Lutron Clear Connect RF lighting control

[mshields]

Lutron rep trying to sell me on this wireless system for a hospital application where we'll have lighting on both the Life Safety as well as the Critical branches. I'm wondering at your collective input on the wisdom of using wireless for such applications.

Thanks

 

[synchro]

My personal preference would be to avoid wireless in such applications unless there's a really compelling reason otherwise, At some level all wireless devices are susceptible to interference, not only to on-channel frequencies but also to off-channel ones if the RF signal level is high enough. And the receivers inside lighting controls will not have the desensitization and intermodulation specs of high performance radio front ends that are needed for good immunity to off-channel signals. Hospitals often have EMTs, police, and fire personnel present who use radios that have relatively high power transmitters along with their high spec receivers. I don't know whether the wireless lighting controls have sufficient immunity to such transmitted RF signals. They might, but this should be considered in making a decision on lighting controls that need to be 100% reliable in the environment they are in. Also, the hospital may have other wireless devices that potentially might be subject to interference from the lighting controls, but probably only on the very intermittent basis when the controls are used.

Lutron claims to have considered RF compatibility during the development of their products in the following paper, but I would want more reassurance before using them for hospital applications.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...itepaper.pdf&usg=AOvVaw04AxECQR2sK4U-DkqMmBcZ