Review on 💡 Lutron Caséta Wireless Smart Lighting Dimmer Switch PDW-6WCL-WH-A: Convenient Control for Wall and Ceiling Lights by Gabe Ries

I bought one of these yesterday and was pleasantly surprised by how quickly the installation went. As promised on the packaging, it only took about 15 minutes. This was helped by the fact that it doesn't require a neutral wire. This is important for two reasons: 1) although I had access to a neutral wire, some light switch boxes in older homes do not, and 2) one less wire nut means it’s that much easier to fit everything back inside the junction box. That was especially valuable for me, as I’ve always found smart switches bulky and difficult to cram back inside the junction box. Not so with Lutron.Then came the frustration. Unlike most smart switches, the Lutron does not connect directly to your WiFi. It requires a separate hub that plugs into your router. It’s my fault for not realizing this in advance, but I seriously considered returning the switch to the store rather than spending the extra money for a hub. Instead, I decided to go all-in: I bought the hub, as well as four more dimmer switches to use throughout my home. Installation of those four went just a smoothly, even in two-gang and three-gang boxes that were already a bit tight on space. Now, rather than despising the hub, I actually prefer it versus having the smart switches connect directly to the internet. The hub not only made connecting the extra switches super simple, but it reduces strain on my WiFi network. The hub communicates with the individual switches via radio waves, meaning they are all super responsive. By contrast, when every switch in your home has its own WiFi connection, you’ll sometimes experience lag when controlling them via your phone or voice.All-in-all, I’m very pleased with my purchase and am quickly becoming a big fan of Lutron’s products.