When you install the switches, the flat tab on the top and bottom is designed to be on top of the drywall. As an electrician we would use spacers or a coil of wire behind the device where the screws are to bring it out where it is supoosed to be.
The Pico remotes however are a lot more versatile. For instance I installed one by a side door and now not only does it control that outdoor wall light but another one much further down the walkway whose switch is inside the garage (not easily accessible). When I walk outside I have the option with the Pico of turning on not only the light it shares the wall plate with, but simultaneously the other light which is not even on the same circuit. It also made it easier to fit multiple switches in the boxes since they take up no room inside. I have several 4 switch and 3 switch boxes. And even in my house which is 4,000 sq ft, I’ll never hit 75 remotes since I only use it for lights that are either hard to access or that I want on a schedule which is about 20 or so. But had these accessories been available prior to me bypassing boxes by joining the wires inside the box, I probably would have migrated toward these.
I like the Picos because - whether switch or dimmer - I can mount them in a manner where they look like a built-in switch but are in fact just added to the drywall. One major complaint I have about Lutron devices is that they oftentimes do not line up vertically with standard switches from other manufacturers like Leviton or Eaton. So, there is a bunch of fiddling with loosening mounting screws and depending on the wall plate to act as your alignment. This should not be.
I just moved into our new home and plan on adding several smart diva switches. There is 2 - way circuits in the house. Can I replace just one with a diva smart caseta or do I need this accessory switch? I’m new to the smart home realm but I’m trying to learn
So I just bought a new home. I’m interested in the Lutron switches. Do I need to buy the Lutron accessory switches or the Lutron caseta smart switch with the bridge? Can you please explain?
One of the conditions for making all of my house light switches smart (from my wife) was that the switches had to work all of the time, regardless of the status of the Internet or a hub. Therefore, I could not use Pico remotes for the wall locations. The only circuit I couldn't do was our 4-way light switch in the Kitchen. After Lutron came out with the Companion switch, I was finally able to have a wired solution at all three switch locations using Lutron Caseta switches. This has been great and now everything is working with Lutron Caseta including my string lights on my Patio using an outdoor Lutron Caseta plug and several lamps using the Lutron Lamp dimmer control box. I just wished they had come out with these companion switches a year to two ago. The only switches in my house that are not automated are my garbage disposal and the fan on my fireplace. For safety reasons, I still have these as manual switches.
Trim your switches out evenly, if one sticks out further than the other, make the other stick out as well by putting a device spacer or nut in between the device and mounting ring.
Appreciate the video, but here’s some feedback on the fit and finish of your wallplates. You shouldn’t have cut out more drywall for the switch mounting plate-drywall ideally should be no bigger than the electrical box, and the mounting plate should sit flush on top of the drywall. Your finished product also looks scuffed and inconsistent with the depth of each switch varying relative to the wall plate. The Lutron plates give you a great way to fix this because you have access to the switch screws through the plate. What you should do as you are working the switches into their final position is FULLY attach the plate to the switches, BEFORE you have completely screwed the switches into the box. This sets the switches (all of the switches in a multi-gang box) in the correct position _relative to the plate_, and you can still access the switch screws to then bring the whole assembly into the correct position with the wall plate flush against your drywall. It’s a really clever innovation that I haven’t seen anyone talk about yet.
The pico remote just owns this thing. It’s cheap (especially for Lutron), easy to place and does everything this new switch does. I guess if you are up against the max number of devices then the new accessory switch could be useful but 75 devices is a lot! Pico remotes FTW!
Yeah I see what you mean, I have a 4-way configuration in my garage and I ended up having to go with the super expensive Brilliant control for the gang box inside the house as the only HomeKit option to support greater than 3-way configurations, but I would say that those configurations are pretty rare in most homes.
Oh nice Brilliant controls are cool but I haven't tried them yet. That's a good point but even my small home has one four way circuit but it wasn't one I could test for this.
@@EricWelander they are cool for sure but not worth the outrageous price that they cost. How come you couldn’t test the 4-way circuit with the Claro accessory switch?
