I've got Z-Wave in my current home but am getting ready to outfit a cabin with dimmers and am trying to decide which way to go. My current Z-wave is pretty good but not perfect. I've got dimmers, switches, outlets, garage door openers, relays and door locks. I made some improvements getting rid of non-plus ZW devices but I still get delays and missfires. The new house is tiny so distance won't be an issue. My current ZWave setup usually fails when I'm trying to mess with all the devices at one time like on arrival or sleep. I figure if I can reduce the size of the mesh by removing lights from the equation, maybe the remaining ZWave devices will work better?
Lutron seems to have a reputation for rock solid reliability so my thinking for the new house is to go with Lutron for lights and Z-Wave for anything that Lutron can't do.
My dilemma with Caseta has always been the weird switches. I prefer a simple rocker. I finally decided to dip my toe in and picked up a Caseta system from Home Depot today. I quickly realized two things:
Caseta dimmers don't remember last dim setting
I forgot that I need the Smart Bridge Pro to work with hubitat
So those will go back to Home Depot and I have a Smart Bridge Pro on the way from Amazon.
The Caseta is more than ample for the 20-30 devices I'll use. But those dang Caseta switches I just can't get on board with especially the lack of dimmer setting memory. Realistically, I don't touch very many light switches anymore except for kitchens and bathrooms but it just bugs me that they would overlook such a basic feature. The RF sensors in RA2 are sort of interesting but not very.
So my questions:
Is it possible to use a Maestro dimmer with a Smart Bridge Pro? (I think the answer is no but double checking)
Are there any non-goofy, dimmer-memory dimmers available for Caseta?
Should I be waiting for RA3? And will there be a RA3 select?
How do I get into the super-secret, special, executives-only, airport lounge, exclusive, esteemed gentlemen only, $30 for a bottle of beer club for buying RA2? Everything I read about RA2 makes me think it really does exist but is one of those things that if you have to ask about it, it's not for you.
it's a real bummer about the goofy Caseta switches and dimmer memory. I also want to do shades which Serena would work fine but if I have to go to RA2 to get normal dimmers, then my shade budget probably just doubled.
All Caseta Dimmers, Switches, and Fan Controllers have the same appearance. They also match perfectly with the Pico Remotes.
I wouldn't wait, especially if you want Hubitat support quickly. RA3 will require Hubitat to rewrite their integration to no longer use Telnet. I believe "Leap" is Lutron's new API.
I have a house full of Caseta devices, along with Lutron's Claro Wall Plates. It really looks nice and clean once you commit to the Dark Side! My wife has never complained about how the switches look. We really don't touch them very often, as I use Zigbee Motion and Contact sensors to automate pretty much all of the lighting in the house.
thanks for the info! All that helps a bunch. OK, so you are going cross platform for lighting and sensors, that's good to know because that would probably be my plan if I went Caseta. Any noticeable delays having hubitat watch for motion via zigbee and send out a lighting command to the Caseta hub?
I actually don't mind the look of Caseta switches, it's just that dang dimmer memory. I run a lot of my lights at 50% because I use track lighting with multiple heads and 100% would be blinding. Or in bathrooms, I light with multiple recessed and same issue. Get up in the middle of the night to take a leak and BAM! 100% brightness from that Caseta dimmer.
What do you suppose would happen if I used a motion sensor to automate the bathroom lights to 25% dim when I first walk into the bathroom at night, then if I want more, I hit the physical on button for 100% that should work, right?
Yes, this is exactly how I have things set up, using Hubitat’s Motion Lighting app. It works great.
In general, Zigbee sensors are often quicker to respond vs Z-Wave sensors. I have a house full of old Lowes Iris v2 motion, contact, and leak sensors. I use old Iris v2 outlets as my Zigbee mesh network repeaters to establish a strong, robust mesh.
Using Hubitat to link the Zigbee and Lutron hardware together works great. Very fast response times.
thanks... in the long scheme of things, the price is not too bad. It's just such a small little button to hit especially if you're half asleep.
The pico remotes have that little button... can those be configured to set the dimmer they are paired to, to the previous or a specific level? If so, I could just mount one of those in a convenient place on the way to the bathroom.
