Lutron Caseta Original Smart Dimmer Switch Kit w/ Hub, with Pico Remote, Wallmount Bracket, & Smart Hub, Works with Alexa, Apple Home, Google Home, 3 Way, 150W, No Neutral Req, P-BDG-PKG1W-A

We were renovating our home office in our attic and as part of it had to update our electrical. I researched tons of smart home products, and decided against anything that required special bulbs (Hue) and anything that wasn't Homekit compatible. Why Homekit? Because the data isn't stored on the cloud, isn't sold, and must be encrypted per Apple standards. Using the Homekit app on our phone is a nice perk, but 99% of the time we use the Lutron app.The switches once installed and linked to the hub are incredibly easy to use as just normal dimmers with decent sized buttons so even grandma is happy. Setting preset dim levels is easy too, so most of the time it's a single touch on, single touch off - already better than 99% of non-smart dimmer switches out there. Pricey - yes - but you get what you pay for. We bought this starter set to get the hub, and then separate switches. My electrician used standard GFI wall plates, and the Lutrons require about the same installation space as a traditional dimmer switch - not overly deep, no special install.The hub is easy - we have it downstairs with our router and it feeds all of the switches in the house plus anything else we want (I'm considering the compatible shades for some of the rooms with a lot of sunlight). It's quite small - a single Ethernet cable to the back of our router, and a small plug into the outlet. I have a dumb email account I never use as our Lutron account - just as I do for our TV and 99% of other smart products (there are even sites that give you a 10 minute email account that is purged afterward - for free).The glitch - some of the "open box" orders I placed to Amazon were incomplete. Some had defective switches with corroded wires. Because this was part of a renovation, I didn't find these problems until after the 30 day return window, so I had to call Lutron's support, and they arranged replacements under the 5 year warranty. Also some switches worked, but despite system resets and Lutron's excellent technical support (call as a "pro"), they could not connect to the hub despite sitting next to other working switches.The app is very good. Setup via the app is easy. There's one kill switch at the top of the app screen that will turn off all Lutron-connected devices in that room at once - very handy when my kids leave lights on. Once the switch is connected to the app, it's automatically in Homekit. If you are using low-voltage lights (many spot lights are ELV), Lutron makes a special ELV dimmer that you have to use if the lights are in total < 10w. We don't use the remote since it is connected to only one switch and we have many - but I'm adding Lutron Casetas to other rooms that need a three-pole (two light switch) connection - so you use a standard Caseta and the Pico remote with a wall mount (comes with) and a magnetic cover (extra). Super-easy.I waited 4 months to post this review to see how the system would respond to wifi outages, power outages, lightning storms, etc. and it's been fine. When wifi is out, the switches work as normal dimmers. When it comes back on, nothing needs to be reset (which is more than I can say for other systems I've tried like Wemo).Lutron Casetas are expensive, reliable, relatively easy (watch the open boxes and ELV fixtures), and the LIVE tech support is very helpful. Each switch contains info and diagrams for installation and connecting to the hub. I wish they carried more Pro products because these are excellent.

In 2020 I lived in an older house with no neutral wires. I wanted to upgraded the lights in the living room and kitchen to smart lights, but most of the available options were expensive smart bulbs or systems that only work with neutral wires. Like everything else I purchase, I do TONS of research first. I eventually found this system and it matched my needs exactly. I purchased this kit plus a single additional dimmer to use in a 3-way switch setup. It was very easy to install, even for the 3-way switch. The included plate covers hide the screw holes giving it a more modern and clean look. It even comes with a remote. After installing the hub and switches I downloaded and installed the free mobile app. With the app you have complete control of every switch individually, thanks to the tiny hub that ties them all together using its own wireless network. The hub plugs into your wireless router so you can control your switches from anywhere over the internet. You can also create scenes and schedules to control them separately or together in groups for different scenarios. For example, sometimes I wanted to turn off the kitchen and living rooms at the same time with a single action, or turn on/off the kitchen without affecting the living room. That same year we were gifted a Google home mini. After getting that setup I was able to easily integrate the Lutron system with it. I could now says "Hey Google, turn off all lights", or "set living room lights to 30 percent". It really was a game changer not having to jump up and run across the room just to adjust the lighting. It may sound like the next step in laziness, but I saw it as the next step in productivity, as I work from home and having to stop working for a simply task was a distraction I was happy to no longer be burdened with. Other times you just want to raise the lights to find something or to clean up a spill quickly or turn the lights off for a quick nap without having to move at all.We moved into a newer home in early 2022. After my previous experience with the Lutron products I installed the existing system in the new home and expanded it, making nearly all of the switches smart Lutron switches. I even have smart outlets outside over 100 feet away from the hub to turn on and off exterior lighting as the sun rises and sets. Adding new switches and outlets is a breeze. You just install them, select them in the mobile app and push a button to pair them to the hub.I have seen a lot of newcomers to the smart switch arena in the past three years, but most still have the same limitations as in the past, such the the neutral wire requirement. Even my newer home has some switches that lack neutral wires, so Lutron is still the best option. Lutron does of course also offer many switches that do work with neutral wires, such as where you only want on/off switching without the need to dim. For those switches you do wish to use as a dimmer, make sure the bulbs you use are compatible. Incandescent as dimmable. Most newer LED bulbs are NOT dimmable, so be sure to read the box to make sure they will work with your switch.This has been a solid and outstanding system with zero issues that I have used to run my homes for the past three years. Anyone with light switches will love this system as much as I have.