I fully agree with everything Eric says here. A hard wired switch is always a better more permanent solution in many cases. For instance, if you want to sell your home but you've already replaced many multi-way hardwired switches with pico remotes, you'd either have to handover your Lutron hub, or reinstall all your previous hardwired switches. I love the flexibility of pico remotes but Lutron really needs to update the cheap shiny look and mushy feel of the tactile buttons (or lacktherof) across their Caseta lineup. I would gladly pay more for interchangeable button plates, like Square-D's new X-series dimmers/switches where you can completely change the look, color, & feel of the buttons/switch/dimmer without rewiring.
"A hard wired switch is always a better more permanent solution" - I can honestly think of almost no ways it is better! You're selling a house and you worry about the cost of a Lutron Hub? - give me a break. Lutron already has the Diva Caseta line if you want a different aesthetic.
@@michaelkosinski9189 For most/simple configuration yes - making the argument even stronger. There are features you can’t get without a hub (schedules, timers, integrations, complex scenes) - but even then hubs are cheap compared to all the installed dimmers & switches - totally in the noise of a house sale.
Hi Eric, thanks for the video. We are building a house and flip/toggle and rocker switches have always been my pet peeve. It drives me through a wall when you have a light that has two flip switches and one may be up and the other down. In our condo we have the Lutron Maestro dimmer which I love since it eliminates the “flip” with a push operation…I obviously don’t want to have our house built with maestro dimmers for cost but any suggestions for push switches if those are a thing? I see Lutron has a companion switch or a digital switch, could these be what I’m looking for? Thanks in advance for any help!
Are these accessory switches supposed to only be used for lights? I have a four way switch in my living room for the fan. Do these new Claro switches work for both lights and fans? Or just lights?
I am wondering if the diva smart switch allows you to program in minimum and maximum. This would solve the problem of the accessory switch turning on the lights at 100% on the second press. Perhaps they had an engineering limitation but I think that Lou Tron messed up in not allowing the accessory switch to control the brightness
Don't forget, they have the new paddle-pico too. Unfortunately the accessory switches are not seen as individual entities in Home Assistant, and neither are the buttons on the hard-wired switches. If you want to be able to use the individual buttons for different functions, even multiple functions per button (short press, double press, long press), then the pico is the only option, and can be used to control any device, not just Lutron switches/plugs.
Do they work like the pico in the remote sense (no 3wire or 2 wire between switch locations)? Or do you still need a wire between the switches you are trying to control?
I've installed 3 of the these new Lutron smart accessory switches that work with the new Lutron Diva smart dimmer switches. I agree with pretty much everything Eric outlined about the pro's & con's. I am definitely not an expert, but had no problem installing these. I agree that the Pico remotes take up less room and are less expensive. In addition, they count against the 75 device Lutron bridge limit, which was a deal-breaker for me (although there are HomeKit workarounds here), as the Smart Accessory switches do not.. Also, the Pico remotes to me look really dated compared to the standard rocker switches. As they often do, things come down to personal preferences as well as budget. You clearly have a choice. Lutron is rock-solid in terms of functionality. Love the channel Eric!
Thanks Scott! What a great summary. I'm glad you are finding these switches to work well for you and it's a great point they look better on the wall, but are a bit more expensive.
Semi newbie to the smart home world here, and have a question. Can this accessory switch be used for a switch that controls light (as well as dimming) along with a fan?
Yes it can, as long as that switch is a Lutron Caséta Claro Switch. But in this case you won't be able to control the fan and light separately from the smart switch.
@@EricWelander Thanks for the reply Eric! Not a big deal not being able to control them independently. The ceiling fan it self has pull down chords to either turn off the light and/or fan independent from the dumb switch.
