Whole House Crestron Lighting Installation — Wimbledon, SW19

Wireless Crestron Retrofit of a Failing KNX System

This stunning family home in Wimbledon had a lighting control system installed by the original developers that was slowly failing. On occasion the clients could not switch lights on and off at all and had resorted to table lamps. After assessing the existing cabling infrastructure, we designed a reliable, modern Crestron lighting control system that used the existing cabling for mains power and Crestron’s wireless technology for data — a retrofit approach that delivered a new system without disturbing the building fabric.

The Retrofit Approach

The existing KNX keypads were replaced with mains-powered Crestron wireless versions. By using the existing cabling only for mains power — not for data — we avoided relying on an unknown cable infrastructure and immediately eliminated the reliability problem. The Crestron wireless keypads create a mesh network and act as repeaters, so the more that are installed the stronger the coverage. With keypads on every floor in the central hallway, coverage throughout the property is complete and consistent.

The project combined an assessment of the existing installation with a new Crestron control design. Scene programming and scheduling complete it, adding a layer of security when the house is empty. These are the services it brought together.

Crestron Digital Dimmers and Scene Control

The wireless keypads communicate back to centralised Crestron DIN rail dimmers via a wireless-enabled processor — installed in a new regulations-compliant DIN rail enclosure. The clients can use an iPad to adjust lighting levels in any room in real time, then save those levels as named scenes recallable from any keypad or iPad at any time. External lights are scheduled to activate at sunset and switch off at a client-determined time. A holiday mode records the client’s usual lighting activity and replays it during absence — simulating occupancy and improving security.

Nineteen Crestron keypads now control 30 lighting channels across the house, and the failing KNX data cabling is no longer part of the system. Crestron’s DIN rail dimmer modules support dimming and switching of virtually any lamp type, with scenes programmed through the same Crestron software as every other element of a system. As on every Crestron lighting system we install, keypads are engraved with scene names, so the system is intuitive for guests and visitors without any instruction.

Crestron LED Lamps

Following the main installation, our electrical team progressively replaced the client’s inefficient lamps with Crestron LED lamps — dimming smoothly from 0 to 100% with a perfect colour temperature throughout the range. The difference compared to traditional lamps or poor-quality LED alternatives is immediately noticeable. It is the kind of detail that completes a lighting control project properly.

Replacing lamps as part of the lighting control project, rather than leaving it to a like-for-like swap, matters. One of the most common service calls we receive is on systems where halogen lamps have been swapped for LED without regard to the dimming technology, leaving lights that flicker, buzz or won’t dim below a certain level. Specifying the lamps alongside the dimmers avoids that mismatch entirely.

Wimbledon — A Reference Retrofit

For clients with an existing lighting control system that is failing, unreliable or simply obsolete, this Wimbledon installation demonstrates what Custom Controls can achieve without full rewiring. Custom Controls specialises in upgrading Mode, iLight, Vantage, Rako and KNX systems to modern Crestron or Lutron equivalents, using existing cabling wherever possible. Our London engineers work across Wimbledon and every London postcode, assessing existing cabling before recommending any upgrade path.

Frequently Asked Questions — Wimbledon Lighting Retrofit

Can a failing KNX or other lighting system be upgraded without rewiring?
Yes. This Wimbledon retrofit replaced failing KNX keypads with Crestron wireless versions, using the existing cabling only for mains power rather than data — eliminating the unreliable original infrastructure without opening any walls.

How does Crestron wireless lighting maintain reliable coverage?
Each wireless keypad acts as a mesh network repeater, so the more keypads installed throughout a property, the stronger and more consistent the coverage becomes — with keypads positioned on every floor in this installation.

What does holiday mode do?
Holiday mode records the household’s usual lighting activity and replays it automatically during absence, simulating occupancy and improving security without the client needing to do anything.

How large is the system?
The house has 30 lighting channels controlled from 19 Crestron wireless keypads and an iPad, with centralised Crestron DIN rail dimmers in a new regulations-compliant enclosure.

Which older lighting systems can be upgraded?
We upgrade Mode, iLight, Vantage, Rako and KNX systems to modern Crestron or Lutron equivalents, using existing cabling wherever possible.

Lighting Control → · Crestron Lighting → · Lutron Lighting → · Lighting Design → · Crestron Home Automation →

Project Gallery

The first image shows the entrance hall and staircase, one of the central hallway positions where the wireless keypads sit on every floor. The second and third show Crestron keypads in the living room and beside the staircase, which replaced the original KNX keypads. The final image shows the dining room under its recessed downlights, one of the 30 lighting channels now controlled by the Crestron system.