Control4 CORE Lite Controller Installation Guide

Introduction

Designed for an exceptional family room entertainment experience, the Control4® CORE Lite Controller does more than automate the gear around your TV; it is the ideal smart home starter system with entertainment built in. The CORE Lite delivers a beautiful, intuitive, and responsive on-screen user interface with the ability to create and enhance the entertainment experience for any TV in the house. The CORE Lite can orchestrate a wide range of entertainment devices including Blu-ray players, satellite or cable boxes, game consoles, TVs, and virtually any product with infrared (IR) or serial (RS-232) control. It also features IP control for Apple TV, Roku, televisions, AVRs, or other network-connected devices, as well as secure wireless Zigbee control for lights, thermostats, smart locks, and more. For entertainment, the CORE Lite also includes a built-in music server that allows you to listen to your own music library, stream from a variety of leading music services, or from your AirPlay-enabled devices using Control4 ShairBridge technology.

Box Contents

• CORE Lite controller
• AC power cord
• IR emitters (2)
• Rubber feet (2, pre-installed)

Accessories Available for Purchase

• CORE 1 Wall-Mount Bracket (C4-CORE1-WM)
• Control4 1U Rack-Mount Kit, Single/Dual Controller (C4-CORE1-RMK)
• Control4 Dual-Band Wi-Fi USB Adapter (C4-USBWIFI OR C4-USBWIFI-1)
• Control4 3.5 mm to DB9 Serial Cable (C4-CBL3.5-DB9B)

Requirements and Specifications

Note: We recommend using Ethernet instead of Wi-Fi for the best network connectivity.

Note: The Ethernet or Wi-Fi network should be installed before starting the CORE Lite controller installation.

Note: The CORE Lite requires OS 3.3.3 or newer.

Composer Pro software is required to configure this device. See the Composer Pro User Guide (ctrl4.co/cpro-ug) for details.

Warnings

Caution! To reduce the risk of electrical shock, do not expose this apparatus to rain or moisture.

Caution! In an over-current condition on USB, the software disables the output. If the attached USB device does not appear to power on, remove the USB device from the controller.

Specifications

Front View

A Activity LED: Shows when the controller is streaming audio.

B IR window: IR receiver for learning IR codes.

C Caution LED: Shows solid red, then blinks blue during boot. Blinks orange during factory restore. See "Reset to factory settings" for details.

D Link LED: Indicates the controller is identified in a Control4 project and communicating with Director.

E Power LED: Blue LED indicates AC power is present. The controller turns on immediately after power is applied.

Back View

A Power port: AC power connector for an IEC 60320-C5 power cord.

B IR OUT/SERIAL: 3.5 mm jacks for up to three IR emitters or for a combination of IR emitters and serial devices. Port 1 can be configured independently for serial control or IR control. See "Connecting the IR ports/serial ports" for more information.

C USB: One port for an external USB drive (e.g., a USB stick formatted FAT32). See "Setting up external storage devices" for details.

D HDMI OUT: An HDMI port to display navigation menus and provide audio out over HDMI.

E ID button and RESET: ID button is pressed to identify the device in Composer Pro. The RESET pinhole is used to reset or factory restore the controller.

F ETHERNET: RJ-45 jack for a 10/100/1000BaseT Ethernet connection.

Installation Instructions

1. Ensure that the home network is in place before starting system setup. An Ethernet connection to the local network is required for setup. The controller requires a network connection to use all of its features. After initial configuration, Ethernet (recommended) or Wi-Fi (with an optional adapter) can be used to connect the controller to web-based media databases, communicate with other IP devices in the home, and access Control4 system updates.
2. Mount the controller near the local devices you need to control. The controller can be hidden behind a TV, mounted on a wall, installed in a rack, or placed on a shelf. The CORE 1/Lite Rack Mount Kit (sold separately) is designed for easy installation of up to two CORE 1/Lite controllers side by side in a rack. The CORE 1/Lite Wall-Mount Bracket (sold separately) is designed for easy installation of the CORE Lite controller behind a TV or on the wall.
3. Connect the controller to the network.
   • Ethernet: Connect the network cable into the controller's RJ-45 port (labeled ETHERNET) and into the network port on the wall or at the network switch.
   • Wi-Fi: To connect using Wi-Fi, first connect the unit to Ethernet, connect the Wi-Fi adapter to the USB port, and then use Composer Pro System Manager to reconfigure the unit for Wi-Fi.
4. Connect system devices. Attach IR and serial devices as described in "Connecting the IR ports/serial ports" and "Setting up IR emitters."
5. Set up any external storage devices as described in "Setting up external storage devices" in this document.
6. Connect the power cord to the controller's power port and then into an electrical outlet.