@Eric Welander Hi! I know this video is a bit dated, but I could really use some direction just to get started. I have an older cabin with limited hardwiring for lights. My electrician ran conduit to add a large pendant light at the top of the stairs and hard wired a rocker switch on the wall at the top of the stairs taping into an outlet in that wall. I’d like to add a switch at the bottom of the stairs so the light can be turned on before walking up. I’m sure I want Lutron but I do not want to use a HUB, only via wifi APP control. What is the main switch (name/model) do I use for the hard wire? For the bottom of the stairs am I better off with an accessory switch if I have electrical and my electrician can add a switch at the bottom of the stairs or do I just mount a pico remote? I just want to confirm that either way the bottom switch will communicate with the top of the stairs hard wired switch to operate the lights… the only difference being the bottom of the stairs switch is hard wired vs not? We are unable to open up the walls to run electrical through the walls from top to bottom. My second question is… Does Lutron make electrical outlets that communicate with the original Lutron hardwired switch? For example I have 10 sconce lights that I would like to mount on the walls throughout my cabin. They all have electrical cords that plug into an outlet. I would like to be able to turn those on via an app before a guest arrives. Is there a way to install several smart electrical outlets that would turn these sconces on and off that communicate with the first main Lutron switch or would they just work independently through the app via wifi? I’m trying to understand what the purpose is or what function having multiple switches operating off one main hardwire switch serves? I guess I am just confused on how it all works and I’m trying to learn as I go to make an informed decision. I do know that I do not want a hub… Any feed back welcome! Thank you in advance!
Can an accessory switch control multiple Caseta switches? So, if I instal this in a box that was previously a 3 way box that controlled one light, could I then use it to turn on multiple Caseta dimmers and smart switches from this switch? Basically interested in using it like a wired pico remote. I do have a smart hub,
except you still want to anyways, just incase someone down the line doesnt want lutron, lutron decides to say screw off (they do it all the time, just ask RADIO RA gen 1 owners and various lutron shade customers who need to replace a deprecated fabric).
Wouldn't having the Pico's screw you if there was an Internet outage? Or WiFi is down? If it cannot communicate you can't turn lights on or off unless it is from the one physically wired switch corect?
Lutron switches have always had the ability to act as 3-ways without pico remotes… that’s what the blue wire is for that you always cap. Am I missing something?
Thank you for telling us you got the product for free. Did you send them back when you were finished? Your opinions may be your own, but you are obviously trying to keep a good and positive relationship with Lutron. You are not in a position of true editorial independence. Please keep up the good work but also keep it real.
@@cafealpha82you get the dimming control which you won’t get with a standard 3 way What I don’t see is how this is different from a Claro + existing 3 way beyond color matching. White for Leviton is not white for Lutron… discovered this recently
All that complication? Just to avoid the enormous workload of flipping a switch with one finger! And the expense? And the use of Apple products? Strike three. No way, Jose.
I was so thankful for them after I had surgery and getting up and down was extremely painful. I also love turning lights on/off when I am not home (for my dog). Routines are very helpful too :)
When you install the switches, the flat tab on the top and bottom is designed to be on top of the drywall. As an electrician we would use spacers or a coil of wire behind the device where the screws are to bring it out where it is supoosed to be.
Super informative. Cheers!
The Pico remotes however are a lot more versatile. For instance I installed one by a side door and now not only does it control that outdoor wall light but another one much further down the walkway whose switch is inside the garage (not easily accessible). When I walk outside I have the option with the Pico of turning on not only the light it shares the wall plate with, but simultaneously the other light which is not even on the same circuit.
It also made it easier to fit multiple switches in the boxes since they take up no room inside. I have several 4 switch and 3 switch boxes. And even in my house which is 4,000 sq ft, I’ll never hit 75 remotes since I only use it for lights that are either hard to access or that I want on a schedule which is about 20 or so. But had these accessories been available prior to me bypassing boxes by joining the wires inside the box, I probably would have migrated toward these.
I like the Picos because - whether switch or dimmer - I can mount them in a manner where they look like a built-in switch but are in fact just added to the drywall. One major complaint I have about Lutron devices is that they oftentimes do not line up vertically with standard switches from other manufacturers like Leviton or Eaton. So, there is a bunch of fiddling with loosening mounting screws and depending on the wall plate to act as your alignment. This should not be.
