CES 2021: Lutron Debuts New Outdoor Smart Plug for Caséta Lighting System

[Le Big Mac]

Seems like the holiday season would have been the time to launch this, but hey.

Really . . . I went out and bought a few (much cheaper) things like this with a remote in November.

 

[Kabeyun]

I don't know what Leviton does, but this is absolutely not true for Hue. Hue uses Zigbee (Zigbee Light Link initially, Zigbee 3.0 compatible now), and the Hue Bridge has only an Ethernet connection, so there is no Wi-Fi necessarily involved at all (and in a Light Link network, the bulbs and accessories will mostly keep functioning on their own without a Bridge, which isn't really a "hub" in that sense). Zigbee is designed to be a mesh network, so mains-powered devices acts as "repeaters" (routers in Zigbee terms) for all devices to find a path they need to other devices on the network, often the Bridge to a bulb or accessory. The latest generation also supports Bluetooth, but that's really for people who just want to use the app to control a few bulbs; you'll need the Bridge (and Zigbee) for the full feature set, which is what I'm talking about here--though it should be noted that this other option is still BT and not Wi-Fi.

This is actually one advantage Hue has over Lutron's ClearConnect protocol, which is not mesh: arbitrarily large range. Lutron lets you add up to two "extenders," but that is a fairly new feature. For more range, you'll need a "full" RA2 system where you can add more RA2 Main Repeaters or Auxiliary Repeaters. That being said, ClearConnect does have lots of advantages: not being mesh means you never have to worry about some routing oddities that occasionally plague Zigbee (but usually not with simple networks like Hue/ZLL); they use a low-frequency less-crowded bandwidth; and their products have a well-deserved solid reputation (though I'd say Hue does too).

What you mentioned, however, is one reason I wouldn't fill my house with devices like LIFX or Shelly--or even lots of HomeKit-compatible plugs I see here from time to time. Nothing against Wi-Fi itself (I do have several Wi-Fi "smart" devices), just probably not the best protocol for large numbers of these things.

You’re correct that Hue is not Wi-Fi-based (correction addended). Otherwise we’re essentially saying the same thing. If you want your best chance at a trouble free installation, favor an RF hub over MESH, and certainly avoid Wi-Fi at every device. Lutron actually has an interesting whitepaper on the history of how they landed on their network spectrum & design. As to range, the RA2 bridge covers 5000sf (even the Caséta’s 2500sf) and can now include up to 100 devices, which is plenty for most. And this is without wireless extenders which are seamless.

 

[Botts85]

As with all Caseta products, this thing is about 4 times more than the market price for similar devices. There are a wide assortment of smart outdoor plugs out there already that don't require a Caseta bridge, have two plugs for two separate devices, and run you about $20.

I’d argue it’s worth it though.

I bought some TP Link switches for a quarter the cost on Black Friday and NY sales. After installing them and using them for a bit, never buying them again.

First, for switches, they require a neutral. Second, they aren’t as consistent. Third, they have an audible and annoying click when they turn on or off.

They also fail and Flickr if torqued into a box with more than 20 lb-in of torque. That’s somewhat alarming and occasionally makes them hard to get flush with the drywall.

 

[Rychiar]

I've been largely happy with my dual-socket iDevices outdoor outlet that costs less and requires no bridge. Unfortunately, although the iDevices unit has two outlets, I was foolish to assume they could be controlled independently. They cannot.

But while I'm at it, I don't hear mention of Sylvania smart products here or other forums (e.g., Cnet). I've had very good success with Sylvania indoor outlets and bulbs and have several working daily throughout the house. The lack of mentions may be due to limited distribution, as I only see them at Menard's.

I just sold all my sylvania stuff. It’s all Bluetooth only and have some a lot of problem with slowness and not connecting. Replaced it all with nanoleaf essentials thread stuff

 

[name99]

Really . . . I went out and bought a few (much cheaper) things like this with a remote in November.

The (pre-smart) options, basically just a remote on-off switch are a reasonable solution for SOME purposes.
They don't give you the value of smart (eg automation, scheduling, voice control) and the radio protocol when I tried this seems slightly shorter range than what I could do with WiFi (enough so that they were not fit for the job I had in mind).

 

[name99]

You’re correct that Hue is not Wi-Fi-based (correction addended). Otherwise we’re essentially saying the same thing. If you want your best chance at a trouble free installation, favor an RF hub over MESH, and certainly avoid Wi-Fi at every device. Lutron actually has an interesting whitepaper on the history of how they landed on their network spectrum & design. As to range, the RA2 bridge covers 5000sf (even the Caséta’s 2500sf) and can now include up to 100 devices, which is plenty for most. And this is without wireless extenders which are seamless.

This doesn't answer the question of how much buy-in to the "system" do I need?
Presumably i have to buy a hub box, but do I have to go through the whole "deal only with an authorized service rep who will insist on doing the installation" nonsense that seems to be part of (all of?) Lutron/Serena's business model?

