Leviton Breaker firmware update

[brantmacga]

What do you have against Leviton panels? I haven't installed any yet, but I've been researching them quite heavily. Everyone wants home automation now, I imagine it won't be much longer before someone requests one.

I ordered a small one for the shop to setup and evaluate. I've always installed QO panels, but they haven't done any innovation in 50 years on those things.

Power monitoring, remote shut off. Lots of nice features. If only they had remote reset as well.

There is nothing automated about the Leviton panel. You have the ability to turn off (but not on) circuit breakers and see energy usage. Unless it has some sort of load shedding feature i’m unaware of, like the Legrand Drivia panel (Europe, not available here).

If you’re looking for energy usage monitoring there are universal and less expensive options.

Leviton’s selling point is, “it saves time” (without any factual data, just opinions), and “it looks approachable to the homeowner.”

Ultimately, I don’t trust it will still be here in 25-30 years. I really don’t think it will still be here in 10-15 years.


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[VirutalElectrician]

I'm not in the business of installing "boutique" equipment. Besides, Leviton needs to stick to what they do best, we don't need yet another panel line for which to carry spares, particularly from a company that has no history making panels. Not to worry, the way they are going they will be joining the Trilliant boondoggle which was from Square D, a company that knows how to make panels.


-Hal

This is typical old timer attitude from people who don't like to keep their skills up and embrace new technologies.

I called up the PoCo yesterday and asked if they supported Generlinks. No was the answer...Next question why? Well, we just don't like the idea of automatic cut overs. We like manual systems. When pressed further, they hadn't even touched one yet. They simply didn't support it based on what they read about it.

I said really? It seems like your linemen are more at risk from suicide cables and manual interlocks than having a supported method that you control. He couldn't explain his way out of that one.

When I listed off several surrounding PoCos that supported them, he agreed to order one and do a formal evaluation. Geeze.

Companies and people who don't innovate and keep up with the times will find themselves wondering what happened and why they only get jobs replacing luminaries.

I just got a Leviton panel and breakers in for the shop lab to evaluate. The construction and quality looks excellent so far. I haven't found any complaints about them through Google either.

 

[VirutalElectrician]

There is nothing automated about the Leviton panel. You have the ability to turn off (but not on) circuit breakers and see energy usage. Unless it has some sort of load shedding feature i’m unaware of, like the Legrand Drivia panel (Europe, not available here).

If you’re looking for energy usage monitoring there are universal and less expensive options.

Leviton’s selling point is, “it saves time” (without any factual data, just opinions), and “it looks approachable to the homeowner.”

Ultimately, I don’t trust it will still be here in 25-30 years. I really don’t think it will still be here in 10-15 years.


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The point that you missed was, it makes a great addition to an automated home. If you can monitor your energy consumption, you can make IFTTT decisions based on how long something is running. Why has the dryer been running for 2 hrs straight? Don't know, but trip the breaker and alert someone to check it out.

Water detected in the basement? Trip the well pump, as well as the basements outlets.

Get the idea?

 

[hbiss]

Get the idea?

Yeah I do. Techi toys for millennials.

Water detected in the basement? Trip the well pump, as well as the basements outlets.

Why? How does it know where the water is coming from? I can see a freezer full of spoiled food... or is there an app for their phone for that?

This is typical old timer attitude

That's the only thing you got right.


-Hal

 

[brantmacga]

The point that you missed was, it makes a great addition to an automated home. If you can monitor your energy consumption, you can make IFTTT decisions based on how long something is running. Why has the dryer been running for 2 hrs straight? Don't know, but trip the breaker and alert someone to check it out.

Water detected in the basement? Trip the well pump, as well as the basements outlets.

Get the idea?

There are ways to do all of those without being locked into a particular brand of load center, especially one that we're not confident will stick around. Its been out for 2-3 years? I can't buy it anywhere in my area. I asked my sales rep about getting one for me to look at it a couple of years ago, he said Leviton wouldn't sell it to him.

My dryer has a moisture sensor and if my wife has bedding and beach towels, it might run 2-3 hours. All dryers have a thermal cutout as well.

I would rather use something like a Legrand (or any brand really) zigbee receptacle w/ IFTTT to turn off receptacles instead of a remote breaker I can't turn back on w/o physically going to it.

Water in the basement? Close a motorized water valve. Or use motorized breakers on a dry contact relay to turn off/on if using a well. I think there are far more people on municipal water systems though.

I'm just not sold on being locked into that system instead of using products with open standards that can communicate with other platforms; yeh I get the IFTTT integration of Leviton, this is back to my point of longevity of the product.

If they really wanted their tech out there, they could build UL classified breakers and see what the market really thinks.

This is typical old timer attitude

I probably do more home control & integration systems than any active members here, and I agree with Hal. I think its cool what they're trying to do, but they are the guinea pig for Schneider & Eaton; eventually those two will come out with similar products. They both even have motorized breakers for load centers, I'd just like to see them integrate AFCI & GFCI into it.

This isn't an indictment against you, I just disagree with the choice of product.