I hate D-cell batteries. I believe they are a scam.
They're so big, and they can be filled OR NOT FILLED with electrolyte. There's way too much opportunity for scams. The manufacturer can put half the electrolyte in them and fill them with lead weight to make them feel like they're real D-cell batteries. But half the batteries you find are super light. They DON'T have the full capacity expected from D-cell batteries of days gone by.
The Caseta brand is top-notch. I have many Caseta light switches throughout my home, and they are great. I even have one for an outdoor porch fan.
And here's one sweet bonus with Caseta: You no longer have to mess with 3-way switches. I was able to wire a 3-way switch closed at one end and replace the switch with a battery-powered switch. At the other end, I have the standard Caseta switch (on and off) and at the modified end, it's just an on-off caseta remote that has been installed in that electrical box, with the tied-off wires tucked into the box behind the remote. Once you install the remote and the lightswitch cover plate, it looks and acts just like any other lightswitch in the house. It's going on 2 years now, it gets used dozens of times each day, and the CR 2032 battery has not yet needed to be replaced.
Another cool thing about these Caseta remotes is that you can install one ANYWHERE you would like another light switch. You don't even need to cut a hole in the wall or install a box. Just screw the remote's mounting frame directly into the drywall, then screw a light-switch surround plate into it, pair the remote to the main switch, and boom; now you have a switch WHERE YOU NEED IT and you don't have to walk halfway through the house just to turn on some lights in the dining area.
The only caution I would offer is that if you're installing a "fake switch", you want it to look just like the real switches in your house. So be sure to measure the correct height off the floor (so the fake switch is level with all the other switches in the house), and measure too from the edge of the door jamb or corner of the wall, so that it's not too close to the edge of the room. Match your plates to whatever else you have in the room, and even YOU will forget that the switch isn't real!
Wonderful devices. Expensive as hell, but worth every penny, and always cheaper than having an electrician run new wire through the attic or under the house.
Highly recommended. I look forward to seeing what Caseta has planned for horizontal or vertical blinds. For those, I'd be willing to run electricity through the walls. The brand is THAT GOOD.
