "all" frequently does not select all.
I also have a Leviton z-wave network that has irregularity problems. I do not think the combination would be suitable for something you want to always work like when you are away for an extended period.
So that the availability information is complete, Hunter also has a momentary switch contact interface for PowerRise 2.0. I think it's rather poorly designed, but I used it for a while and it seems to be pretty much 100% reliable. It takes two relays, and 3 wires. A common, and one for up, one for down.
Hunter's RF and IR control just plain misses the target by a little bit. It's way up from the old days when the best I could get out of my EasyRise IR control was about 50% reliability.
It was explained to me that the use for the rf signal followed by the ir signal allows for the power to shut off while the shades are idle, and the RF is used to wake the shades then accept the ir signal that follows.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DonsDraperyInc /forum/post/20884698
It was explained to me that the use for the rf signal followed by the ir signal allows for the power to shut off while the shades are idle, and the RF is used to wake the shades then accept the ir signal that follows.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DonsDraperyInc /forum/post/20824052
Stephanie I am a Hunter Douglas Gallery Dealer in Southern California and am a certified motorization specialist. I have a stock of old style remotes and timers do you have a picture of the old one that is broken, I could ship you a replacement if I have one in stock.
In regards to automating a Powerise 2.0 shade I have a simple solution that can be controlled with serial, cc, and IR that is plug and play. It also has an optional hardware piece that allows for iphone control using a free app with a simple gui interface I've designed. Let me know if anyone is interested.
Do you happen to have AC transformers that you can sell? My shades were purchased in 2009, so I think that means that I need an AC transformer that is different than the model that is currently being sold (at least that is what Hunter Douglas told me).
Also, one of my motorized shades became non-responsive yesterday. I have three different remotes and eight shades total. I can control all the shades with all the different remotes, except I cannot control this one shade with any of the remotes. In other words, the motorization seems to be "broken." I went out and purchased all new batteries, and it is still non-responsive. I am going to get a volt meter to probe voltages in various places. Maybe a wire is broken?
Do you have any advice on how to troubleshoot this problem? Is it going to be totally useless to speak with a Hunter Douglas technician?
Duette PowerRise with Satellite Eye "repaired" by H-D and returned 08-04. Eye does not work from wall switch. Email -> call -> dealer. 08-17: I get an eye with a 20" cable to replace the 48" one I use. Useless. Take it to dealer. 8-31: I get a 48" cable with a 6-pin connector to replace the 5-pin connector. Email summary of history to H-D customer support and dealer. No response as yet. 2 months since problem first occurred and still not solved.
YMMV and I hope it does. I have decided that H-D PowerRise is not suitable for something you need to work regularly.
The wall switch is RF and learned to the motor before it is installed into the wall. HD probably replaced the motor therefore the wall switch must be re-learned to the new motor. I could walk you through the steps of learning the motor it is a simple process!!!
With the Satellite Eye received with the "repaired" Duette I used the instructions in H-Ds manual to program the shade. I was able to control the shade using the wall switch in program mode or by the satellite eye manual button. It failed to work for that particular shade in normal mode. I have programmed other PowerRise shades without issues. I exchanged email with, then a phone call, to H-D customer support who said the Satellite Eye was the problem and to go see my dealer.
My dealer has been most supportive and called H-D about my problems while I was there. H-D just can't seem to get me a usable (5-pin, 48" cable), working Satellite Eye.
An additional annoyance is the response time. I would expect normal ground-shipment on parts orders. But when a device is unusable and the problem is the vendors sending a wrong or inoperable part, corrective action should involve overnight or two-day shipping. They have saved a few dollars and lost several thousands of future sales.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Deane Johnson /forum/post/20545668
Jasonn:
Hunter has a new plug in RF device that causes the shade to go up when it senses AC and down when it senses the AC is removed. It's small and simply plugs into a wall socket.
It can operate a single shade or a group of shades.
I am using one plugged into a Z-Wave appliance module to raise and lower a PowerRise 2.0. You could use it with an X-10 appliance module just as well. Anything that adds or removes the AC to the device, even a wall switch operating a wall socket.
These are too expensive at $137 each. I would need multiple ones for different shades
I'm assuming I'd need three, if I have a shade in the family room I want to operate independently, one in the bedroom, and one in my office, correct? I'm assuming you can have multiple of these adapters and it won't confuse the other shades?
You are correct, you would need 3 RF adapters to operate 3 separate shades individually. There are a total of 4 channels available.
There would be no limit as to how many shades in a single room you could program to respond to a single RF adapter so long as they were all on the same channel.
Multiple channels can also be used in the same room, but would, of course, each require a separate RF adapter.
I've had one operating for several months now, used several times daily, and it's never failed.
Thanks again, especially for your super detailed replies!
I have to send my 1.0 shade in to get retrofitted to 2.0. I have a mix of 1.0 and 2.0. Have you heard anything about them updating again? maybe a 3.0? Just wondering.
Also, there is really no way to automate the wireless 1.0, right? Can't remember. Wish that RF adapter would work with a 1.0 shade. Actually, you think it would and could.
I have heard nothing about further updates to the PowerRise 2.0, and I would not expect any. There could be, from time to time, small unannounced internal changes.
Updating from 1.0 to 2.0 is a little bit expensive.
I have, I believe, succeeded in connecting 1.0 to my home automation system. It has been operating a couple of weeks now with no failure so far.
Without going into a lot of detail here, I use Elve software, a Global Cache 100-6 IR interface, a Xantech powered distribution block, and IR stick-on emitters. Not as simple as the RF adapter, but it is working with no modification to the shades.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Deane Johnson /forum/post/21005207
I have heard nothing about further updates to the PowerRise 2.0, and I would not expect any. There could be, from time to time, small unannounced internal changes.
