Eventually a bridge deal comes up on eBay. It is worth it. As mentioned, the basic Picos are just $15 per remote, sometimes less. I got the kit with the Claro wall plate, the cool Lutron wall adapter the let’s you mount it flat on a wall to look like there’s a box there, or over an existing box, and a 5 button Pico for just $15 CAD ($12 USD) on an Amazon special recently. Before that I got the same kit on an Amazon warehouse deal for just $20 CAD. It had never been opened! I even got a black 5 button Pico on a warehouse deal for just $25 CAD. Normally they are $70 CAD. Again, it was brand new, never opened.
You do realize that the Pico alone have up to 10 capable buttons per remote right? You can also do combos within the same remote of hold for a second function on some buttons and smooth dimming on the others. Can’t do that with Zigbee remotes. Plus you won’t have to change the batteries for 10 years!
Anyway, you make your own choice of course, but nobody that ever invested in the bridge for Hubitat has come back on here and had anything but good things to say about their decision.
Yup. Except the 5 button remotes with the "audio" etching/silk-screening. Those are crazy expensive. So I just use regular Picos to control Sonos audio. No WAF to worry about, and my cats don't care .....
Yep. Believe me, that’s a warehouse deal I search for all the time. Even though I don’t really need it
Oddly though, the black and white audio picos are both priced at $50 CAD on Amazon.ca, and as you know it’s the same thing as a regular Pico with different etching.
Nice, or maybe unopened like I got with the black Pico. That was a nice surprise. I've bought many items on a warehouse deal that came factory sealed. No clue why they were warehouse deals.
I bought some on Amazon, some through Energy Avenue, and a bunch via ebay when I could find a good deal on new ones. Many times I bought the Dimmer + Pico + Claro Wall Plate combo for a good deal versus buying those pieces separately.
You'll pay a slight premium for Caseta over Z-Wave switches...but I feel it was worth it and I have no complaints or regrets.
I think they (Lutron) have had a price increase fairly recently (sometime this winter).
I was getting a package (Part Number P-PKG1W-WH) that included one Lutron Caseta in-wall dimmer (white), one Lutron Pico remote (white), and a Claro single gang screwless wall plate for $47.00 from Energy Avenue (it looks like that package is $65.00 now). That's what I got for most of the house. So I got a Pico with every dimmer. I still have a few left over but I put most of them to use.
This all started when looking for “lots” of home automation stuff on ebay I found a 5 lot of pico dimmers fot 50 bucks. Thinking its a good deal but they are only 2 button. Stil a deal?
Comparing response and reliability of Lutron with Z-Wave or anything else really and you won't regret the cost difference. The savings in frustration is well worth it!
You guys are a bad influence
Just bought a bridge 2 pro on ebay for 50 bucks. They wanted 75... didnt really think id get it for 50....wrong! Guess i’ll order those picos tonight so i have something to play with once the hub arrives.
Is there a AA for Home Auto enthusiasts?
When I lived in Chicago, I was a couple blocks away from a bar called Tuman's AAC. Pre-gentrification, they had kegs for bar stools, and Guinness for a buck. The AAC stood for Alcohol Abuse Center.
Given the number of my new purchases, I fear the Hubitat community forums are as much a support group to HA enthusiasts, as Tuman's AAC was to alkies.
I even got a black 5 button Pico on a warehouse deal for just $25 CAD. Normally they are $70 CAD. Again, it was brand new, never opened.
