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New Fibaro Control Center Lite
The new FIBARO Home Center Lite (HCL) is a complete Z-Wave home automation gateway. Don't let its tiny size fool you - Home Center Lite is all you need to run your entire home - communicating with sensors, activating lights, appliances and heating, and even alerting you if it detects threats such as fire, flood or break-in.
Tiny, Efficient and Powerful
The Fibaro HCL is tiny - measuring just 90 x 90 x 33mm.
The HCL uses a new ARM Cortex-A8 processor to deliver high-speed performance while using very little power. HCL is the smallest Z-Wave controller available and still packs a punch big enough to manage any Z-Wave system with up to 230 devices.
Set up your Command Post
Building on the intuitive Fibaro system and apps, the new Command Post is your view of the system.
The app can be customized so you see exactly what you need to see. You can create and modify tables, icons and names in such a way that you will always have those most important functions at your fingertips. The user-friendliness and flexibility of the Fibaro app will make operating your intelligent system easy and straightforward.
Greater Control over Multi-Media
The new Home Center Lite controller delivers even greater integration of home multimedia with your Z-Wave System. Manage your TV, Home Cinema, Hi-Fi and others - right from the Fibaro app. Using Fibaro, you don’t need any remote other than your smart phone or tablet. All of these devices can be set to work automatically - for instance, you arrive home and your TV switches to the 6 o’clock news as you walk through the door.
Expandable
The HCL is a modular controller that can be easily expanded. Connect the HCL to your router, power it up and it's ready to use whether you're at home, the office or up mount Everest!
You can then expand the system by adding the Fibaro Battery and GSM modules and your HCL will stay working even if there's a power cut (see note).
How to choose between HC2 and HC Lite
This comparison guide shows the difference between the Fibaro Z-Wave Controllers - Home Center 2 and Home Center Lite.
Feature Home Center Lite Home Center 2 General Graphical Scene Editor 
LUA Programming - for advanced control 
Scene Controllers - LUA-based scenes Virtual Devices - LUA-based Virtual Devices - Multimedia (HTTP) Lili - voice control VOIP - Voice Over IP Hardware Processor ARM Cortex-A8 (720MHz) Intel Atom (1.6GHz) Ethernet 10/100/1000 10/100/1000 USB - 4 Expansion Slots 2 - Case Plastic Cast Alloy Dimensions ((LxWxH) 90 x 90 x 33mm 225 x 185 x 44mm Expansion GSM Module - Battery Back-up Module -
What do these differences mean?
The Fibaro Home Center Lite (HCL) is a very powerful Z-Wave controller packed into a tiny size. It is capable of running your entire home, but does have some import ant differences compared to the Home Center 2 (HC2).
LUA Programming
LUA is a programming (scripting) language and is commonly used in home automation controllers to enable users to create more complex control scenes than supported by the controller's Scene editor. The HC2's scene editor enables you to use a graphical-based editor or a LUA-based editor, where as the HCL only supports a graphical editor.
We feel this is the most important difference between the two controllers - and one that you need to think carefully about.
LUA Scenes
Almost all automation in the Fibaro System is controlled by 'Scenes'. For instance these can make lights turn on when motion is detected at particular times of the day or make several things happen from one simple button press of a remote control. Most of these scenes can be created in Fibaro controller's excellent 'Graphical Scene Editor'. But some more complex scenes are actually much easier to create using a LUA script, and in some extreme cases could only be created using LUA.
LUA is a very useful feature to have, occasionally, a simple LUA script can solve an issue that would have required a complex graphical scene.
Scene Controllers
Some remote controls that act as 'Scene Controllers' need a LUA-based scene to work correctly in the Fibaro Controllers. This includes controllers such as the Aeon Minimote, Aeon Keyfob and the Z-Wave.me Keyfob. Our guide Using the Aeon Minimote in HC2 shows that this type of controller can only be used by using LUA code.
Virtual Devices
Virtual devices are what they sound like - devices in the Fibaro controller that aren't linked to physical devices. Virtual devices are very useful for controlling devices via other networks, such as AV equipment that can be controlled from your Wi-Fi/Ethernet system (HTTP). They are also useful to create a simple button in the Fibaro App that can control a number of scenes - quickly and easily.
- Scene and Device Control (LUA)
To create Virtual devices that control scenes you need to use LUA, therefore, these types of Virtual Devices cannot be created in HC Lite. - Remote Control of 3rd Party Products (HTTP & IP)
Virtual Devices can be created that control products via the IP network (Wi-Fi or Ethernet), via HTTP requests. These are fully supported in HC Lite as they use a different type of Virtual Device configuration and command protocol (HTTP Strings).
Lili Voice Activation
Lili is a voice activation and recognition program in the Fibaro system, similar to Siri in iOS. This is a useful feature to activate different parts of your system and scenes by voice rather than using a smartphone app, remote control or manual switch.
Lili is not available in HC Lite, however, apps such as Tasker (Android) and Siri (iOS) can give the same functionality, although you may need additional hardware or server.
VOIP - Voice Over IP
The HC2 supports VOIP - this is easy to set up and enables you to talk over a IP network (Internet or home network). It's a good feature to create an intercom system or access control (door or gate).
This is not available in HC Lite.
Conclusion
The choice is yours, the decision which Fibaro Controller is best for you, really depends on whether you expect to need LUA in your future system. The other features are nice, and in some cases could be the main deciding factor. So, as with all home automation decisions, you should plan carefully to ensure you get the right controller for your needs (now and the future).
- Scene and Device Control (LUA)