Away from home scene

[asherrick]

...you have to use a custom integrator for radiora2...

That's not entirely true. It's possible to purchase RadioRA components and even go through the Lutron training to get their programming software.

[TheVince]

No, the RadioRA switches are triple the cost of Caseta (i.e. $150+ for a dimmer). Crestron is closer to $200 for a dimmer. This is the main reason I went with Caseta over RadioRA and Cestron Pyng.

Does that include the "integration" cost? If so, I can easily see an installation/integration cost of 90-100$ per dimmer.

It's annoying that nobody can have a quote for anything except caseta and serena shades. In theory, even the pro version of the smart bridge is sold only by integrators. For Pete's sake, nobody in his right mind will buy something without knowing its cost first. If I have a 25k$ budget for a car, I'm not gonna visit the ferrari dealership, where cars cost 300k$+, that would just be a waste of time for both me and the salesman.

[asherrick]

Does that include the "integration" cost? If so, I can easily see an installation/integration cost of 90-100$ per dimmer.

No! That's just the cost of the hardware.

[malba2366]

Does that include the "integration" cost? If so, I can easily see an installation/integration cost of 90-100$ per dimmer.

It's annoying that nobody can have a quote for anything except caseta and serena shades. In theory, even the pro version of the smart bridge is sold only by integrators. For Pete's sake, nobody in his right mind will buy something without knowing its cost first. If I have a 25k$ budget for a car, I'm not gonna visit the ferrari dealership, where cars cost 300k$+, that would just be a waste of time for both me and the salesman.

That is how the custom integration market is unfortunately. It is the same case with high end remote controls (RTI etc). The custom integrator products are largely becoming irrelevant as these new home integration platforms (homekit/google nest)become prevalent. In the coming year or two we will likely see Lutron get fully behind the about the explode DIY home automation market and remove the silly restrictions on the caseta system (i.e.. 50 device limit).

[TheVince]

No! That's just the cost of the hardware.

Then they've all but abandonned the product. In order to buy some RRA2 stuff, you need someone motivated enough to find an "integrator", then invite them into their home just to get a quote (and if you've ever had any kind of saleman, such as life insurance in your home to do his sales pitch, you know you don't want anything to do with these people), and hope they can afford it.

On the other hand, to sell a caseta dimmer, you need someone to stumble upon them at Home Depot.

The first caseta dimmer I bought, I was looking for a basic dimmer at HD (they sell for about 30$), but then I saw the caseta+pico+claro plate for 60$, and I thought "what the heck, let's try that". Fast forward a year and now I have 2000$ in serena shades, a SBP, and about 8 caseta dimmers. Total sale price of about 3000$.

On the other had, I wouldn't even know that RRA2 existed if not for caseta, le alone shell out 150$ per dimmer. I'd either get up and walk to turn the lights on/off, like I've done all my life, or I'd be using zwave.

I'm not sure how it helps anyone to hide the prices of the RRA2 stuff.

[veeeh]

No, the RadioRA switches are triple the cost of Caseta (i.e. $150+ for a dimmer). Crestron is closer to $200 for a dimmer. This is the main reason I went with Caseta over RadioRA and Cestron Pyng.

More like double, if you shop around a bit.

[TheVince]

More like double, if you shop around a bit.

How do you shop around? I don't know of a single integrator in my area, let alone 2 or 3 to shop around. Admitedly, it's hard to advertise if you're not allowed to publicly disclose your prices.

[Lukeetal]

Cost of Ra2 is 5 to 10 times more installed properly. Ra2 is more powerful and designed for a different market. Caseta can do some amazing things that Ra2 can't currently. However caseta can't run a house over 2,500sqft. Or more than 50 devices.

[Lukeetal]

Also... no offense but RadioRa2 is somewhat like if you have ask the price you cannot afford it. Large systems are expensive because a lot of hardware goes into them but also because a system with 50 devices or more needs to be planned and thought out, then programmed. Scenes get very complex pretty quickly when you working with a 10,000 sqft palet.

[TheVince]

Also... no offense but RadioRa2 is somewhat like if you have ask the price you cannot afford it. Large systems are expensive because a lot of hardware goes into them but also because a system with 50 devices or more needs to be planned and thought out, then programmed. Scenes get very complex pretty quickly when you working with a 10,000 sqft palet.

That's part of the problem. I don't want Joe Integrator to plan and program it, I wanna do it myself. That's the main reason why I would prefer buying the components and building the system.

I'm probably not the typical guy: I do my own renos because I want them done right, fix my own car because I want it in good working order, and I'd rather drink toxic waste than hiring a realtor when selling/buying a house.

On top of that, I don't consider setting scenes with 50+ devices as complex. It's still a routine job. Maybe my mom can't do it, but she can barely boot a computer. I will consider anyone who will try to make me believe this is too complicated for me to be belittleling me, and I don't want to be in any kind of relationship, business or otherwise, with such a person. It's like when travel agents try to scare you into buying plane tickets at inflated prices because "in case something happens", and you turn around and buy the exact same ticket for half the price with expedia.

Sorry to all integrators out there, but that job isn't complicated or complex. And if it was, I would want to guy with an electrical engineering degree to do it (that's me), not the guy who had a 2 week online training course. I'm weird like that...