Even Staples getting into HA
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Hard to say if caseta is just another name for the non-white pico dimmers since they look the same but are listed separately in black and ivory. They are 600w 2-wire dimmers compatible with incandescent, cfl, and LED like the CL line of dimmers.
http://www.staples.com/Lutron-600W-Dimmer-White/product_278637
http://www.staples.com/Lutron-600W-Dimmer-White/product_278637
The Lutron part number is PD-6WCL. They support the same bulbs as the CL dimmers. The text on that product is an inaccurate description copied from a Maestro IR dimmer. The other "caseta" dimmer says "Works with dimmable LEDs and CFLs, as well as incandescent and halogen bulbs".
http://www.staples.com/Lutron-Caseta-Wireless-600-Watt-Dimmers/product_SS2183221
http://www.staples.com/Lutron-Caseta-Wireless-600-Watt-Dimmers/product_SS2183221
An interesting read about Lutron's Clear Connect technology http://www.lutron.com/en-US/casestudypdf/clear%20connect%20technology%20whitepaper.pdf
RadioRA 2 falls under the Clear Connect umbrella of products.
RadioRA 2 falls under the Clear Connect umbrella of products.
wkearney99
Senior Member
So how many devices does the staples hub support?
Not sure. Information is still limited. Hub is not in stock yet, though the lutron dimmers are in stock. The Staples Connect apps are available in the app store, but no demo mode AFAIK. No sign of more complex conditional automation from what I have seen. No sign of the serena roller shades yet.
wkearney99
Senior Member
I've got a very nagging feeling about how Lutron's handling all this 'clearconnect' stuff. Plenty of vendors in the past have tried to play games with releasing a 'budget line' of products that's nothing more than the same more expensive gear but with crippled firmware. Their QS/Serena shades give me that same vibe.
Well they already do that with Maestro. Here, though, they opted to change the physical appearance as the main differentiator. As I'm sure you know the Pico remotes are very cheap feeling so I would expect it to carry over to the dimmer faceplates. It is yet to be seen what features are available through the Hub such as programmable fade rates as well as system limitations (# of units, RF coverage). At least the CFL LED compatibility is featured. As far as Serena vs Triathlon, I believe the main differentiator is premium fabric selection. The motors/mechanical/electronics should be the same. The Hub is said to have access to motor position data, but no info on # of presets, speed adjustments, or programmable delays.
wkearney99
Senior Member
QS honeycomb shade fabrics can hardly be called 'premium' compared to those of other brands like Hunter Douglas. I hesitate to imagine what the lower end would look like, especially having just chosen a bunch of QS shades. I just checked the websites and there doesn't look to be any difference in selections.
http://www.serenashades.com/browse-colors/
http://www.lutron.com/en-US/Products/Pages/ShadingSystems/Fabrics/CellularFabrics/HoneycombEssentials/Single-Cell-Filtering.aspx
Yes, once you want something other than honeycomb material, or hardwired then QS has a wider range. My question is why the price jump just for RA integration? It just smacks of gouging just for firmware.
I'd think CFL/LED would have to be required to stave off the endless number of returns.
Fade rates are clever, but for the typical person the use of them can lead to confusion. The expectation is a light is going to go off immediately when a switch is pressed. Using anything longer, even the 2 second default, often leads to them assuming (incorrectly) that they didn't hit the switch, leading to nonsense like using the side dimmer levels to turn it off. I've got several situations where I've deliberately eliminated the fade delay because of this. So not having any fade timing would potentially be a GOOD thing for an entry-level implementation. But then it'd end up being an arbitrary 'firmware cheat' to have it crippled on hardware otherwise capable of it.
