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Lutron Home Control+ App to be discontinued by Sept 15, 2019
I think this is a terrible idea because the Home+App is superior to the Connect app. I posted about this somewhere else but I was at a house where the customer added the connect app but the ipad version looked pretty horrible compared to the Home+ app. It was essentially the iphone app that's stretched to fit the screen. It looks downright outdated even though it's the newer app.
If Lutron is going to get rid of a perfectly good app, its replacement should at least be equally as good and it's not there. Even the Caseta app looks better. Are there plans to make sure all the features of the old local apps are in the connect app by the time it's discontinued, including a way to connect locally without a connect bridge?
I have several customers who have had their system for years and don't need remote access. This was one of the few solutions that didn't use the cloud and could be completely standalone. The fact that this was not a cloud only solution was a premium feature for some.
I know Lutron will do what Lutron will do and I still love you, but you guys are taking the lazy way out. I get it, keeping two apps alive is hard but you're being shortsighted here.
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Post Thanks / Like - 2 Thanks, 2 Likes
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I guess I'd like to understand what is supposed to replace Home+ if the house doesn't have a connect bridge? Home+ works great for what it is.
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Post Thanks / Like - 0 Thanks, 1 Likes
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Authorized Lutron Contributor
Thank you for taking the time to reach out. We always appreciate feedback from the field regarding how we can improve our products to better meet your needs. Between now and September 2019 we will be gathering input like yours and making changes in the Lutron Connect app with the goal of having a seamless transition. We understand the feedback regarding the appearance on the iPad app.
Regarding local only access, the Connect bridge with the Connect app does support fully offline, local only access. When adding the system in the app, you can use the option that is currently called “Guest Mode” to achieve this. It will work with the system in much the same way as the LHC+ app does today when not using remote access.
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It's good to know about guest mode but my biggest concern is that there is lost functionality and the old app is a lot more polished and easier to use than the new app.
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It's good to know about guest mode but my biggest concern is that there is lost functionality and the old app is a lot more polished and easier to use than the new app.
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This is crap! I feel the Home Control+ App works better and looks better when on my home network compared to the Connect App. It also ticks me off that I paid like $20 a couple years ago for this App and now it will no longer be supported? Refund my $$.
Eric
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Lutron Connect Pro Style
If Lutron was going to roll this out in a way that impressed me, they would bake the Connect app into the P6 processor and ditch the dumb box along with button pressing to activate.
Really getting the app right would mean 1 account for all of the client's homes and an installer account for each home so the lutron tech could use the same app to make changes remotely without a PC.
If my most cynical hunch is the connect app/hardware/cloud service has advantages that Lutron doesn't publish like higher security and easier marketing analytics.
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Does anybody know why they didn't just add connect bridge to the main repeater through a firmware update? Not enough memory/processing power or just marketing?
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I've had this discussion with my Lutron rep as well. I'm ok with not updating HC+, however, as a dealer HC+ is more functional for me.
It doesn't require Internet access. When starting up new homes, Internet isn't always available.
It's easier for me to store multiple customers in the HC+ app. With Connect, all the customers would have to use the same Lutron account to accomplish this.
I have customers that still have crappy internet access (satellite, etc.). HC+ works better for them.
I agree, we should have a 2nd generation RA2 main repeater with the bridge built into it. The bridge would only be required for older systems. You could use the existing style main repeater as the 2nd repeater in 2-repeater systems.
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According to some Lutron engineers Ive spoken with, a big reason we are stuck with a seperate box (Connect Bridge) is because of Apple. In order to talk to siri/connect with Apple hardware, they required Lutron to provide a seperate box with a seperate chip specifically for this.
I definitely agree that the Home Control + app was much better looking and easier to use. I recently had two clients upgrade from caseta to Ra2 and were upset with the appearance of their new app. User interface/appearance is a critical element in landing a sale.
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From jobsite-
Connect app doesn't display Picos like LHC+ does. Kinda stinks for anyone who has seen LHC+ with a pico- pico engraving etc is all there. Connect is not as nice.
I'm trying to take everything with a grain of salt but I can see why people don't like Connect app.
Very disappointed that I have no user guide for my client. He's planning to learn the system and then set it up with other users in the space, and the user guide Lutron has posted is totally out-of-date with graphics. This sort of document is worse than nothing, so the client will get nothing for a reference. Lutron needs to update documentation just as fast as the app.