Hello All,
Like many I was disappointed that B&O stopped the production of the LC2 because of EU regulations and never replaced it.
I have had LC2 for a while and it really brings a lot of confort in the house. I could not leave without. It is nice to be able to dim the light when you eat, watch the TV, or when you are in bed. it is also nice to turn off all the lights when you leave a room with the remote. I have moved to a new flat and I am putting a dimmer on every light. I also have Beo4 wall holders and a Keyring which make sense in that case.
For me, the B&O endorsed Lutron solution is not convenient as it only has 4 light pictures, and you need to redo all the cabling in the house.
The lintronic box that interfaces with X10 is another solution but it may be a bit difficult to configure.
Until a few months ago, there was no real equivalent to the LC2, but things have changed.
INNOVUS brought out the RAOne smart dimmers.
http://www.innovus.eu/index.php?id=72
http://www.home-automation.dk/pl/_Dimmer_11.aspx
They are designed to work exactly like LC2s with the Beo4 and by direct touch. The range has been extended, and they are available in white, or with a already mounted cord.
They can also be remote controled with a new standard call Z-Wave. With this they can be integrated in a Z-Wave Home-Automation system. Innovus sells a solution but I have nto tested it. Thir design is OK.
Also, they are dirt cheap. 169.80 Euro for.... a pack of 3!
In June, I have ordered a pack. They took a couple of weeks to arrive, but they arrived. They are easy to assemble, unfortunately none of them worked properly. They switched off after a few minutes. I contacted Innovus recently and they offered to exchange them.
The new one are slightly different inside, so they have certainly updated their product. I have tested one and it works like a charm.
It is definitely something that I would recommand.
---
Yesterday, on the Dutch forum someone posted a link to the new BeoDim from Lintronic.
http://www.lintronic.dk/BeoDim.htm
They are better looking than the INNOVUS RAOne Smartdimmers. They accept more load ( 300 Watts instead of 200 W ).
They are priced similarly to the LC2. I have not tested them.Lintronic has a good reputation regarding quality.
---
I would recommand the Beodim if the design is of importance or if you need more than 200W of load per dimmer.
Otherwise the INNOVUS RAOne are just fine. They don't look to bad either.
It is also possible to mix and match LC2, INNOVUS and BeoDim in the same room as they all work the same.
A good point about the RAOne is its compatibility with the Z-Wave protocol. But this is not something I have tested.
---
P.