You can set max level on when manually pressed (or double press for 100% on) That said, you can use pico's to control levels as well and your HE can arrange through a pico for last level on... And IMHO the Caseta line is gorgeous...
The 100% issue is a deal breaker for me too. My house is 95% RadioRA 2. A mix of Lutron and misc. Zigbee motion sensors. The Lutron sensors are large, but have the best coverage/sensitivity by a fair margin IMO. I wouldn't worry about waiting for RadioRA 3 if you want Maestro style dimmers.
You can get a RadioRA 2 quote from Paul Willemson from Hank's Electric . Most local electrical supply houses will sell to anyone too. Lutron is facing supply chain issues too, so be prepared for a wait. I had to wait about a month for an order in the fall of 2021.
If you want to save some money and stay away from Z-Wave there are a few Zigbee rocker style switches. Jasco, Sinope, and Leviton all have ones that work well enough. I know the Leviton dimmers are highly configurable, but I don't know about the other ones.
Ohhhhhh, ok max level set is good enough for me, that’s a deal maker. That should work just fine for my needs. Thanks for that info, I think it will be onwards for Caseta.
Yes. But pair these in their own room in Lutron, and do the favorite levels in Hubitat. You get a lot more options by bringing Pico into Hubitat than if you use them paired Lutron to Lutron.
You could also make a faux two-gang switch with Pico. Mount a Pico next to the normal Caseta switch, (they make a flush-mount kit for Pico, no holes in the wall or box needed) and put a two gang faceplate over both. You can use either the switch or Pico to turn on the lights, or use the Pico as a set of favorite buttons, or use the Pico for whatever other button press functions you can dream of.
ok, that advanced config guide has me wondering about the Pro dimmers. They are really expensive, do I really need the Pro dimmer if I'm controlling 3-6 LEDs around 10 watts each? I see the Pro dimmers are 1000 watts and have a neutral. I definitely don't need 1000 watts. Some people are saying the neutral performs better for LED dimming, is this true?
This will be for new construction so I have neutrals but I'd rather not spend the money on Pro if it's not needed.
One thing to be aware of is that non-neutral Lutron Caseta dimmers are not compatible with all ‘dimmable’ LED bulbs/fixtures. I have noticed that some brands/models of LED bulbs will have a slight audible “hum”, which I find a little annoying. So, you may need to find a brand/model of dimmable LED bulbs that suit your needs. Lutron has a compatible bulbs web site that may be helpful.
Thanks, guys - anecdotally, are the Caseta dimmers any more picky than a typical $40-50 ZWave dimmer? I’ll be controlling recessed lights from WACLighting but not in every single case, there are still a few unknowns. Just want to make sure I don’t buy all 15-20 Caseta dimmers and find out they buzz or flicker on some of my one-off lights. I’ll check the compatibility list. Thanks
interestingly enough, looking at the dimmer compatibility report for the WAC Lighting lights I'll be using, (Lotos) it mentions no issues for the standard Caseta PD-6WCL dimmer but it mentions flickering at 33% for the PD-5NE pro dimmer with neutral. Actually, I'm not positive the PD-5NE is a "pro" dimmer but it seems to be in the same family.
Guess I really need to nail down my lights first and do all the compatibility checks before ordering lights and switches. Oh, the things we do to ourselves to complicate our lives I miss incandescents.
I will say yes. I have some LED "canless" can lights (what an oxymoron). One set is on a Caseta, the other on Zwave Zooz22 dimmer. The Caseta ones buzz pretty bad. The Zwave are dead quiet.
Now these aren't expensive lights, nor are they any name brand lamp. So I sorta expected some noise. And they are in a hallway where it doesn't matter too much. But I wouldn't want that in my bedroom or living room where I had to sit directly under that noise.
I would say even if they are on the compatibility list, you might have to try and see what happens.
Edit just to say: I haven't seen this on every brand or type of lamp with Caseta, just these. I love my Caseta, this is just an anecdote that some lights make noise on some dimmers.
My wife has never complained about how the switches look. We really don't touch them very often, as I use Zigbee Motion and Contact sensors to automate pretty much all of the lighting in the house.
I miss incandescents.
