This is the sixth part of our 8-part Deep Dive Series into the LiteTouch system. At TSB we are committed to educating people through our own independent research about automation systems. However, we are not perfect, so if something appears wrong in our research, please contact us or leave a comment below for us to address.

If you’re thinking of replacing LiteTouch with another system, there are a few things you should have ready for a rapid, cost-effective and hassle-free installation.

First, we recommend you find and have the documents like in Figure 1 from the team who installed your LiteTouch system. This document set provides a clear breakdown of the modules, circuits and loads in each enclosure (panel), where the enclosure is located and what modules are in each panel. This is a tremendous help for whoever is doing the LiteTouch replacement because it provides a clear technical picture of your current LiteTouch system. If you have these documents this will be the primary piece you will need to share to get a quote for replacement. Any professional automation company can make an accurate new automation quote for you and make sure they size the new components appropriately for your system based on these documents.

Now, if you do not have these documents, things can get tricky for the new installer, but you can do a few things to help. Start by taking clear pictures of the panels showing the modules inside the panels, like in Figure 1. Ensure that your pictures show all the wiring of outputs on the right side of the different modules. The loads should have been labelled by the original LiteTouch installer / or the original electrician, however the labels may have worn away over time. If the labels are not present or have been worn down, and you have no documents, then the installation team will have to physically trace each output so the replacement process can begin. This can be done by triggering the DIP switches mentioned in TSB LiteTouch Series 3: Troubleshooting LiteTouch, or by your electrician bypassing the automation system and manually switching loads.

Figure 1. Inside a LiteTouch Panel 

If possible, you should make note of all the things your LiteTouch system currently does or did do. Document things like all the lighting circuits that are being controlled, including which ones are dimmable or just ON/OFF, any fans that are being controlled such as in bathrooms or the stovetop and other things you had being controlled by your LiteTouch system such as an alarm system or HVAC system. This is a tremendous help to the installer and will save you lots of time when replacing LiteTouch.

A very vital part of the automation transition is to document the automation sequences you have loved in your house over the years. To me, this is the most important, as it will cause you the most headaches when you replace the system. If you know what parts of your automation system you loved with LiteTouch, and what are some things you were left wanting, let the installers know and document it so during the installation they are mindful of your desires and can setup the best possible system for you. If you forget or you feel like you will change your mind, don’t worry, automation programming can change over time, and remember with Loxone and TSB Loxone Training you can easily make those program changes from your phone or computer.

Finally, when you’re replacing LiteTouch installers will need to know whether the wire running to your keypads has 3 conductors or 4. LiteTouch keypads require 3-wire cable to run but LiteTouch recommended installers run 4-conductor wire to their keypads just in case. When you open your keypad, you will see 3 cables connecting to the keypad. This does not mean your cable is a 3-conductor, look carefully at the wire from which those 3 wires are coming from, and you may notice a 4th wire that was cut. You can see this cut wire in Figure 2 below. If that is the case, you have a 4-conductor so you can be happy. Why should you be happy? Well, the number of wires that were used during the installation of your system will limit your choices in which automation system you can upgrade to. To read more about some different LiteTouch replacement options you can read TSB LiteTouch Series 4: LiteTouch Replacement Options. Short story: 4-conductor = best options.

Figure 2. LiteTouch Keypad Wire with 4th Conductor Cut Off

That was a quick breakdown of the things we need to provide a quick quote if you want to replace LiteTouch with Loxone. Once you have these documents, we recommend you go to our online rapid LiteTouch to Loxone Product Quoting tool. We have developed this quoting tool specifically for LiteTouch replacement with Loxone. This will give you a current, real USD price without programming, installation, configuration, and troubleshooting.