Lutron Diva vs Caseta - What's the difference between these smart dimmers?

Lutron has made a major change first big upgrade in many years finally Lutron is bringing the stylish Diva wall dimmer and switch design to the cassetta family is this changed just about a new look or is there more stick around and I'll give you all the details to understand what's new what's changed and what it means [Music] whether you already own or have been considering Lutron caseta or other smart bulb or smart dimmer Lighting systems or maybe just starting to think about automated light a little history first Lutron caseta is a very popular smart home lighting control system it's been around since 2014. Amazon Echo Google home Samsung SmartThings and even Apple homekit didn't even exist back then home Lighting systems were complicated expensive and Out Of Reach for most consumers with affordable devices for in-wall plug-in and tabletop use that can be installed in new construction remodels and most importantly do-it-yourself retrofits it's become widely used candidly there are two complaints about Lutron cassetta it's too expensive and it's fugly at 69.95 for the new Diva dimmer it may not be a slam dunk choice but it is important to keep in mind that the existing cassetta dimmer although available typically now for around 58 dollars was priced at 72 dollars when first sold in my opinion pricing is reasonable we all want everything to be dirt cheap but just because there are other smart dimmer choices from thirty dollars to fifty dollars and Amazon has their own brand of basic Wi-Fi dimmer for around 20 bucks doesn't mean everything else should sell for the same or less I'll let you in on a professional Secret In traditional home automation systems smart dimmers often cost a hundred dollars two hundred dollars or even three hundred dollars each and that's before installation labor and programming charges are added so price and value is truly relative and not absolute loot trying to solve the second complaint how it looks many find the existing cassette of physically Oddball or downright ugly and I'm one of those the new cassetta Diva style is a beautiful aesthetic not just compared to the strangely designed old cassetta but holds its own and exceeds the look of many of the cheap knockoffs currently in the market lutron's product lines include the new and improved cassetta the radio raw 2 select radio raw 2 and the new radio Roth 3 Wireless Systems plus the luxury homeworks Qs family in the residential Market Lutron also has a large family of traditional or what I like to call dumb lighting dimmers and switches these devices span the range of physical controls from paddle style to traditional toggle and utilitarian sliders Lutron dumb dimmers and switches come in many different looks or Styles too product lines include Skylark Lumia Maestro Diva Sonata rotary ariadne and Dahlia I bet you haven't heard of most of these don't be upset I read about most of these model lines for the first time too as I was researching for this video all of these Lutron systems have a place in their lineup but they are not interchangeable nor fully compatible with one another explaining the specifics of each of these product lines smart and dumb would candidly be a much longer video if you would like me to do that let me know in the comments below with so many variations and looks and functions Lutron doesn't offer every visual style in every dumb or smart product line the new look for cassettic dimmers is the Diva style brought over from the regular basic or dumb dimmer line but wait there's more the modern smart Diva has been enhanced to include a vertical continuous LED light bar behind the physical slider this provides visual indication for whether the light is on or off and the dimming level when you slide the dimming control lever up or down the light bar changes to full brightness and moments after you stop moving it the LED light bar dims to a lower level like a set of dimmers and companion chloro Smart Switch don't replace existing cassetted devices but you can freely mix and match the existing cassetta devices with the new Smart Ones Viva will be available in the same gloss finish as the original cassetta and the same choice of four colors why bright Black Ivory or light almond no other colors or finishes are available and initially only the white version of the diva is on store shelves so you'll have to wait if you want the other colors I hope you're finding this information useful I would really appreciate it if you could click the like button and subscribe so you'll never miss any additional videos this is really cool now when you have two or three dimmers and switches side by side they don't have to all be smart you can mix regular or dumb Diva dimmers and switches with the new cassetta Smart Ones if you like the new Diva look but don't want to ditch all your existing cassettes consider using Divas only in new rooms or move the existing cassettes to functional less visible areas like laundry room Pantry closets and garage that's it price and look everything else stays the same but cassetta has evolved over time to become an even more flexible and feature-rich solution than the original version in 2014 whether you are an existing owner or new to caseta I bet you're unaware of all the things it can do now let's start with a quick recap of the specs Diva