Lutron is a smart lighting company with a wide range of lighting, shading and fan control products for homes and buildings of all sizes that you can install or have professionally installed.
One of Lutron's most affordable and highest-rated product lines is Lutron's Caséta Wireless, which lets you control your home's lighting in seemingly endless ways. We have all the information you need about Caséta products to help you decide if they are right for you.
Lutron Caséta Wireless
PROS
- Installs easily
- Has lots of custom settings and presets
- Integrates with all major voice assistants and other home automation products
- Can be monitored via free smartphone app
- Offers georeferencing
- Has a built-in safety mode for when you're away from home
- Supports three-way switches
CONS
- Its value is greater than other systems
- Has 1 year limited warranty coverage
Lutron's Caséta Wireless is an easy DIY lighting system that supports up to 50 devices. The system replaces regular outlets and light switches with smart dimmer switches and wireless remote controls, all connected via the wireless smart bridge and controlled via a free smartphone app.
Caséta integrates with all major voice assistants, various DIY automation systems, and other smart products. Between those integrations and the other smart features, it's one of the most versatile smart home lighting solutions out there.
Features of Caséta by Lutron
Facility
Considering what the system can do, installation is impressively quick and easy. The Smart Bridge requires that you only plug it into your router and a wall outlet; The rest of the configuration happens in the application. Installing a switch is as simple as turning off the switch you're replacing, removing it, putting in the new switch, and adding the motherboard. Turn the device back on and it is ready to go.
Remote access and control
Through the app (for iOS and Android), you can name individual lights, group lights by room, and create automation events. The app itself is easy to navigate and well organized.
Georeferencing
Caséta comes with a georeferencing feature, which means that when it detects your smartphone within a certain range of the house, it will turn on the lights to bring you into a bright home. Once you leave that range, Caséta turns off the lights.
Security Mode
If you are going to be out of town for an extended period of time or away from home at night, you can turn on Safe Mode. This will run your lights on a schedule that makes it look like you're home, adding a layer of security.
Three way switches
One advantage Caséta has over competing systems is that it works with three-way switches. If your home has two light switches that control the same light (for example, a light switch at the top and bottom of the stairs), a Lutron switch and Pico remote will allow you to control the light from any location.
Compatibility
Caséta can not only integrate with other home automation systems, but also connects directly with all major voice assistance platforms and protocols:
- Amazon Alexa
- Google Home
- Apple HomePod
- Sonos One
- Samsung SmartThings
- Honeywell Wi-Fi thermostats
- wink
- Nest
- IFTTT
- ecobee Wi-Fi thermostats
With so many integrations, your options for creating home security and automation “scenes” or events are almost limitless. You can ask your voice assistant to turn the lights on or off; You can set a schedule to turn on the lights automatically when you get home or at a specific time of day; You can even activate security mode to schedule the lights to come on at regular intervals.
Caséta Wireless products: where to start and how to expand
Caséta's wireless system sounds amazing, but where to start? We recommend starting with a kit to bundle multiple products, but you can also build your system piece by piece.
SmartBridge
TIP
The Smart Bridge and all Caséta products use Lutron's Clear Connect RF technology to connect to each other. This is a silent radio frequency that does not interfere with Wi-Fi enabled devices.
Basic Kit: Smart Lighting Dimmer Switch Starter Kit
The dimmer dimmer regulates up to 17 bulbs, including LED, incandescent, and halogen bulbs, which should be more than enough for the main rooms in an average-sized home. The kit gives you the option to control the lights from the switch itself, from the remote control, from your smartphone, or even from your home voice assistant speaker.
Tip
Why should I use a dimmer?
If you don't need to replace regular light switches with dimmers, consider this: If you dim a bulb by 10%, you're using 10% less energy, which extends the life of the bulb. You save money on both energy costs and light bulb replacements.
Lutron Professional Smart Lighting System
If you prefer to go big with a professional whole-home smart lighting system instead of a DIY approach, choose RadioRa2 or RadioRa salect . This professionally installed system supports up to 100 devices in your home, including dimmers, switches, shades, and fans.
Like Caséta Wireless, RA2 Select integrates with other home automation systems and voice assistants, such as Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Apple HomeKit, Sonos One, Samsung SmartThings, and IFTTT. It is also compatible with several professional home automation systems, including Control 4, Crestron and Savant, CommandFusion, among others.
Lutron Caséta Wireless vs. Philips Hue
When you think of smart lighting, you probably think of smart bulbs, and one of the best smart bulb brands is Philips Hue.
The difference between Philips Hue and the Caséta Wireless system is that Hue focuses on LED bulbs that you can control directly from your smartphone, while Caséta Wireless is all about dimmers and not the bulbs.
Both systems have advantages, but if you want to add some smart lighting to your home, we recommend starting with Phillips Hue smart bulbs . You can do a lot with them, they last a long time and fit perfectly into larger smart home systems. If you're looking for a lighting system, not just smart bulbs, Lutron's Caséta Wireless may be exactly what you need.