Lutron is a company that has been built and developed around manufacturing, designing, and selling products ranging from dimmers to smart light systems.
Lutron smart lighting is commonly used in many smart homes around the world, and that trend doesn’t seem to slow down anytime soon. Lutron’s products have helped create comfortable and even safer homes for homeowners who have migrated to smart homes.
Four lighting ranges are commonly used among Lutron products, and they include;
Lutron Caseta Wireless
This is a wireless mini-system commonly used when you need individual control in one room, a smaller home, or even a condominium. Since it’s a wireless system, it is a bit easier to fit into existing homes without rewiring the home all over again.
Smart Home Coverage
Caseta Wireless has coverage of up to 2,500 square feet of space when using a 75 device system limit. However, you can expand this coverage by about 2,500 square feet more by adding a repeater or a range extender (usually one per system.
System Capacities
- One Lutron caseta bridge or Lutron caseta brigde pro
- One range extender
Specifications
- You can include up to 75 devices, including the bridge to the system.
- A Lutron caseta wireless system can cover up to 2500 square feet when a bridge is used.
- The system covers about 30 feet from the Bridge to the smart devices.
- The system covers about 30 feet from the Range Extender to the devices.
Lutron RA2 Select
This is wireless system is fit for applications and new construction in the path towards creating an effective smart home.
Smart Home Coverage
This system can cover up to 5,000 square feet worth of space and a 100 device limit attached.
System Capacities
- One main Lutron repeater.
- Four wireless Lutron repeaters.
Specifications
- 100 devices, including repeaters.
- 2,500 square feet worth of coverage.
- 30 feet from a non-repeater to a repeater.
- 60 feet from one repeater to another.
Lutron RA2
Within the Lutron smart lighting family, Lutron RA2 is the only wireless system fit enough to accommodate new large construction and retrofit applications.
Smart Home Coverage
It can cover up to 7,500 square feet worth of space with 200 devices attached.
System capabilities
- Two main repeaters.
- Eight auxiliary repeaters.
Specifications
- 100 devices per link.
- 2,500 feet coverage per repeater.
- 30 feet from non-repeater to repeater.
- 60 feet from repeater to repeater.
Lutron Homeworks
This system has a radio frequency and wired system communication for new and retrofit applications and can cover up to 50,000 square feet worth of space with control of 10,000 zones.
It’s important to note that Homeworks supports EcoSystem wired digital features and Ketra Wireless digital fixtures. This means that many fixtures can be controlled together without the need to rewire.
Lutron Smart Thermostats
When connected to Honeywell HVAC technology thermostats, Lutron smart homes enable users to adjust the temperature in their homes remotely. This means that they do not need to be at home to tune the thermostat; they can do it from the Lutron app on their mobile phones.
When you download the Lutron app, you’ll have the system making adjustments for you. For example, this wireless mini-system can automatically lower the HVAC temperatures during the winter and turn them up during the summer.
This reduces the enormous stress on your HVAC system and helps you make some substantial energy savings.
Some of the thermostats that work well with Lutron-powered smart homes include;
- As mentioned Honeywell Wi-Fi thermostats are a great addition to your Lutron-enabled smart home.
- Lutron Wireless Thermostats, powered by Honeywell®.
- Ecobee Wi-Fi thermostats.
Lutron Window Dressings
Although smart lights are necessary to any smart home, sometimes you want that natural sunlight to hit your living room. By using Lutron’s shades and Venetian blinds, you get to automate your home even further.
The shades and Venetian blinds also can either be plugged in, or the owner can opt for D-Cell batteries.
As with other Lutron smart devices, mobile apps and smart speaker control functionality are supported.
If you do not prefer controlling Lutron window dressings via a phone or voice instruction, you can always get the Pico remote which serves the same purpose. Installing the Lutron blinds and shades is also very simple, on average, it can take you an hour or two to set up these blinds and have them functioning.
Lutron Occupancy Sensors
Most of the time, you might end up forgetting to dim or turn off the lights in all or some rooms of your home, and it could cost you money as a result.
However, with occupancy and vacancy sensors, you do not need to worry about that because these sensors are effective enough to detect a vacant or unoccupied space in your house.
In doing so, these occupancy sensors turn off or dim the lights for you and help save energy.
These sensors can also turn on smart lights whenever they detect people’s presence in the house.
Lutron provides its smart home users with various flavors of occupancy sensors:
- 0-10V Occupancy/Vacancy Dimmer Sensor
- C.L Occupancy/Vacancy Dimmer Sensor
- Dual Technology Occupancy/Vacancy Sensor switch
- Passive Occupancy/Vacancy Sensor switch
- Dual Technology Occupancy/Vacancy Dual-circuit switch
- Passive Infrared Occupancy/Vacancy Dual-circuit switch
Lutron Audio Control
In a Lutron smart home, audio control is often performed in tandem with Sonos music systems.
You can pause, play, skip and adjust the volume of your Sonos speakers without the Sonos app.
After you’ve set scene-based lighting and your music preferences, you’ll be able to set up music that your family enjoys with Sonos remote integration capabilities within Lutron.
You can connect your wireless Lutron smart home system to Sonos by following the following guidelines;
- Plug the smart bridge and have it connected to the router.
- Download the Lutron app on your smartphone and follow its direction.
- Set up your Sonos speaker with the Lutron app.
- Open your Lutron app, add your Sonos devices and then pair it together with your Pico® audio remote.
Integration With Voice Assistants
If you need a home digital voice assistant for your new Lutron system, Alexa, Siri and Google Assistant are clear choices. This means you do not need to use mobile apps anymore; you can ask Google Assistant, Siri or Alexa to dim or turn off the lights.
For Alexa, all you need to do is navigate the Alexa app and connect it to your Wi-Fi. After that you can enable the ‘Lutron Caseta’ skill within the app, then discover all the Lutron smart devices you’ll be giving voice commands to.
For Google Assistant, Lutron Google home can be achieved by searching for Lutron smart devices and then linking that account with your Google Account.
Apple Siri functionality is enabled via the HomeKit environment resident on any iOS device.
App Control of a Lutron Smart Home
The Lutron app is available for Android and iOS users. Once you download the app, you do not need to do it again, as your information is stored in the cloud.
Conclusion
By using software such as IFTTT, you can incorporate the Lutron smart home devices into SmartThings without a bridge. The same goes for integrating Lutron with Apple Homekit. Lutron Caseta is one of the most versatile means of moving into a smart home.
If you are still feeling a little muddled up and looking for some help, then check out my Smart Home in 8 Weeks course designed to take you from zero to a fully integrated smart home!