comes in two flavors the diva dimmer which operates without a neutral wire on the claro switch which requires a neutral wire a third device a remote switch for a three-way or n-way multiple switch configurations has been promised as a future Edition classic cassetta OG or Pico style whatever you choose to call it is still available with five choices original smart dimmer original Smart Switch original elv plus dimmer plug-in lamp dimmer and original smart fan controller that's important because a new Diva dimmers only support incandescent halogen and LED bulbs some of the OG cassetta dimmers support all of those modern Lighting Technologies but also support magnetic low voltage electronic low voltage and more esoteric methods including lutron's High Loom dimmers and dimmable ballasts for that rare Beast the dimmable fluorescent lamp you're in control a multiple number wireless Pico remote controls are available these pocket size remotes fit on any desk or tabletop can be mounted flush to the wall or in several different pedestal stands battery operated lasting up to 10 years on a single coin cell battery they allow placing additional controls anywhere in your home and not limited by existing wiring cassetta also uses lutron's proprietary clear connect wireless technology this is an RF transmission system runs in the 433 megahertz frequency range being lower frequency than Wi-Fi Z-Wave zigbee Bluetooth or thread radios which all share the crowded 2.4 gigahertz Spectrum clearconnect has greater range with less Wireless interference proprietary is sometimes a dirty word cassetta's use of this Wireless technology along with the Lutron cassetta Hub to bridge everything back to your home network is in my opinion The crucial element in making cassetta so reliable don't eliminate Lutron from consideration because it is proprietary in my experience clearconnect is proven reliable and hands down the best choice cassetta is also criticized for not supporting traditional wired three-way switches or end-way switches the typical quick solution with cassetta is a tie off the existing three-way wires inside the junction box and place a battery-powered Wireless Pico control on the wall instead this isn't actually required cassetta even with the OG dimmers and the new Diva dimmers does support in many circumstances A continuing use of your existing dumb or mechanical switch for three-way configurations consult the detailed wiring diagrams that Lutron provides or work with the electrician if you'd like to utilize this mode of operation the upcoming cassetta claro dumb wired switch should provide another option for end-way switches once it becomes available both OG and Diva cassetta systems use lutron's wireless occupancy and vacancy sensors in Standalone applications too the sensors trigger lights on or off quickly and rely probably may be enough for streamline installation if you want to incorporate rules and more sophisticated automations based on motion and other triggers I'd suggest skipping the Lutron sensors and using other brands compatible with your smart home but if you just need motion controlled lights a Lutron sensors are blazingly fast I want to emphasize that Lutron dimmers and switches work as regular dimmers or switches by themselves no internet no Wi-fi no automation hub no problem it is common for contractors and Builders to install Lutron devices Standalone and then a homeowner can later choose to add at their option the Lutron hub for use with the preferred smart home system to gain full Automation and control for more complete automation the cassetta diva dimmers use the existing OG cassetta automation hubs you'll need either the standard Lutron Smart Hub or the Lutron Smart Hub Pro both Lutron hubs provide smartphone control and integration with Amazon Echo Google assistant and Apple's home in addition to lutron's own app integration with wireless Lutron Honeywell carrier or ecobee thermostats is available along with Sonos distributed music speakers Lutron Serena Wireless Shades and Hunter ceiling fans cassetta also integrates with ring IFTTT Logitech Harmony Xfinity home at T Digital Life wing and Samsung SmartThings limits what limits the sky is not the limit with Lutron but it's quite good as of the time of this video Lutron caseta supports a total of 75 wireless devices in one system that includes the cassetta Hub itself dimmers switches motion sensors and Pico remote the cassetta wireless repeater also counts as a device wireless range is a 60 foot radius line of sight or 30 foot radius through walls the range can be doubled with a single cassetta wireless repeater to a 60-foot range through walls you can also use exactly one plug-in cassette a lamp controller for an additional 30 foot range for a maximum possible range of 90 feet end to end do I use and recommend Lutron cassetta absolutely Lutron is not a sponsor has not paid for this video and has no control over anything I say here I've used a lot of products and keep coming back to Lutron as the one that we're works best for myself and my clients every installation is often unique so do your homework balance your needs check your budget and purchase what you believe will be best for you

Channel: DoItForMe.Solutions

Views: 31,313

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Id: -27LX86ikzo

Length: 11min 23sec (683 seconds)

Published: Fri Oct 07 2022