Updating from 1.0 to 2.0 is a little bit expensive.
I have, I believe, succeeded in connecting 1.0 to my home automation system. It has been operating a couple of weeks now with no failure so far.
Without going into a lot of detail here, I use Elve software, a Global Cache 100-6 IR interface, a Xantech powered distribution block, and IR stick-on emitters. Not as simple as the RF adapter, but it is working with no modification to the shades.
Not with X-10. You'd have to start a whole new journey.
So far, it appears to me that the Global Cache is the best IR interface I've come across. It runs on my LAN.
I use Elve to control it, and everything else in my HA. Turned out to be a great choice. There are probably other methods to send IR through Global Cache, I just haven't had reason to learn about them. Elve is so reasonable and robust, yet simple to program, I just never looked any further.
If you're interested in seeing my hookup, if you'll PM me your email address I'll send you a PDF with a block diagram of the control system.
Just so you know, the old PowerRise 1.0 was virtually unchanged for about 10 years. The new 2.0 was under test for about 2 years. The HD track record is not to change it very often, so for that reason I wouldn't expect anything new very soon. My guess would be beyond 5 years.
Hi, I currently have 3 duette shades side by side which are currently on battery power. I got my Sony RM-AV3000 to learn the commands of the HD remote so I am now controlling the blinds centrally with the rest of my A/V using the macros included in my Sony remote.
About 90% of the time all works well, however the other 10% one of the IR receivers in the HD head-rail doesn't pick up my signal from the Sony remote. Additionally, I'm getting tired of replacing batteries.
Therefore, I'm considering running hardwired power from the attic above using HD's AC transformer and daisy-chain connectors. That fixes my power issues, but I still want to sync the shades beyond that of the unreliability of IR x 3.
I know there are ports on the head-rails for satellite IR eye's but I have not seen any details on daisy chaining the head-rails using these SAT ports to utilize a signal IR receiver in the head-rail. I'm considering making my own if they don't already exist commercially but I don't know if it's doable to control 3 head-rails with one IR receiver. Has anyone looked into this?
I doubt there is any way to daisy chain the satellite eye.
Thinking out loud on your issue, I wonder about using a Xantech Dinky Link and a Xantech power block with 3 emitter outputs. Then just paste an emitter over each head rail eye.
I don't know what this would do for reliability in your installation. It's sort of trial and error. The quality of the "learned" IR signal is pretty important.
I'm using emitters over the satellite eyes on mine. I had lots of missed commands over a number of years until I came up with my present set up which has been running for about 2 weeks now with 100% reliability. That's a first in many years of trying different things.
clsimon: I have 3 Duettes on a bay window. Each has its own address. They are chained on a H-D transformer. I use a wireless wall switch. Selecting "all" misses one of the three about 20% of the time. Selecting and controlling an individual shade requires a redundant button push about 20-30% of the time. It is not a range issue. Nor is it particular to one of the three.
Quote:
Originally Posted by humbug2 /forum/post/21025656
clsimon: I have 3 Duettes on a bay window. Each has its own address. They are chained on a H-D transformer. I use a wireless wall switch. Selecting "all" misses one of the three about 20% of the time. Selecting and controlling an individual shade requires a redundant button push about 20-30% of the time. It is not a range issue. Nor is it particular to one of the three.
Are you using PowerRise 1.0 or PowerRise 2.0? There is a big difference in what can be done. If you have 3 Duettes with different addresses, I suspect you're using RF and PowerRise 2.0.
These are very competitively priced! And yes they are from Lutron!
Virtually silent! They can be battery operated up to 3 years is what they are claiming or hardwired for power. They use the Lutron QS RF control so you know you will have reliable operation of the shades. They can also be integrated into Lutron RadioRA2 or Homeworks QS systems as well or operate as a stand alone system.
Almost sounds like an ad I know but it seems to be a great product from what I have personally seen so far.
Boy am I glad I stumbled on this thread. Here's my situation. I just finished a renovation and unfortunately did not think about shades. I do have a full RadioRa 2 lighting system that will be integrated into my HAI OmniPro controller.
I've got 4 windows (actually 3 and a door) in my MBR that I'd like motorized and controlled by my Home Austomation system. I would very, very much prefer battery powered so I don't have to tear into my walls again. I really only care about up/down.
The new Lutron Sivoia QS Wireless battery powered cellular shades are an obvious choice. HOWEVER, the wife much prefers Roman Shades. She's already picked out some Hunter Douglas shades that would presumably work with HD's PowerRise system.
So, my first question is this: Am I correct that the new Lutron battery powered Sivoia system is only for cellular shades? (I know Lutron has Roman Shades in the Sivoia QS Wireless line-up but I think they are AC powered.)
Second question. If I go with HD, and use the little RF adpater, could I plug that into a Lutron RadioRa 2 appliance module (e.g. the RR-15APA http://resi.lutron.com/LinkClick.asp...d=584&mid=1450 ) and control it that way?
I have just completed a job where I sold the Radio Ra2 product and gave control of Hunter Douglas products and they work great. Three things you should know. The first and most important is that the appliance module gives off a low level of power while in the off position, therefore the rf adapter does not work when plugged into it. I used a plug in dimmer and then in programming put it as non-dimming and it worked beautifully. Second the rf adapter has a very small range, so hopefully all these shades are in the same room. Lastly the rf adapter only allows for one channel/group of control so if you want individual control then you need individual units for each. With that being said this is probably your best solution as the only motor offered by Lutron at this time that is battery is the cellular shades.
Thanks, Don. I actually have an extra dimmer module (one of the table top ones) that I'm not using. I guess I can use that. Fortunately, I don't need individual control and all of the shades are in the same room (and right next to each other).
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