One thing I like about using the Pico’s is it opens up some room in the electric box since the Casetas are pretty big and it gets pretty tight.
I 100% agree.
Picos don’t require a smart bridge to work. They talk directly to the primary switch.
I use Wago connectors in my boxes for ease and increase in space.
So do I. And, you KNOW the connection is tight and secure.
When installing lutron claro screwless plate is best to install plate on device first then screw device in wall. Much nicer and even finish.
Thank you for making this video! I can't believe how hard it was to find a decent explanation on why the accessory switches are a thing.
I just moved into our new home and plan on adding several smart diva switches. There is 2 - way circuits in the house. Can I replace just one with a diva smart caseta or do I need this accessory switch? I’m new to the smart home realm but I’m trying to learn
So I just bought a new home. I’m interested in the Lutron switches. Do I need to buy the Lutron accessory switches or the Lutron caseta smart switch with the bridge? Can you please explain?
One of the conditions for making all of my house light switches smart (from my wife) was that the switches had to work all of the time, regardless of the status of the Internet or a hub. Therefore, I could not use Pico remotes for the wall locations. The only circuit I couldn't do was our 4-way light switch in the Kitchen. After Lutron came out with the Companion switch, I was finally able to have a wired solution at all three switch locations using Lutron Caseta switches. This has been great and now everything is working with Lutron Caseta including my string lights on my Patio using an outdoor Lutron Caseta plug and several lamps using the Lutron Lamp dimmer control box. I just wished they had come out with these companion switches a year to two ago. The only switches in my house that are not automated are my garbage disposal and the fan on my fireplace. For safety reasons, I still have these as manual switches.
Trim your switches out evenly, if one sticks out further than the other, make the other stick out as well by putting a device spacer or nut in between the device and mounting ring.
Appreciate the video, but here’s some feedback on the fit and finish of your wallplates. You shouldn’t have cut out more drywall for the switch mounting plate-drywall ideally should be no bigger than the electrical box, and the mounting plate should sit flush on top of the drywall. Your finished product also looks scuffed and inconsistent with the depth of each switch varying relative to the wall plate. The Lutron plates give you a great way to fix this because you have access to the switch screws through the plate. What you should do as you are working the switches into their final position is FULLY attach the plate to the switches, BEFORE you have completely screwed the switches into the box. This sets the switches (all of the switches in a multi-gang box) in the correct position _relative to the plate_, and you can still access the switch screws to then bring the whole assembly into the correct position with the wall plate flush against your drywall. It’s a really clever innovation that I haven’t seen anyone talk about yet.
The pico remote just owns this thing. It’s cheap (especially for Lutron), easy to place and does everything this new switch does. I guess if you are up against the max number of devices then the new accessory switch could be useful but 75 devices is a lot! Pico remotes FTW!
Good points, but by adding an accessory switch, it doesn't mean you can't also use pico remotes like you mention in other places.
Do I need this for a 5 way switch?
Yeah I see what you mean, I have a 4-way configuration in my garage and I ended up having to go with the super expensive Brilliant control for the gang box inside the house as the only HomeKit option to support greater than 3-way configurations, but I would say that those configurations are pretty rare in most homes.
Oh nice Brilliant controls are cool but I haven't tried them yet. That's a good point but even my small home has one four way circuit but it wasn't one I could test for this.
@@EricWelander they are cool for sure but not worth the outrageous price that they cost. How come you couldn’t test the 4-way circuit with the Claro accessory switch?
One mistake in this video: a hub/bridge is not required for the old smart switch and pico remotes. The remotes can be paired directly to switch.
Do these new switches also control fans? Is this like a hidden feature?
I fully agree with everything Eric says here. A hard wired switch is always a better more permanent solution in many cases. For instance, if you want to sell your home but you've already replaced many multi-way hardwired switches with pico remotes, you'd either have to handover your Lutron hub, or reinstall all your previous hardwired switches. I love the flexibility of pico remotes but Lutron really needs to update the cheap shiny look and mushy feel of the tactile buttons (or lacktherof) across their Caseta lineup. I would gladly pay more for interchangeable button plates, like Square-D's new X-series dimmers/switches where you can completely change the look, color, & feel of the buttons/switch/dimmer without rewiring.
