RadioRA 3

There are many reasons you may want or need to split a single system into multiple systems:

• A multi-floor Athena system is being refitted and leased to multiple tenants.
• An estate or compound wants each residence on its own Place to prevent guests from accidentally controlling each other's locations.

This article details how to split a single Athena, HomeWorks QSX, or RadioRA3 system into multiple independent systems.

Before You Get Started

• Determine which parts of the system need to be split into one (or more) independent systems or Places.
• Decide whether you need:
  • Multiple systems in a Place (common for Athena multi-floor projects or Residential projects with pool or guest houses)
  • Multiple Places (common for Athena multi-tenant situations). 
• Identify which portion of the initial root system should remain and which should be split out into a new system or Place. It is best to keep the largest portion where it is and to split out the smaller portion.
• Coordinate with the responsible parties if the facility or residence is occupied as portions of the system will be inoperable while the split is being performed.

Splitting a system is a manual process that creates two (or more) independent systems from a single system. Excluding any programming that crossed the newly split systems, no programming should be lost or altered. However, if the combined system is commissioned and operating, you may need to deactivate and reactivate at least a portion of the processors and devices. Please plan your time on the job accordingly.

For example, let us assume we have a two-floor Athena system called "Athena Test Project" that we want to split into two independent systems. Looking at the area tree below we have decided to split Floor 1 and Floor 2 into two systems in the same place.

Prepare Current System

Open the system using Places in Lutron Designer and complete the following before splitting out to a new system:

1. Deactivate all devices that are to be split out into the new system from the activate tab.
2. Deactivate all processors that are to be split out into the new system from the activate tab.

Note: If the systems are connected and functioning as one, reset devices via the activate tab as this also factory resets the devices in the space that will be moved. If the system's devices are not communicating properly, refer to each device's instructions for the steps to manually factory reset them.

You now have a single project where the portion of the project that is to be split out is currently deactivated and non-operational. Any devices left in the original system will continue to operate with that existing system.

Create New Instance

Once the portion of the system to be split is deactivated, follow the steps below to create the new instance:

1. Click Tools > Project Information in Lutron Designer to bring up the project information dialog
2. Select Clone this system in a new place.

3. Enter a unique and easily identifiable name for the Place and select Create New Place. 

After completing the steps above, you now have two places in your Lutron Connect Place list in Lutron Designer. Each Place has the same area trees and devices. 

Next, we remove the duplicated data from each, now independent, system.

Clean Up and Transfer to the System in the Original Project

To clean up the two different systems to only have what we want in them to remain, start with the system that we have not split:

1. Close the current system and open the original root system ("Athena Test Project" in our example) if you have not already.
2. Locate the highest level area(s) that need(s) to be removed and delete it (this can be a single area or multiple depending on the system design).

Note: Do not delete any common equipment room(s) in the system. Remove any related equipment individually while retaining the area itself.

3. Verify all devices are assigned to the correct links and confirm there are no remaining devices from the now-removed system.

4. Save the system changes.

5. Select the transfer tab and perform a transfer to the system to ensure the system database and processor network settings are updated.

6. Verify the operation of this system.

Notice a portion of the Place that was not split ("Floor 1" in the image above) is now functioning independently from the portion of the Place that was deactivated and split ("Floor 2"). 

Clean Up, Activate, and Transfer to the Newly Split System

Follow the steps below to clean up the newly split-out system:

1. Close the original root and open the newly created system ("Athena Test Project - Split System" in our example) from the Lutron Designer Places screen if you have not already.

2. Locate the highest level area(s) that need(s) to be removed and delete it (this can be a single area or multiple depending on the system design).

Note: Do not delete any common equipment room(s) in the system. Remove any related equipment individually while retaining the area itself.

3. Verify all devices are assigned to the correct links and confirm there are no remaining devices from the now-removed system.

4. Save the system changes.

5. Select the activate tab and activate the processor and all link devices

Note: QSM sensors and ESN ballasts or drivers should not need to be reactivated but still need to be verified

6. Select the transfer tab and perform a transfer to the system to ensure the system database and processor network settings are updated.

7. Verify the operation of the system.

Notice a portion of the Place that was split ("Floor 2" in our example) is now functioning properly and independently in its own Place. Compare the area trees of each of your systems side-by-side. They should look like the image below:

You have successfully split an Athena, HomeWorks QSX, or RadioRA3 system into multiple independent systems or Places.

Multiple Systems in the Same Place

Follow the steps in the knowledge article How to Create a Multi-System Place from Two or More Existing Connect Places for help moving your systems into the same place.