Heads-up on the Non-Contact Voltage detector: some of these aren't too reliable in terms of detection. Better to check with a multimeter and proper probes 🙂
I just made a 2 way light a 4 way without running any wires and the Lutron allows the mounting to be done to the wall and just replace a 1gang plate with a 2 gang plate or 1 more gang than you had and you're done. No new or bigger box needed. I like these things too. Oh you can mount a pico to the wall anywhere and get a 1 gang plate and it looks just like a normal wall switch as well.
I only had one Lutron switch in my home for the dining room light. My wife wanted a dimmer switch that could dim the lights, but she was picky about the looks. She found the Lutron dimmer switch to her liking. I bought the switch and the Caseta hub in order to be able to operate the switches through the Home Assistant integration. It's been rock-solid since I installed it several years ago. The kit came with one of the Pico remotes, but I hadn't been using that. Recently, I had a use for a small remote for something completely unrelated to the dining room light. I found that, once you've paired the remote (with the hub) using the Lutron app, you can see the Pico Remote events in Home Assistant. It's a fairly easy thing to set up automations that are triggered by the press and/or release of any of the buttons on the remote and, as you mentioned in the video, there's a handy mounting kit that allows you to mount the Pico as if it were a standard light switch. Very nice.
Great video. Lutron is really a top notch product. We have their automated blinds. It integrates so smoothly with HA and HomeKit. Great stuff, thanks for the links. I’ll pick up some switches.
Ive got the lutron Casaeta no neutral dimmers in two paces. The regular on/off stitch for a wall plug (to control a table lamp) is too darn expensive for the No neutral version. So I am using the Aqara version. Both are very reliable.... however after a power surge I had to reconnect the Aqara switches but not the lutrons.... I will say it was easy as I just restarted the Aqara hub(s) as I have two for better connectivity. The lutron hub is buried and I never need to touch it.
I'm a bit puzzled by your explanation regarding Lutron's capability to connect with multiple platforms simultaneously, suggesting that if Home Assistant were to fail, other platforms could still control the devices. Considering Home Assistant acts as a hub, and Lutron switches necessitate a Lutron Hub, wouldn't the scenario be similar if the Lutron Hub ceased functioning? Just as you have your devices linked to various platforms through Home Assistant, if any hub, whether it's Home Assistant or the Lutron Hub, were to fail, wouldn't the outcome be the same, leaving you unable to control your devices? I acknowledge the Lutron hub's potential for greater stability, yet the risk of vendor lock-in cannot be overlooked. If Lutron were to cease operations or modify their offerings, there's a tangible chance that all connected devices might become inoperable. This concern is why I favor Zigbee or Z-Wave devices as most offer the flexibility to shift more freely, avoiding the constraints of single-vendor dependency. I'm optimistic that the Matter initiative will eventually address these issues of vendor lock-in and enhance compatibility across different ecosystems.
That is true. If Lutron's hub fails then you wouldn't be able to control the Lutron devices. Personally I don't really plan for companies shutting down or hardware failing other than expecting at some point I will be replacing hardware. If Lutron shut down, my response would be the same as when my GE Zwave switches died after a power flicker. Or when the weather api I used shutdown. I would just replace them. Nothing lasts forever. I'm looking more to prevent the temporary outages that are more common from taking down the entire system. You know those service outages that prevent google home from responding. Or the HA update that prevents your hub from booting up after an update. And unless the way most companies are implementing Matter changes, I think the fate of those devices would be the same if the company behind them Goes out of business. Aqara, Switchbot, Phillips Hue all require their own hub for matter to work. And for most matter implementations that's the way it is going. If the hub stops working, and I suspect they will if those companies got out of business, none of the other platforms can control the devices over Matter. But you are right. Zwave and zigbee are safe from Venders shutting down. But again they also seem to fail at a higher rate than Lutron devices. At least in this smart home. So regardless of which one I use I will be eventually replacing hardware in the future.
