Rock solid solution for a single or multi-switch (with additional remotes) smart light switch
Easy install (if you can install a light switch, this is basically that plus following in-app instructions to set up the hub and Pico remote). No neutral required (unlike the simpler "Clara" on/off smart switch in the Caseta line, oddly), so it can replace pretty much any single-pole, "3-way", etc, switch in your US house. The dimmer switch itself can be a tight fit for an older electrical box, but that should be expected for any smart switches (or even non-smart dimmers). Certainly not the largest such device I've had to work with. Did require some re-organization and re-folding of wires behind it to get is able to sit flat like the old 1980s-era light switch it replaced did. Comes with all the hardware needed, other than the wall plate for the dimmer switch (which is odd; Lutron is really inconsistent about when it includes a wall plate and when it doesn't), but wall plates are easily picked up at your local hardware store (and you probably want to match the plates of your other light switches). Any "Decora" or "GFCI" wall plate will work with this. I really wish this came with the *paddle* Pico switch to match the paddle dimmer, although the "classic" Pico isn't *too* bad (gives me one to have sitting on my desk). I needed to order a Pico Paddle for our house (I can't see anyone wanting one wall switch to be a simple paddle and the other to be the ugly classic Caseta button layout) in the "other entrance of the room" position, as well as a wall mount (Amazon doesn't sell the actual Lutron wall mounts, just knock-offs, so had to pick these up at Lowe's). Functionally, offers "smart" control with Caseta's rock-solid reliability. The dimmer has a slider to set your "normal" dimming level; a single press on the "on" end of the paddle brings you to that preset; hitting it again goes to full-on. A single press of the "off" end, as expected, turns the lights off. Off and on operations happen with a quick but elegant "fade" effect. You can also set the "off level" for the dimmer to match the minimum level for your specific light bulbs / fixture (if you've ever had a dimmer where the lights are off when the dimmer is still at something like 50% you know how important this is). The Pico switch has a "full on" button, a "full off" button, then "dim/brighten by 1%" buttons, and a separate "on to preset" center button. Frustratingly works differently from the wall dimmer (that is, a single press on the "on" button goes to full-on, not to the preset). Note: the Paddle Pico Remote has similar functionality to the dimmer's on/off buttons (first press of 'on' brings it to preset; second to full on). Unlike the "classic" Pico remote, though, it doesn't offer any way to dim to "any" level 1 percent at a time (holding down the on or off ends of the remote doesn't do anything). The hub is, well, a hub. It takes a micro-USB cord (important for all us folks who have a bazillion USB-C cords but not many micro-USBs still hanging out in the drawer from 2010). It does include a wall plug power cord with a permanent cord attached, but if you're putting this in a cubby with all your other hubs etc you probably want to just plug it into a USB multi-port charger rather than using a separate wall plug for it, so make sure you have a little micro-USB cord available. It also must be plugged into your network via ethernet (*not* able to use wifi to connect!), so make sure you have an ethernet port available on your switch or router where it is to be installed. It *does* come with a short ethernet cable for that data connection. Would be nice if it supported PoE, but maybe some later iteration will. For those not already informed of "why a hub", the hub is the key to Caseta's reliability. Instead of using WiFi, Caseta uses its own RF band for (low bandwidth, low power, but high permeability through walls) communications between devices (device to device) and the hub (device to hub). While Thread is a pretty good newer standard for this purpose, it still isn't as rock-solid reliable and certainly as time-tested as Caseta's RF communications are. The hub basically allows all the devices to run on this reliable network (so when you press "on" on a Pico switch, it immediately and reliably turns the light on, just like a hard-wired switch would act), while allowing your other devices (phones, computers, etc) to control those devices over your local network. The physical hub is smaller than I'd expected, just a few inches square. The only real drawback is you need to provide it power and an ethernet connection. I know some people are really against needing to have a hub; I prefer reliability over the very minor inconvenience of having to house a hub somewhere in the house. Of course, the wall switch and pico remote work without the hub, but why would you buy this particular kit if you weren't going to be using the hub? With the hub, everything easily connects to Apple Home (my platform), Google, Alexa, etc. With Apple Home it just required going into settings, Integrations, then clicking the Apple Home integration. Asked for a code from the bottom of the hub, but also offered to use the camera for that, which worked flawlessly. This only needs to be done once for the hub, so if you add more light switches later on you don't need to re-integrate them with Apple Home. When I later opened the Apple Home app it prompted me that there was a new light and asked to place it in a room (didn't pick up the "Office" designation I'd given the lights in the Lutron app though) and give it a name (it *did* default to "Sconces" as that is what I'd told the Lutron app). Pretty much as easy as can be. Overall, I'm very happy with this, and looking forward to years of reliable use. Read more
