what's possible with Caseta?

[jimh12345]

Total newb here. I'm considering a wireless setup for a room which would include 2 wall dimmers (for track lights) and 2 plug-in lamp dimmers. I'd need to be able to adjust the level of each one independently. Then I'd want to set up a few pre-set combinations for different uses of the room, and select one with a remote or phone app. In a nutshell, I want to walk into the room, and use the app/remote to select one of several preset combinations of levels of all 4.
I don't want the controllers all going up/down together and I don't want to have to adjust 4 controllers' brightness levels from scratch every time I turn on the lights. I'd prefer to do all this with programmable buttons on a dedicated remote, but a phone app is ok.

Can Caseta do this?

[randyc]

Yes. Caseta has a couple of in-wall dimmers. I recommend the neutral dimmer for maximum compatibility. There is also a plug-in dimmer/switch. There are Pico remotes in a variety of configurations and a phone app if you use a system-bridge.

[jimh12345]

Yes. Caseta has a couple of in-wall dimmers. I recommend the neutral dimmer for maximum compatibility. There is also a plug-in dimmer/switch. There are Pico remotes in a variety of configurations and a phone app if you use a system-bridge.

What's the purpose of the bridge? Is it just to create a dedicated wireless network, instead of having all the Caseta devices on your wifi router?

[rodrigo]

What's the purpose of the bridge? Is it just to create a dedicated wireless network, instead of having all the Caseta devices on your wifi router?

Lutron lighting control devices don't connect over WiFi to each other or your mobile device.
They talk ClearConnect, which is Lutron's own wireless protocol.

To get them to respond to commands from things like your phone, they need to connect via a bridge, like the Caseta bridge.
This allows them to managed by many devices, like your phone, or Google Home, or Siri, etc.

[jimh12345]

Lutron lighting control devices don't connect over WiFi to each other or your mobile device.
They talk ClearConnect, which is Lutron's own wireless protocol.

To get them to respond to commands from things like your phone, they need to connect via a bridge, like the Caseta bridge.
This allows them to managed by many devices, like your phone, or Google Home, or Siri, etc.

So, the hub is where they do the interoperabilty. Makes sense. And trying to keep a dozen embedded systems constantly reachable on a wifi hub is a pain.

I'll have to look at the controllers and their capabilities.

[randyc]

The hub is similar to the router in an Ethernet network. It gives out addresses, directs traffic, etc. It also has the programs to interface with the Lutron app and other systems.

[jimh12345]

I thought I'd download the Android app and check out the features. But first you have to create an account. After about 15 unsuccessful attempts to enter a password that met the requirements for strength, I gave up. They require an unusually strong password, don't tell you the rules, and you can't see what you're typing, and you have to enter it twice. Oh and I have one thumb that doesn't work too well, so this is so much fun on a phone. Once, I did get past "weak" but when I entered it a second time, nothing happened. That's when my fuse blew.

I don't want an 'account' anyway - what's the purpose - and I definitely don't want control of my home lights dependent on internet access to an unknown server that might not always be there.

The whole thing was so aggravating that I decided to just forget about Lutron and look elsewhere. Maybe after a while I'll calm down and try again. But their password requirement is just way over the top.

[randyc]

The purpose of the account is to give you remote access without an expensive static IP address for your house. Basically the bridge notifies the server, "I'm joe@gmail.com and I have a new IP address." This is a fairly common practice. I have several apps that use this technique.

It's been a while since I set up my account but I do remember stumbling through the password. I thought the error message outlined the missing criteria though.

Since this is remote access through the Internet, I'm OK with stricter password requirements. I'd rather not have a 12yo in China turning my lights on at 2:00 am.

Lutron servers, while not the fastest, are generally pretty reliable.

[jimh12345]

That all sounds familiar, because I have some RGB strip-light controllers that offer remote access by a similar scheme. They have a private 'discovery' protocol that lets a server find them and assign IPs. It turns out that the 'discovery' protocol was itself a big security hole. Here's a fun link to a guy's story about how it works and how he was easily able to get control of hundreds of WiFi bulbs:

https://blog.viktorstanchev.com/2015...fi-lightbulbs/

I don't want remote access and the thought that this app might periodically demand a logon - i.e. I'd have to look up the crazy password and enter it again just to turn on my lights - is a deal breaker for me. Call me a crank, but I've decided these systems are overly complicated and I think I'll try to find a simpler way to accomplish what I want.