Lutron Caseta L-BDG2

The Lutron Caseta Smart Bridge is the centerpiece for a Lutron Smart Lighting System. Users who want a robust smart lighting setup can't go wrong with Lutron. A Lutron setup can integrate with many great platforms, control some of the best lights in the industry and make a user's life easier.

What's interesting about Lutron is that it uses its own unique wireless protocol that is separate from WIFI and other smart home communication signals like Z-Wave and ZigBee. The Lutron signal won't interfere with these other protocols, and it provides consistent and reliable operation for users and their devices. We've found that Lutron is an outstanding wireless communication path for smart home lighting!

As the central hub for the entire Lutron Caseta setup, the Lutron Caseta Smart Bridge is what makes the wireless control possible. The user will connect the bridge to their router using a hardwired ethernet connection. The device comes with a 3-foot ethernet cable for this purpose. From there, they will be able to integrate Lutron lighting devices wirelessly with the smart bridge. A single Lutron Caseta Bridge can support up to 50 Lutron devices. And of course, all Lutron devices can be controlled remotely using the Lutron or Apple HomeKit Apps. So whether you're across the street, at the office, or across the globe, your lights are in your control!

Lutron offers the capability to connect with several excellent platforms and smart home assistants, including Apple HomeKit, Google Home, Amazon Alexa, Nest and Sonos. When a user sends an operation command through one of these platforms, the command will pass through the Lutron Bridge before being sent to a specific Lutron lighting device. As a result, it is the Lutron Caseta Bridge that is facilitating and supporting the entire setup.

The native Lutron App is the primary controller that allows users to operate their Lutron lighting devices through the Caseta Bridge. The app is available for free download on both iOS and Android devices, and it provides great functionality for users. Through the Lutron App, users can set schedules to have their Lutron Lights turn on or off at predetermined hours of the day. And advanced geofencing features help users save money by providing reminders to turn off the lights when nobody is home. With geofencing, it is also possible to have the lights activate based on the location of the user's smartphone. That way, you can have your lights already turned back on as soon as you arrive home!

Lutron also keeps security in mind. A special feature called "Smart Away" will have the lights turn on and off at random times in the evening. So if you're on vacation, the automated lighting control will make it look like you're still at home. Personalization is also important to Lutron, as the app lets users create specific scenes for certain situations. For example, a user might have a scene called "bedtime" where they turn off all their lights, and another scene called "movie" where their lights dim to the perfect setting for a long film.

But what really makes Lutron exciting is the ability to integrate with third party control platforms like Apple Homekit, Google Home and Amazon Alexa. That way, a user can send voice commands through their smart assistant to control their lights. With simple lines like "Alexa, dim the lights" or "Siri, turn on the bathroom light", the user is in complete command of their lighting system. And by integrating Lutron with HomeKit and the Honeywell Lyric Controller (with MR7 firmware or higher), a user can even have their lights respond automatically based on security events. For example, a user might have their lights turn off when they arm their system away and leave their home. And they might have another scene for having the lights turn on when they walk into a room and activate a motion sensor.

The ability to integrate a Honeywell Lyric Security System with HomeKit and Lutron is revolutionary. Up until now, Honeywell Alarm Panels were forced to rely on Z-Wave technology, which offers inferior reliability when compared with Lutron Caseta. Now it is possible to integrate a lighting system that is stable enough to either stand on its own or tie in with with a wide range of automation control devices!

NOTE: The L-BDG2 smart bridge does not support Alarm.com. Only the L-BDGPRO2 Smart Bridge PRO 2 supports the Alarm.com cloud integration. Get that module instead if you plan on using Lutron with Alarm.com.