Today’s technology allows us to control appliances, lights, the garage door and the TV wirelessly, or even remotely on our smartphones when we’re away from home. This smart home technology is becoming increasingly popular, but the cost of retrofitting old outlets and light switches, installing new controls, and buying “smart” devices can be overwhelming for many homeowners. That’s why at Graf Electric, we recommend and install Caséta Wireless by Lutron — a remote control system that allows you to live smart and save thousands of dollars on a connected home system.
Caséta Wireless manufactures dimmers, a remote control, a bridge, and an app that allows you to control your home’s lights, shades, thermostat and more. By purchasing a kit, it’s much cheaper to automate a home and add additional light switches as there’s no need to run wires.
Additional Light Switches
Sometimes, especially with older homes, light switches are placed in inconvenient spots, such as behind a door. Or, you may want to be able to turn the lights on and off from the other end of the hall, or even while laying in bed. Lutron products allow an electrician to install wireless light switches without the need for cutting into walls or running extra wires. This means homeowners can get all the convenience of smart lighting without the hassle and expense of having wires run through the walls.
Dimmers
Plug-in dimmers are made for table and floor lamps. The dimmer plugs into the wall, and up to two lamps plug into the dimmer, allowing the lights to change as you wish by using a remote. These work with dimmable LCD lights, dimmable CFL lights and halogen or incandescent bulbs. The remote works in conjunction with the Lutron app, which will need to be downloaded on your phone.
In-wall dimmers are made for wall and ceiling lights. After power to the switch is shut off, simply remove the wall plate, connect the three wires and mount the new dimmer to the wall. These can be installed next to other dimmers and switches, or in a 3-way switch application. You can mix-and-match bulbs, just like with the plug-in dimmers, and it also works in conjunction with the remote and Lutron app.
Pico Remote Control
The Pico remote control works throughout your home to control your devices remotely. It has a ten year battery life and can pair with multiple lights for one-touch convenience. The remote has an on/off button, a higher/lower button, a preset button and an LED button which lets you know when the unit is in programming mode.
Smart Bridge
The Smart Bridge is the receiver that’s used in conjunction with your smart phone for wireless control. It allows you to connect up to 50 devices within your home, and works by connecting straight to your Wi-Fi router using an ethernet cable, and then to your wall outlet with a power cord. They are small and sleek and come in two different colors: white or almond.
Lutron App
The Lutron app is a free app that can be downloaded through the App Store or Google Play. The app allows you to control your home’s lighting, temperature, and shades through the touch of a button—even if you aren’t home (you must have an Apple TV for the out-of-home commands to work). You can create personalized lighting scenes, or schedule lights to turn on or off at whichever time you choose. You can even ask Siri to do the work for you!
The Lutron app will work on iOS and Android devices.
Lutron Caseta wireless technologies are an affordable way to add safety and convenience to your home. Contact the team at Graf Electric at 316-686-2090 to get started with home automation.