 

[Kabeyun]

This doesn't answer the question of how much buy-in to the "system" do I need?
Presumably i have to buy a hub box, but do I have to go through the whole "deal only with an authorized service rep who will insist on doing the installation" nonsense that seems to be part of (all of?) Lutron/Serena's business model?

Not sure exactly what you mean. The way I did it, I did a deep dive into the devices and figured out which devices I’d need, then I found a local Lutron dealer who gave me a great bundle price for the devices I specified. Lutron does have a huge catalog, and the switches can be confusing to figure out. They have great phone support, btw. make sure you know what kind of loads the switches will control (eg incandescents vs LEDs, and if LEDs make sure they’re not junk and are dimmer-rated if needed). I had my electrician install the switches because my house has a number of multiply-switched circuits, including 4-ways and even a 5-way, and I wasn’t about to screw anything up. After that, it was simplicity itself to register the devices using the Lutron app, and set up my scenes using the Home app.

My only direct dealings with Lutron were by phone for answers to a few product questions, which was excellent, and through a dealer, whose experience was a valuable resource.

 

[name99]

OK, that's what I meant. Dealing with Lutron is a substantial commitment to redo your house, it's not a "let's buy one item from Amazon and try it out".

That's fine, works for some people. But I prefer the one item at a time model for constantly upgrading my house.

 

[Kabeyun]

OK, that's what I meant. Dealing with Lutron is a substantial commitment to redo your house, it's not a "let's buy one item from Amazon and try it out".

That's fine, works for some people. But I prefer the one item at a time model for constantly upgrading my house.

I went whole hog with an RA2 Select system. You certainly don’t have to go that far or all at once. For $100 you can get a starter Caséta kit with the bridge (you’ll plug it into your router’s WAN ethernet port) and two switches. Nothing and no one else needed. Additional wall switches are around 50 bucks and you can expand as you wish.

 

[notabadname]

For HOMEKIT?
The only other option I know of is the Meross Outdoor plug, which which I have had very bad experiences and would not recommend.

The model you talk about, for example, does not support Homekit. Nor is it outdoor rated. So unclear exactly how you think it is a comparable product.

You are correct on the brand, my apology. Mine is actually the Meross - the dual plug, looked the same and copied the wrong link. But mine has worked fine And I have had WeMo outdoor that has worked fine for 2 years. Still, to my point, Lutron is late to the party.

 

[Le Big Mac]

The (pre-smart) options, basically just a remote on-off switch are a reasonable solution for SOME purposes.
They don't give you the value of smart (eg automation, scheduling, voice control) and the radio protocol when I tried this seems slightly shorter range than what I could do with WiFi (enough so that they were not fit for the job I had in mind).

True - And for turning the tree lights on and off it's just fine. When we added outdoor lights with two more remotes things started to get a bit more tiresome. Though for 6 weeks I can live with it.

 

[Le Big Mac]

This doesn't answer the question of how much buy-in to the "system" do I need?
Presumably i have to buy a hub box, but do I have to go through the whole "deal only with an authorized service rep who will insist on doing the installation" nonsense that seems to be part of (all of?) Lutron/Serena's business model?

You can buy Caseta switches at Home Depot and plenty of other places, and while the install is a bit more than a regular light switch, it's nothing someone comfortable with wiring their own switches can't do.

I ordered window blinds direct from Lutron and installed them myself. Again - you could hire someone to do it, but the challenge isn't the Lutron/Caseta set up but rather making sure you've got the screws in the right place and so on. Not too different from manual blinds.

And while you didn't ask - automatic blinds are the shiznit!

 

[name99]

You can buy Caseta switches at Home Depot and plenty of other places, and while the install is a bit more than a regular light switch, it's nothing someone comfortable with wiring their own switches can't do.

I ordered window blinds direct from Lutron and installed them myself. Again - you could hire someone to do it, but the challenge isn't the Lutron/Caseta set up but rather making sure you've got the screws in the right place and so on. Not too different from manual blinds.

And while you didn't ask - automatic blinds are the shiznit!

Oh, auto-blinds are freaking awesome! The great unsung heroes of home IoT!!!
I have both the MySmartBlinds venetians and the Ikea roller blinds on various different windows. Both perform adequately, both have to be bridged via HomeBridge (one more thing to go wrong), both randomly fail to honor an automation maybe 5% of the time. Is the radio to blame (ie would Serena do better)? Well it's hard to be sure given how generally flaky HomeKit is that it isn't HomeKit bugs (or, though less likely, HomeBridge bugs).

Interesting to see that Lutron/Caseta don't DEMAND dealer interaction -- they should make this more well known. Maybe I'll pick up an item from them and get a feel for whether they're enough more reliable to be worth the added cost.

 

[Le Big Mac]

My experience with the blinds (1 year+) is that they're about 99.5% reliable. Probably about 10 times one of them hasn't closed when the others do (I automatically close about 10 on a daily schedule). May have been batteries in some cases. They closed after I hit open and close for the shade (the shade/controller clearly thought it was closed).