"A hard wired switch is always a better more permanent solution" - I can honestly think of almost no ways it is better! You're selling a house and you worry about the cost of a Lutron Hub? - give me a break. Lutron already has the Diva Caseta line if you want a different aesthetic.
@@alanmoore2197 The Pico remotes talk directly to the switch they are paired with, the hub is not required.
@@michaelkosinski9189 For most/simple configuration yes - making the argument even stronger. There are features you can’t get without a hub (schedules, timers, integrations, complex scenes) - but even then hubs are cheap compared to all the installed dimmers & switches - totally in the noise of a house sale.
Hi Eric, thanks for the video. We are building a house and flip/toggle and rocker switches have always been my pet peeve. It drives me through a wall when you have a light that has two flip switches and one may be up and the other down. In our condo we have the Lutron Maestro dimmer which I love since it eliminates the “flip” with a push operation…I obviously don’t want to have our house built with maestro dimmers for cost but any suggestions for push switches if those are a thing? I see Lutron has a companion switch or a digital switch, could these be what I’m looking for? Thanks in advance for any help!
Life Pro Tip, use WAGOs instead of wire nuts. Frustration levels drastically decreased and room in the junction box, increased.
Are these accessory switches supposed to only be used for lights? I have a four way switch in my living room for the fan. Do these new Claro switches work for both lights and fans? Or just lights?
Paired with a Claro switch, they could control a fan. These do not work with the Lutron fan control
Awesome tip as always
Thanks for sharing
LOL at Doug DeMuro clip
I’d really love some testing of Innovelli switches. Especially their new Project Linus one once it releases.
Thanks for the suggestion
Great overview Eric. Lutron is awesome.
Thanks! I agree
I am wondering if the diva smart switch allows you to program in minimum and maximum. This would solve the problem of the accessory switch turning on the lights at 100% on the second press.
Perhaps they had an engineering limitation but I think that Lou Tron messed up in not allowing the accessory switch to control the brightness
Don't forget, they have the new paddle-pico too.
Unfortunately the accessory switches are not seen as individual entities in Home Assistant, and neither are the buttons on the hard-wired switches. If you want to be able to use the individual buttons for different functions, even multiple functions per button (short press, double press, long press), then the pico is the only option, and can be used to control any device, not just Lutron switches/plugs.
Do they work like the pico in the remote sense (no 3wire or 2 wire between switch locations)? Or do you still need a wire between the switches you are trying to control?
He wanted a wire for some reason
Does it support homekit?
yes!
Technically no, but the Caseta switch that you pair the accessory switch to does, so effectively yes
I've installed 3 of the these new Lutron smart accessory switches that work with the new Lutron Diva smart dimmer switches. I agree with pretty much everything Eric outlined about the pro's & con's. I am definitely not an expert, but had no problem installing these. I agree that the Pico remotes take up less room and are less expensive. In addition, they count against the 75 device Lutron bridge limit, which was a deal-breaker for me (although there are HomeKit workarounds here), as the Smart Accessory switches do not.. Also, the Pico remotes to me look really dated compared to the standard rocker switches. As they often do, things come down to personal preferences as well as budget. You clearly have a choice. Lutron is rock-solid in terms of functionality.
Love the channel Eric!
Thanks Scott! What a great summary. I'm glad you are finding these switches to work well for you and it's a great point they look better on the wall, but are a bit more expensive.
There's a new pico paddle switch now. Harder to source though.
I'd really like to see Lutron come out with a Pico that matches up with the new style Caseta devices.
Semi newbie to the smart home world here, and have a question. Can this accessory switch be used for a switch that controls light (as well as dimming) along with a fan?
Yes it can, as long as that switch is a Lutron Caséta Claro Switch. But in this case you won't be able to control the fan and light separately from the smart switch.