@@SlackerLabs Thanks for your response and the additional context. I've experienced an update disrupting my Home Assistant setup, so your points resonate with me. I've recently started exploring the new Leviton Wi-Fi 2nd Gen devices that support Matter, although perfecting its integration seems to need some refinement. The advantage of these devices not requiring a Leviton-specific hub is significant. My dad is already using a few with Echo devices, and I'm in the process of integrating them with Home Assistant. While Matter aims to enhance compatibility, the approach of some companies to bind it to their hubs could undermine Matter's overarching goal of interoperability. Many are using hubs for backward compatibility. My hope is that, with time, reliance on a specific vendor's hub will diminish, allowing any hub compatible with Matter-whether it's Home Assistant, Lutron, Phillips, or others-to work seamlessly together.
Great video. Curious…a while back I asked you about Inovelli switches (both toggle and dimmer switches). Have you had a chance to look into them yet? Zigbee, Zwave, Matter over Thread…they are also introducing an mmWave equipped switch. I would be interested to see your opinion of the product line.
Yea. I need to see I can find some. If I recall I couldn't find any that u wanted in stock when I needed a switch before. But actually I have a couple of switches I need to convert so I will see if I can grab some.
When integrating with Home Assistant is there any reason to get the Lutron Caséta Smart Bridge PRO (L-BDGPRO2-WH) rather than the regular Lutron Caséta Smart Hub (L-BDG2-WH) that is included in the variaous kits?
At one time the only reason is if you want your Lutron devices to trigger events in HA you needed the Hub. But I'm not sure that is still the case. Either way. For connecting HA to your Lutron devices either hub would work. I am pretty sure I have the standard hub. I'll have to check
@@SlackerLabsThe Smart Hub PRO provides all the features/benefits of the Smart Hub, both support 75 devices including Pico remotes, plus these differences for the Pro: compatible with Lutron Triathlon shades compatible with select styles of Sivoia QS Wireless shades integrates with select security systems, A/V remote controls, and smart home devices. On the Home Assistant side there was once a communication protocol difference. Home Assistant updated its integration to use Lutron's LEAP API, so it has direct local control on both the standard and pro hubs. I believe you can still install the old Telnet integration as a Home Assistant custom component, not sure if the response time is faster (and that would only work on the pro hub). Hard to find definitive documentation of this, but this is what I have found on my search. I have Lutron switches throughout the house, but have not done any automation triggers/scene controls through the Pico Remotes (they have a lot of 2 and 4 button scene controllers and you can also customize anything you want with them). Future rabbit hole. You might also take a look at Inovelli Switches - Zigbee, Z-Wave and Matter. Closely modeled after Lutron design and colors. Also a US company out of Michigan.
Will the Lutron switches work with smart bulbs or only dumb ones? I have 6 recessed zigbee rgbw lights that are on a dumb 3 way switch that I am constantly having to remind people not to use or the lights won’t function until the dumb switch is turned back on.
It works fine. There was a few hours between replacing the switch the led light replacement and it was fine. Although my repeated turn it on and off to film it caused them all to eventually go into pairing mode.
@ericboline9152 yea. Usually. Unless you did something to bypass the switch. I used Shelly devices to handle the power to the light and then just use the switch as a backup. But the smart home would be able to power control the lights regardless of the state of the physical Switch.
I've not had good luck with lumary. I ran some of their rgbw landscape lights and had to jump through all kinds of hoops to get local tuya working only to have them change the API effectively bricking them from a home assistant perspective. And now they are showing signs of water intrusion after less than 6 months. I'm not buying anything else from them.
Yeah. The landscape lights I have and they are working ok still. But the tuya Wi-Fi stuff is in my list of stuff to replace just cause I'm meh on tuya these days.
Heads-up on the Non-Contact Voltage detector: some of these aren't too reliable in terms of detection. Better to check with a multimeter and proper probes 🙂
Important safety tip. Thanks ON8AD
Yep, the Caseta series are amazing, I have two. I love them and plan to replace all my switches with them.
I just made a 2 way light a 4 way without running any wires and the Lutron allows the mounting to be done to the wall and just replace a 1gang plate with a 2 gang plate or 1 more gang than you had and you're done. No new or bigger box needed. I like these things too. Oh you can mount a pico to the wall anywhere and get a 1 gang plate and it looks just like a normal wall switch as well.
