Upgrading Switches - Caseta OR Not?

They dim up slowly doing it this way. This is how I do it when turning lights on at night.

I haven't had any regrets swapping all my GEs out for Caseta. The look, feel, and function is way more refined.

My experience so far. I've had a lot of different brands of bulbs/switches. I just recently got into the Lutron stuff. So far I'm really happy. Function has been 100%. I only used the non neutral switches for 2 locations where I didn't have a neutral. Otherwise I used the neutral ones. Both have been fine with all my existing bulbs. Because the integration with Hubitat is network based I find these switches operate much faster in my house than zwave. YMMV. But in the future when I need a new switch or need to replace a switch..it will be the lutrons.

TIP: Check Lowe's periodically. They sometimes have the switches and dimmers for $40 a pop. I have a few spares here because of that. I haven't found the switches that don't require a neutral for less than $70 lately though.

Just reading the title, Lutron.

Thanks for all the replies and feedback. I really like the look and feel of Lutron over the GE's and if I need to start replacing switches it might as well be with caseta. Yes there a lot more money but its definitely worth it. I only have a couple locations where I feel the PD-6WCL will work just fine. For the rest of the locations im just going to bite the bullet and get the PD-5NE since I have the neutrals. Im able to get them for $106 CAD each from my electrical supplier, its basically there cost on them.

Im also wondering how quick they turn on via Alexa? Pretty much the same as z-wave? Is the stock Alexa to Lutron integration clunky at all? Are you able to simply say, Alexa turn on the kitchen lights?

with regards to Alexa, I let Lutron handle the Alexa communication through the Lutron Alexa Skill. and yes, it's a simple as saying Alexa turn on the kitchen lights or Alexa, dim the kitchen lights to 50 percent. It's fast and simple.

While I do like Lutron I have 40+ dimmers/switches all with neutrals I could not imagine spending 4k on just switches.

If you're not in a hurry(release date ~6/28/19) to get things swapped out, check out Inovelli's new no-neutral z-wave+ switches. It offers another option at a fantastic price point($30.00), and functionality seldom found at this price. There's even a $25.00 dimmer option w/o notifications & scenes.

https://inovelli.com/shop/smart-light-switches/pre-order-z-wave-dimmer-switch-no-neutral-required-scenes-notifications/

I recently went through this debate myself, and you can see some of the discussion when I asked similar questions here: Lessons learned - what would you do differently if you were to start from scratch?

I did go with Lutron, and I'm happier with it so far than I ever was with Zwave/zigbee switches/lights because they respond instantly and are more reliable. Beyond the switches, I've found the pico remotes to add a lot of value that I wasn't expecting. My only complaint is that when using a pico remote to control an automation (e.g. through rule machine) which controls a Caseta dimmer or switch, there's a few second delay. This delay doesn't exist when the pico is paired wish the switch directly as described by ogiewon, or when the lutron switch is controlled by some other means (e.g. contact sensor -> rule machine). There's also no delay for pico controlling something else, like a zigbee dimmer.

Subjectively, the Caseta dimmers and switches aren't the nicest to look at. I've also found that they can be a tight fit in the shallow metal electrical boxes that are original to my 1964 house. Overall, I'm very happy with them -- especially so with the Pico remotes, they've provided a lot of flexibility and have allowed me to do things that would otherwise not be possible without rewiring switches or outlets.

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I ran into the same issue in my 1969 house. I wound up going with these on a couple of switches. They work perfect and look good.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Leviton-Shallow-Wall-Box-Extender-for-GFCI-White-6197-W/301348986

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@raidflex
Holy that's a lot of dimmers, I'll have less than half that in total. Some of those will be the cheaper dimmers for incandescent loads and on/off switches.

@Rxich
I took a look at the new versions awhile back and they do look nice. The feature set is pretty impressive too. I have neutrals so I'd rather use the proper switches imo. Also the date keeps getting pushed back and I question the quality and led compatibility for the price.

I installed a couple of the neutal dimmers and they look and work great. I've always had a buzzing from my ge switches and my feit bulbs. Now with evl+ dimmers it's dead silent, I also find the dimming smoother and they can dim lower as well. It's a lot more money but I'm happy.

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Yeah my entire house has the Leviton's and they add up quick. I have bathrooms that have 3 switches for recessed, shower and vanity, so that's 6 just between two baths.

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I was super close to buying Caseta switches for the parts of my house that aren't on the LiteTouch system. I have 48 loads on the LiteTouch system, and another 24 loads that are regular switches/dimmers. However, I'm concerned about the lack of neutrals in the Caseta dimmers. I replaced 135 light fixtures with LED's, and most are can light retrofits which were not cheap. If I get buzzing, there's no way I'm going to replace these lights with something else.

I have a neutral in every switch box, so that's not an issue. Do the Radio RA2 dimmers work with the Caseta Pro hub? If so, then I could get a dimmer w/ a neutral to reduce the chance of buzzing or power leakage making the bulb glow dimly or flicker when off.

I can almost guarantee you you will get buzzing using the low-cost, no-neutral Caseta dimmer switches.

No, the Radio RA2 dimmer will not work with the Lutron Caseta SmartBridge Pro. However, fret not! There is another Caseta Dimmer that is designed for these types of electrical loads, and does require a netural.

Here it is...

https://www.amazon.com/Lutron-Wireless-Lighting-PD-5NE-BL-Assistant/dp/B01M22SK1W/ref=asc_df_B01M22SK1W/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=216539147262&hvpos=1o3&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16719224467615294089&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=21164&hvtargid=pla-350936689803&psc=1

Can be found cheaper at EnergyAvenue.com.

https://www.energyavenue.com/Lutron/PD-5NE-WH

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Yikes, that's like double the price of the non-neutral version. But, hopefully I only have to do it once. :slight_smile:
I feel like the Zwave switches are not something that will be trouble free for 20 years. :slight_smile:

I've never had buzzing with my no-neutral caseta dimmers, ever.

Then you are either extremely lucky, are not using LED bulbs, or have a hearing issue :wink:

I have tried a variety of dimmable LED bulbs, including those on Lutron’s recommended list, and they all buzz to some degree. Replacing the bulbs with incandescent bulbs makes them completely silent.

What brand dimmable LED bulbs are you using that are completely buzz free? I would love to find a brand of A19 bulbs that are quiet. The Philips dimmable dumb LED’s are tolerably quiet compared to others, but not as silent as an incandescent. Other brands were intolerable and were quickly returned.

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I'm using Edison LED's and have no hearing issues at all.

I'm using these:

No flicker, no buzz, smooth dimming and they look great.

I have 8 of them in a fixture in my kitchen and 4 more of them in the fixture above my dining room table.

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Thanks - I'll have to give those a try.

If you are willing to spend the money on the PD-5NE then I would recommend going to the full RadioRA 2 system. If you find a good dealer the most-used RRD-6ND dimmer can be in that same price range.

RadioRA 2 is better aesthetically IMO - the same Maestro style as Lutron's non-smart dimmers, so they can blend in with non-smart switches. They're easier to use - they are single push button toggles with a level bar on the side. They perform better - they have more programmable settings, especially the "on" level (full, not Select).

And I would recommend the full RadioRA 2 system, not Select. For the price of a couple dimmers and a few hours of online training you get access to add keypads to the system, more settings, and better programming software (Windows only).