@@EricWelander Thanks for the reply Eric! Not a big deal not being able to control them independently. The ceiling fan it self has pull down chords to either turn off the light and/or fan independent from the dumb switch.
@@EricWelander i assume I would need a hub with the Claro switch as well?
@Eric Welander
Hi! I know this video is a bit dated, but I could really use some direction just to get started. I have an older cabin with limited hardwiring for lights. My electrician ran conduit to add a large pendant light at the top of the stairs and hard wired a rocker switch on the wall at the top of the stairs taping into an outlet in that wall. I’d like to add a switch at the bottom of the stairs so the light can be turned on before walking up. I’m sure I want Lutron but I do not want to use a HUB, only via wifi APP control. What is the main switch (name/model) do I use for the hard wire? For the bottom of the stairs am I better off with an accessory switch if I have electrical and my electrician can add a switch at the bottom of the stairs or do I just mount a pico remote? I just want to confirm that either way the bottom switch will communicate with the top of the stairs hard wired switch to operate the lights… the only difference being the bottom of the stairs switch is hard wired vs not? We are unable to open up the walls to run electrical through the walls from top to bottom.
My second question is… Does Lutron make electrical outlets that communicate with the original Lutron hardwired switch? For example I have 10 sconce lights that I would like to mount on the walls throughout my cabin. They all have electrical cords that plug into an outlet. I would like to be able to turn those on via an app before a guest arrives. Is there a way to install several smart electrical outlets that would turn these sconces on and off that communicate with the first main Lutron switch or would they just work independently through the app via wifi?
I’m trying to understand what the purpose is or what function having multiple switches operating off one main hardwire switch serves?
I guess I am just confused on how it all works and I’m trying to learn as I go to make an informed decision. I do know that I do not want a hub… Any feed back welcome! Thank you in advance!
Can an accessory switch control multiple Caseta switches? So, if I instal this in a box that was previously a 3 way box that controlled one light, could I then use it to turn on multiple Caseta dimmers and smart switches from this switch? Basically interested in using it like a wired pico remote. I do have a smart hub,
For the packaging, squeeze it rotate and squeeze again, it’ll open right up
There is no need for running three-way cables in new construction thanks to Lutron!
except you still want to anyways, just incase someone down the line doesnt want lutron, lutron decides to say screw off (they do it all the time, just ask RADIO RA gen 1 owners and various lutron shade customers who need to replace a deprecated fabric).
Wouldn't having the Pico's screw you if there was an Internet outage? Or WiFi is down? If it cannot communicate you can't turn lights on or off unless it is from the one physically wired switch corect?
No, only if there is a power outage. The Lutron hub can work without internet or Wi-Fi.
Hi. I’m looking for a review about kasa switches HomeKit? Does anybody knows how those work?
Lutron switches have always had the ability to act as 3-ways without pico remotes… that’s what the blue wire is for that you always cap. Am I missing something?
Thank you for telling us you got the product for free. Did you send them back when you were finished?
Your opinions may be your own, but you are obviously trying to keep a good and positive relationship with Lutron. You are not in a position of true editorial independence.
Please keep up the good work but also keep it real.
…wasn’t even aware of the option.
Watched the entire video and still have no idea what this switch does. You're about as good as Amazon product descriptions.
Looks just a wired 3 way I guess
I also am trying to figure out how this is different diva + existing three way
You are also typical of Amazon reviewers. He literally explained the value of the thing in the first two minutes.
@@cafealpha82you get the dimming control which you won’t get with a standard 3 way
What I don’t see is how this is different from a Claro + existing 3 way beyond color matching. White for Leviton is not white for Lutron… discovered this recently
All that complication? Just to avoid the enormous workload of flipping a switch with one finger!
And the expense?
And the use of Apple products?
Strike three. No way, Jose.
I was so thankful for them after I had surgery and getting up and down was extremely painful. I also love turning lights on/off when I am not home (for my dog). Routines are very helpful too :)