That's a good point. Those pico remotes are pretty versatile.
I only had one Lutron switch in my home for the dining room light. My wife wanted a dimmer switch that could dim the lights, but she was picky about the looks. She found the Lutron dimmer switch to her liking. I bought the switch and the Caseta hub in order to be able to operate the switches through the Home Assistant integration. It's been rock-solid since I installed it several years ago.
The kit came with one of the Pico remotes, but I hadn't been using that. Recently, I had a use for a small remote for something completely unrelated to the dining room light. I found that, once you've paired the remote (with the hub) using the Lutron app, you can see the Pico Remote events in Home Assistant. It's a fairly easy thing to set up automations that are triggered by the press and/or release of any of the buttons on the remote and, as you mentioned in the video, there's a handy mounting kit that allows you to mount the Pico as if it were a standard light switch. Very nice.
Great video. Lutron is really a top notch product. We have their automated blinds. It integrates so smoothly with HA and HomeKit. Great stuff, thanks for the links. I’ll pick up some switches.
Ive got the lutron Casaeta no neutral dimmers in two paces. The regular on/off stitch for a wall plug (to control a table lamp) is too darn expensive for the No neutral version. So I am using the Aqara version. Both are very reliable.... however after a power surge I had to reconnect the Aqara switches but not the lutrons.... I will say it was easy as I just restarted the Aqara hub(s) as I have two for better connectivity. The lutron hub is buried and I never need to touch it.
I got a charge out of your electrical humor!
Ha. I wasn't sure how much resistance there would be. The response seems to alternate.
@@SlackerLabs Good thing your audience conducts themselves so well.😁
I'm a bit puzzled by your explanation regarding Lutron's capability to connect with multiple platforms simultaneously, suggesting that if Home Assistant were to fail, other platforms could still control the devices. Considering Home Assistant acts as a hub, and Lutron switches necessitate a Lutron Hub, wouldn't the scenario be similar if the Lutron Hub ceased functioning? Just as you have your devices linked to various platforms through Home Assistant, if any hub, whether it's Home Assistant or the Lutron Hub, were to fail, wouldn't the outcome be the same, leaving you unable to control your devices?
I acknowledge the Lutron hub's potential for greater stability, yet the risk of vendor lock-in cannot be overlooked. If Lutron were to cease operations or modify their offerings, there's a tangible chance that all connected devices might become inoperable. This concern is why I favor Zigbee or Z-Wave devices as most offer the flexibility to shift more freely, avoiding the constraints of single-vendor dependency. I'm optimistic that the Matter initiative will eventually address these issues of vendor lock-in and enhance compatibility across different ecosystems.
That is true. If Lutron's hub fails then you wouldn't be able to control the Lutron devices.
Personally I don't really plan for companies shutting down or hardware failing other than expecting at some point I will be replacing hardware. If Lutron shut down, my response would be the same as when my GE Zwave switches died after a power flicker. Or when the weather api I used shutdown. I would just replace them. Nothing lasts forever.
I'm looking more to prevent the temporary outages that are more common from taking down the entire system. You know those service outages that prevent google home from responding. Or the HA update that prevents your hub from booting up after an update.
And unless the way most companies are implementing Matter changes, I think the fate of those devices would be the same if the company behind them
Goes out of business. Aqara, Switchbot, Phillips Hue all require their own hub for matter to work. And for most matter implementations that's the way it is going. If the hub stops working, and I suspect they will if those companies got out of business, none of the other platforms can control the devices over Matter.
But you are right. Zwave and zigbee are safe from Venders shutting down. But again they also seem to fail at a higher rate than Lutron devices. At least in this smart home. So regardless of which one I use I will be eventually replacing hardware in the future.
