HomeWorks Retrofit: Existing Homes and Older Systems
"HomeWorks retrofit" means one of two jobs. The first is putting HomeWorks into a house that is already built, without opening walls. The second is bringing an older HomeWorks system (Illumination, or HomeWorks QS) forward to the current QSX. Lutron supports both, and in both the details decide what stays, what gets replaced and what it costs. Here is each one, from Lutron's own spec sheets and application notes.
HomeWorks in a finished house
Lutron describes HomeWorks as "retrofit or new construction, wireless or wired," and the wireless half is Lutron's Clear Connect radio, not Wi-Fi (Lutron HomeWorks). There are two radios:
- Clear Connect Type X (2.4 GHz): the Sunnata RF dimmers, switches and keypads, and Ketra.
- Clear Connect Type A (434 MHz): Maestro RF, Pico remotes, wireless shades and RF modules.
The wireless processor (HQP7-RF-2, powered over Ethernet) carries up to 100 Type X devices plus 95 Type A devices and 4 Type A repeaters (Lutron spec sheet 3691222). A system can have up to 16 processors and gateways and, by Lutron's architecture sheet, up to 10,000 zones (HomeWorks system architecture). Size is rarely what limits a retrofit.
The neutral wire decides which dimmer goes in the box
The thing that does limit it is what is already in the wall box. The two wireless families differ on the neutral wire:
| Device | Radio | Neutral in the box |
|---|---|---|
| Sunnata RF dimmer (HRST-PRO-N) | Type X | Required |
| Sunnata RF switch (HRST-8ANS) | Type X | Required |
| Sunnata RF fan control (HRST-ANF) | Type X | Required |
| Sunnata RF keypad (HRST-W) and hybrid keypad (HRST-HN) | Type X | Required (hot and neutral) |
| Sunnata companion dimmer/switch (HRST-RD, HRST-RS) | (no radio) | Not needed |
| Maestro RF dimmer (HQRD-PRO) | Type A | Optional; without one, a minimum load of 2 LED bulbs |
| Maestro RF dimmers (HQRD-6D, HQRD-10D) | Type A | Not used (two-wire) |
| Maestro RF switch (HQRD-8S-DV) | Type A | Not used (two-wire) |
Sources: Lutron spec sheets 3691209 (Sunnata RF), 3691205 (HRST-W), 3691236 (HRST-HN) and 369305 (Maestro RF).
So a box with no neutral can still take a HomeWorks dimmer, but it will be a Maestro RF, and Maestro RF devices need to be within 30 feet of a Type A repeater. The Sunnata RF keypad's sheet asks for it to be within 75 feet of the processor. Checking every box for a neutral before choosing the look of the controls saves a second trip.
Keypads: the one look that needs wire
Lutron's pages show the Palladiom keypad only as a wired HomeWorks keypad (Lutron Palladiom keypad); we found no wireless version. If Palladiom is the goal, each keypad location needs the QS link wire run to it. Sunnata RF keypads, seeTouch and Pico remotes are the wireless choices.
Wired and wireless in one system
A retrofit doesn't have to pick one. Each link on the wired processor (HQP7-1/-2) can be set up either as a QS wired link, carrying 99 devices and 512 switch legs, or as a Clear Connect Type A wireless link, carrying 99 devices and 100 switch legs (Lutron spec sheet 3691127). Wired processors, wireless processors and gateways can share one system, up to 16 in total. A common shape is wire where the walls are open (a renovated kitchen, a new addition, a panel of DIN dimming in the basement) and wireless everywhere else.
If the house is one home of a few hundred devices and nobody wants wired keypads, RadioRA 3 may be the better fit; RadioRA 3 vs HomeWorks QSX puts Lutron's numbers side by side.
From HomeWorks QS to QSX
When Lutron launched QSX it said the new system is compatible with all existing HomeWorks QS wired and wireless RF devices and that databases carry forward (Lutron announcement). The keypads and dimmers on the walls can stay; the work centers on the processor and on bringing the programming file across.
From HomeWorks Illumination to QSX
The older Illumination system (HWI) is a bigger step, and Lutron's application note #840 (revision C, September 2026) sets out what carries over (Lutron App Note #840):
- The panels can stay. The dimming panels' link is kept by swapping their module interfaces for the HQ-MI-LX translator, or the power modules are replaced with DIN modules.
- Most of the existing link wire can be reused.
- Some devices can't. QSX does not support HWI keypads, H48 Maestro dimmers, Q96 QED shades, D48 Vareo, or the HWI RF link. Those are replaced.
- Integration changes. Illumination's RS-232 connection is replaced by LEAP, Lutron's network interface. In a house where Control4 or another system talks to the lighting, that integration is set up again on the new connection. Lutron with Control4 covers how Control4 connects to QSX.
- The enclosure matters. An LV24 enclosure can't hold QSX processors.
- The programming comes across in stages: an Illumination database at revision 1.62 or later goes to HomeWorks QS 15.13.3, then to QSX, through Lutron's online converter.
That converter needs a qualified myLutron account, and Lutron's own FAQ points owners to its Where To Buy tool for HomeWorks dealers (Lutron HomeWorks FAQ). The conversion itself is dealer work.
What can be done remotely
Replacing a processor, swapping panel interfaces and checking wall boxes for neutrals are on-site jobs for an electrician or a Lutron dealer. The rest is programming in Lutron Designer: converting the database, re-creating the scenes and keypad buttons, setting the LED behavior and timeclock events, and connecting the lighting to Control4 again. That part can be done remotely once the processor is on the network. Questions that come up after a retrofit, such as keypad LEDs that stay lit and daylight schedules, are answered in HomeWorks retrofit questions, and what we charge for Lutron programming is on our Lutron page.
