Originally Posted by
bmennear
First off, thank you Gator Bite for the valuable info you've shared on 4+ way switch configurations. That's a great solution to a problem that hasn't really been addressed by any retail/DIY product and personally I didn't want to run Casetas and Z-Wave as well just for these situations.
Myself I see several problems with this ongoing saga around the imposed 50 device cap.
First off, I don't think it is an area of contention that Caseta is for users in the DIY/retail space. I'm sure there are many that bought into the system from a product box they read at a big box store. I originally wanted to add switches to a different location and saw these with the Pico remotes in store. From there, I added more elsewhere as I wasn't interested in running a bunch of different bridges. Where is the mention of the 50 device hard cap on their retail packaging? Lets remember that Lutron has added the Sonos Pico, 3-Way switch, Fan controller and repeater via lamp dimmer. Coupled with the existing dimmers, switches and Serena shades, it really looks as though this system is being proposed as a whole-house solution. Yet... we have a hard device cap of 50 with no path to upgrade. As I posted some time ago, offer us a solution, a new bridge, a software license, whatever it is short of a rip and replace. Take my money, please. Instead, new products are added that interest those of us at max capacity, but we continue to be neglected if we don't want to go the multiple bridge route which lets be honest, is a hack.
Adding RA2 select with no upgrade path for Caseta users was not the solution those of us at the 50 cap needed. Not allowing Caseta devices to be used on RA2 Select bridges means we are in rip and replace territory here. The "throw it away and get the new one" line of thinking may prevail in the cell phone and tablet world, but it has no place in our homes and our light switches. Suggesting users made the wrong call by getting into the Caseta offering is not at all helpful. You don't know what level of research each user did before committing, if it was a gradual purchase over years or one-shot, etc. Some users may have done their research, others may not have, and posting on a forum after you've become aware of the imposed cap doesn't constitute acknowledgement of it from device #1. How many devices is an acceptable number to rip and replace? For me, its zero. Personally I became aware of the cap around device 30 from seeing a thread on here. I would have thought by now that something would have been done to encourage those at the limit to continue being customers. I would gladly add shades, fan controllers and with Gator Bite's info, more switches in areas I avoided previously.
We all recognize the retail and installer markets are different entities. There are those that value paying an integrator because they want a more polished, customizable solution, they want it to just work and not have to support or troubleshoot problems, or maybe they lack the expertise, time or ambition to take it on themselves. I completely understand that mindset. Some people hire experts or tradesman and others would rather not. Caseta is a retail/DIY product and it has been positioned as such. Caseta appeals to users that want to go to HD in 5 minutes and buy another couple switches, people that want to do things at their own pace and people that want to do it themselves. So how does a 50 device limit erode the installer business? I don't see the connection and I hope, one day, Lutron will relax this limit and give us an upgrade path so I can continue to invest in what I see as the best retail/DIY offering in the space.