@@SlackerLabs Thanks for your response and the additional context. I've experienced an update disrupting my Home Assistant setup, so your points resonate with me. I've recently started exploring the new Leviton Wi-Fi 2nd Gen devices that support Matter, although perfecting its integration seems to need some refinement. The advantage of these devices not requiring a Leviton-specific hub is significant. My dad is already using a few with Echo devices, and I'm in the process of integrating them with Home Assistant. While Matter aims to enhance compatibility, the approach of some companies to bind it to their hubs could undermine Matter's overarching goal of interoperability. Many are using hubs for backward compatibility. My hope is that, with time, reliance on a specific vendor's hub will diminish, allowing any hub compatible with Matter-whether it's Home Assistant, Lutron, Phillips, or others-to work seamlessly together.
To make a two or three way switch what exactly is needed. The link to HDepot is not quite clear.
Great video.
Curious…a while back I asked you about Inovelli switches (both toggle and dimmer switches). Have you had a chance to look into them yet?
Zigbee, Zwave, Matter over Thread…they are also introducing an mmWave equipped switch.
I would be interested to see your opinion of the product line.
Yea. I need to see I can find some. If I recall I couldn't find any that u wanted in stock when I needed a switch before. But actually I have a couple of switches I need to convert so I will see if I can grab some.
Ok. Ordered two inovelli switches. I will try them out.
When integrating with Home Assistant is there any reason to get the Lutron Caséta Smart Bridge PRO (L-BDGPRO2-WH) rather than the regular Lutron Caséta Smart Hub (L-BDG2-WH) that is included in the variaous kits?
At one time the only reason is if you want your Lutron devices to trigger events in HA you needed the Hub. But I'm not sure that is still the case. Either way. For connecting HA to your Lutron devices either hub would work. I am pretty sure I have the standard hub. I'll have to check
@@SlackerLabsThe Smart Hub PRO provides all the features/benefits of the Smart Hub, both support 75 devices including Pico remotes, plus these differences for the Pro:
compatible with Lutron Triathlon shades
compatible with select styles of Sivoia QS Wireless shades
integrates with select security systems, A/V remote controls, and smart home devices.
On the Home Assistant side there was once a communication protocol difference. Home Assistant updated its integration to use Lutron's LEAP API, so it has direct local control on both the standard and pro hubs. I believe you can still install the old Telnet integration as a Home Assistant custom component, not sure if the response time is faster (and that would only work on the pro hub). Hard to find definitive documentation of this, but this is what I have found on my search. I have Lutron switches throughout the house, but have not done any automation triggers/scene controls through the Pico Remotes (they have a lot of 2 and 4 button scene controllers and you can also customize anything you want with them). Future rabbit hole.
You might also take a look at Inovelli Switches - Zigbee, Z-Wave and Matter. Closely modeled after Lutron design and colors. Also a US company out of Michigan.
@@SlackerLabs @michaelmaliga815 I think you also need it for their Serena Shades if that's something you are looking to put into your home.
Use the pro if you want to program the pico remotes to do other things in HA
Will the Lutron switches work with smart bulbs or only dumb ones? I have 6 recessed zigbee rgbw lights that are on a dumb 3 way switch that I am constantly having to remind people not to use or the lights won’t function until the dumb switch is turned back on.
It works fine. There was a few hours between replacing the switch the led light replacement and it was fine. Although my repeated turn it on and off to film it caused them all to eventually go into pairing mode.
But turning power off at the switch would still require power to be turned back on at the switch for them to work as smart lights correct?
@ericboline9152 yea. Usually. Unless you did something to bypass the switch. I used Shelly devices to handle the power to the light and then just use the switch as a backup. But the smart home would be able to power control the lights regardless of the state of the physical Switch.
The Caseta dimmers have always supported the single-tap preset / double-tap full on feature. It's not exclusive or new to the Diva switches.
Thats good to know. I don't know that I ever noticed it since they dont have the physical slider.
I've not had good luck with lumary. I ran some of their rgbw landscape lights and had to jump through all kinds of hoops to get local tuya working only to have them change the API effectively bricking them from a home assistant perspective. And now they are showing signs of water intrusion after less than 6 months. I'm not buying anything else from them.
Yeah. The landscape lights I have and they are working ok still. But the tuya Wi-Fi stuff is in my list of stuff to replace just cause I'm meh on tuya these days.
6:35 my old Insteon dimmer switches behaved like this too.
I love Lutron, but I don't want dimmers. Anywhere.