I'd really like to know more about the device limitations and integration options. I've already got a houseful of RA2 devices so it's not like I'm going to rip 'em out. But I have yet to pull the trigger on the shades and seriously question the bump in price for RA2 integration when Serena with this hub stuff might be a considerably less expensive option.
http://www.serenashades.com/browse-colors/
http://www.lutron.com/en-US/Products/Pages/ShadingSystems/Fabrics/CellularFabrics/HoneycombEssentials/Single-Cell-Filtering.aspx
Yes, once you want something other than honeycomb material, or hardwired then QS has a wider range. My question is why the price jump just for RA integration? It just smacks of gouging just for firmware.
I'd think CFL/LED would have to be required to stave off the endless number of returns.
Fade rates are clever, but for the typical person the use of them can lead to confusion. The expectation is a light is going to go off immediately when a switch is pressed. Using anything longer, even the 2 second default, often leads to them assuming (incorrectly) that they didn't hit the switch, leading to nonsense like using the side dimmer levels to turn it off. I've got several situations where I've deliberately eliminated the fade delay because of this. So not having any fade timing would potentially be a GOOD thing for an entry-level implementation. But then it'd end up being an arbitrary 'firmware cheat' to have it crippled on hardware otherwise capable of it.
I'd really like to know more about the device limitations and integration options. I've already got a houseful of RA2 devices so it's not like I'm going to rip 'em out. But I have yet to pull the trigger on the shades and seriously question the bump in price for RA2 integration when Serena with this hub stuff might be a considerably less expensive option.
Oh ok I hadn't looked closely at the honeycomb options. Well the main reason for the price bump is dealer margin. The reason to exclude integration from Serena is to not alienate dealers, who are still the primary sales vehicle. Obviously they can afford to sell the honeycomb shades starting at $240 shipped when it comes down to it.
wkearney99
Senior Member
As you can imagine, alienating dealers is, well, NOT EVEN ON MY LIST OF CONCERNS. It just galls me to see them announce the shades at one price point (with RA2, iirc) and then turn around and intro the non-RA2 units that price point, while jacking up the RA2 price. When you're only looking at a room or two it might not matter. But when you're doing a whole house it adds up.
So my real debate is just how many shades can be integrated through that hub, and can I do 3rd party control through it.
Because I'm already going to be doing 3rd party control of the shades (two rooms will have Hunter Douglas bottom-up units). And since I'll be using a 3rd party app anyway, do I need to spend an extra $3k just to have RA2 keypad integration? I can do that through 3rd party control also. So going RA2 for the shades wouldn't seem all that useful in my situation.
So my real debate is just how many shades can be integrated through that hub, and can I do 3rd party control through it.
Because I'm already going to be doing 3rd party control of the shades (two rooms will have Hunter Douglas bottom-up units). And since I'll be using a 3rd party app anyway, do I need to spend an extra $3k just to have RA2 keypad integration? I can do that through 3rd party control also. So going RA2 for the shades wouldn't seem all that useful in my situation.
Naturally, but we humble DIYers do not move units.
How many devices can I connect to a single hub?
You can have hundreds of devices connected to a single hub.
Not exactly concrete information. As far as an API, I tend to doubt it at least in the short term. Everything may go through the cloud a la Nest. Spoofing the app may be possible with some work. Gaining local access to the Hub will likely require some hacking.
How many devices can I connect to a single hub?
You can have hundreds of devices connected to a single hub.
Not exactly concrete information. As far as an API, I tend to doubt it at least in the short term. Everything may go through the cloud a la Nest. Spoofing the app may be possible with some work. Gaining local access to the Hub will likely require some hacking.
wkearney99
Senior Member
I suppose even after the post 90's debacles of proprietary systems (a la 3com Audrey, et al) it's entirely possible someone could again try to come out with a pseudo-proprietary scheme. No doubt to meet with the same lack of success. But when you start peddling stuff like this through a national chain you're on a different playing field. Pressure to ship AND avoid returns is much greater. I won't therefor make any assumptions about what degree of accessibility the device will have.
As for device counts, it's not so much total number, it's total per technology. How many of each type is supported?
As for device counts, it's not so much total number, it's total per technology. How many of each type is supported?
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