Lutron Newby Alert - Questions from DIYer planning to buy lots of switches

[RacerChris]

Hello everyone. Thanks for reading my post. I am starting the process of planning my the lighting system for our 3200 SF home. For now, i am just planning the lighting system, but do plan to move to other aspects of Home Automation including shades, door locks, AV, cameras, etc. At this time, I have decided to move to Lutron mainly due to CNET Recommendation and my disatisfaction with the Insteon system. Anyways, a couple of questions

1. Is the Lutron Caseta Starter Kits P-BDG-PKG1W available in Black?

2. Do Lutron Switches use standard Switch Plates or only use screwless switch plates? Our home has some real nice distressed metal switch plates that i would like to reuse if possible.

3. Is the writing on the black wall switches back lit? If not, are they hard to read or just as easy as white?

4. is there any reason for me to consider having the Smart Bridge Pro?

5. What else do I need to know as i plan our system?

Thanks everyone!

[randyc]

1. Packages are only available in white.
2. Caseta in-wall devices will fit in any designer/decorator plate. All Caseta devices have a gloss finish. You may notice slight color variations with non-Lutron plates.
3. They are not backlit. I find the white on black easier to read.
4. The PRO bridge includes support for Sivoia QS Triathlon (battery power, RF control) shades and some Sivoia QS Wireless (wired power, RF control) window treatments (shades, drapes, pleated, Roman, honeycomb). There are is a PRO dimmer and switch.
5. If you are considering integration with another system, like Wink, make sure it is compatible.
There is a hard limit of 50 devices. They add up quickly when you consider lamp dimmers, switches, dimmers, Pico remotes, and shades.
RA2 select has a 100 device limit but the devices are more expensive.
The next system up is RadioRA 2 with a 200 device limit.
Lutron is pretty good about allowing other systems to control its devices. It has very limited ability to control other systems/devices.
The Caseta in-wall devices are all single location. If you have more than 1 switch controlling a light, you put Pico remotes in the other locations. Some rewiring may be required. Depending on your skill level you may need electrical help.