LIGHTING CONTROL SYSTEM

A lighting control system (LCS) (50) is provided to remotely and centrally control the operation of lamps and other electrical appliances. The LCS (50) includes a master controller (100), zone controllers (110), slave units (120), an IR controller (160). The master controller (100), zone controllers (110), and slave units (120) are electrically linked together over a common powerline through a process of installation. A process of verification is provided to confirm that the master controller (100), zone controllers (110), and slave units (120) are installed properly. The slave units (120) are further linked with a corresponding electrical appliance. Appropriate commands applied by a user of the LCS (50) to the master controller (100), the zone controllers (110), the slave units (120), and the IR controller (160) control the operation of electrical appliances individually or collectively. The LCS (50) allows the program and recall of configurations of operating levels of the electrical appliances. The master controller (100) includes optical wave guides (406) to illuminate a front panel (300) of the master controller (100) to the user. The zone controller (110) includes a PIR detector (930) and a dawn and dusk sensor (932). The IR controller (160) allows the user to remotely control the operation of the zone controller (110) and the slave units (120). In alternative embodiments of the present invention, the master controller (100) and the zone controllers (110) have direct link interfaces (224, 926) to communicate with the slave units (120) over a direct link rather than the powerline during the installation process.