Connecting Ports and Devices

Connecting the IR ports/serial ports (optional)

The controller provides three IR ports, and port 1 can be reconfigured independently for serial communication. If not used for serial, they can be used for IR. Connect a serial device to the controller using the Control4 3.5 mm-to-DB9 Serial Cable (C4-CBL3.5-DB9B, sold separately).

1. The serial ports support baud rates between 1200 to 115200 baud for odd and even parity. The serial ports do not support hardware flow control.
2. See Knowledgebase article #268 (ctrl4.co/contr-serial-pinout) for pinout diagrams.
3. To configure a port for serial or IR, make the appropriate connections in your project using Composer Pro. See the Composer Pro User Guide for details.

Note: The serial ports can be configured as straight-through or null with Composer Pro. Serial ports by default are configured straight-through and can be changed in Composer by selecting Null Modem Enabled (SERIAL 1).

Setting up IR emitters

Your system may contain third-party products that are controlled through IR commands.

1. Connect one of the included IR emitters to an IR OUT port on the controller.
2. Place the stick-on emitter end onto the IR receiver on the Blu-ray player, TV, or other target device to emit IR signals from the controller to the target device.

Setting up external storage devices (optional)

You can store and access media from an external storage device, for example, a network hard drive or USB memory device, by connecting the USB drive to the USB port and configuring or scanning the media in Composer Pro.

Note: We support only externally powered USB drives or solid state USB sticks. Self-powered USB drives are not supported.

Note: When using USB storage devices on an CORE Lite controller, you can use only one partition with a 2 TB maximum size. This limitation also applies to the USB storage on other controllers.

Composer Pro Driver Information

Use Auto Discovery and SDDP to add the driver to the Composer project. See the Composer Pro User Guide (ctrl4.co/cpro-ug) for details.

OvrC Setup and Configuration

OvrC gives you remote device management, real-time notifications, and intuitive customer management, right from your computer or mobile device. Setup is plug-and-play, with no port forwarding or DDNS address required.

To add this device to your OvrC account:

1. Connect CORE Lite controller to the Internet.
2. Navigate to OvrC (www.ovrc.com) and log in to your account.
3. Add the device (MAC address and Service Tag numbers needed for authentication).

Troubleshooting

Reset to factory settings

Caution! The factory restore process will remove the Composer project.

To restore the controller to the factory default image:

1. Insert one end of a paper clip into the small hole on the back of the controller labeled RESET.
2. Press and hold the RESET button. The controller resets and the ID button changes to solid red.
3. Hold the button until the ID flashes double orange. This should take five to seven seconds. The ID button flashes orange while the factory restore is running. When complete, the ID button turns off and the device power cycles one more time to complete the factory restore process.

Note: During the reset process, the ID button provides the same feedback as the Caution LED on the front of the controller.

Power cycle the controller

Press and hold the ID button for five seconds. The controller turns off and back on.

Reset the network settings

To reset the controller network settings to the default:

1. Disconnect power to the controller.
2. While pressing and holding the ID button on the back of the controller, power on the controller.
3. Hold the ID button until the ID button turns solid orange and the Link and Power LEDs are solid blue, and then immediately release the button.

Note: During the reset process, the ID button provides the same feedback as the Caution LED on the front of the controller.

LED status information

Key: --Flashing LED, --Solid LED

• Just powered on
• Boot started
• Boot complete
• Network reset check
• Factory restore underway (2 flashes per second)
• Connected to Director
• Playing audio
• Updating (1 flash per 2 seconds)
• Update error (1 flash per 2 seconds)
• No IP address (1 flash per 2 seconds)

More Help

For the latest version of this document and to view additional materials, open the URL below or scan the QR code on a device that can view PDFs.

Most Recent Version: ctrl4.co/corelite-ig

More Info on CORE Controllers: ctrl4.co/core

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