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

I was once a newbie with Caseta - but no longer, so I hope this helps you. This kit is the first purchase you need for Lutron’s system. Once you have the hub, no more kits are needed for future switch purchases. One hub can manage up to 75 switches (and I think the Hub is included in that count).Some buyers complain about having to wire in Lutron's hub to your network with an ethernet cable. But you can't beat the speed and reliability of a wired network connection. Given that Lutron’s product works reliably and is 100% responsive all the time, this is a non-issue for me.Since I put in the first few Casetas, we truly love them and have started to replace switches all over the home. Which brings up another issue... if I had chosen a WiFi connected switches (and I did briefly for use in limited locations, more on that later) I could potentially be adding a much larger number of connected devices onto my network. If your WiFi isn't all that great to begin with - think entry level routers - this could potentially impact network performance and your connectivity with your switches. For me, that's just a no go. I really want my WiFi to work well for the things that need to be on it.The PROs of the Lutron Switches:Setting the switches up is straightforward and fast. The setup process works like expected each and every time. I cannot say the same about other non-Lutron WiFi products.Having problems setting them up or is a switch not acting right? Lutron’s support is the bees knees. They have helped me several times and each time they are great.The switches are incredibly responsive both in person and via the app. There are no delays in turning things off and on. The ceiling fan switch is especially a godsend for our old ceiling fan - no more standing on the bed to pull strings or getting up out of bed to adjust things.Lutron and Ring also teamed up and added some camera integrations where movement and/or doorbell pushes can activate lights. It works quite well, but the feature was a little buried in the Lutron app. Big bonus - the integration will also turn off lights after 15 minutes.About the app (and this is a biggie)Purchasing good hardware is one thing, having an app that you only get to experience after you purchase the hardware is downright crazy. But that's the world that smart switches seem to live in, so here's the scoop on Lutron - and the apps for a couple other systems I tried.Lutron's app is well designed and intuitive. You can quickly add new devices, program in schedules and scenes. The app also interfaces with my Lennox thermostat to display the current temp in the home (with the help of Apple's Home (home kit) app that's running on a dedicated iPad that never leaves the home). The Ring cam integration is good too.Having tried WeMo and Leviton's WiFi connected switches, my take on those apps is that they are incredibly clunky. This seems like a misstep, especially when you are going to spend most of your time interfacing with the app than the switch.Since I also use Apple's Home app with my family, every time a switch gets added into the Lutron hub, it seamlessly shows up in Apple Home. This is of course magically great. Since I didn't want to add another app into the mix for my wife and family, it's nice that there have been zero issues with cross platform integration, everything works seamlessly.The Lutron App also has a geofence capability that will turn on/off lights when you arrive and depart from the home. Haven't used that yet, but it's cool. Another side benefit, Lutron's app has an Apple watch app that you can control lights and fans with.The CONS:Edited - The Caseta hub for whatever reason didn’t have auto off timers built in. That said, the addition of their motion sensor product effectively solves this issue.If you have Ring cams, you can turn on the Caseta integration, and a motion or doorbell can turn on lights and after 15 minutes, turn them off again. This works beautifully.Other thoughts:Edited - I used IFTTT (If This Then This) before Ring and Lutron added their cam integration as a trigger to turn on/off lights. IFTTT works, but there was always a bit of a delay to turn on lights if you use it. Plus if you’re internet went down, it didn’t work.Before the Ring integration, I used a couple WeMo switches for my outdoor lighting as they had auto-off timers. But their setup and app was super clunky. Happy to be rid of them.As software support is now kinda important for app driven switches, making sure you get a switch from a company that's going to be around a while is more important than it used to be. It would be bad if your OS on your phone, requires your apps to get an update and your smart switch maker is MIA.Side note - For the two years I had WeMo switches, changes in Wifi forced me to individually reconnect all switches to it, and it was a horrible process to get them re-paired with WiFi. Lutron has never had this issue, being wired into the network.One switch I purchased from Amazon warehouse (open box) had issues with setup and Lutron’s support was fantastic. They sent a replacement switch so quickly and were really nice about it.Bottom line - stick with Lutron, it works really well.

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.

This package is a decent deal if you need two Casetas with the bridge. As always, these devices just work and have very good/durable build quality.