Lutron Caseta Dimmer Switch Installations with Pico Remote, Lutron App and Alexa Setup (Part 1/2)
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 1 мар 2019
- Are you looking to install some smart dimmers in your home and control with Alexa? In this two part video, we show you how to install two Lutron Caseta dimmer switches (one single pole and one 3-way), how to configure a Pico remote and setup with multiple Lutron Caseta switches, and how to setup the Lutron app and Alexa with the Lutron Smart Bridge. We also answer the question of why LEDs still glow with the Lutron dimmer switch is turned off and how to fix it.
Link to Part 2/2: • (Part 2/2) Installing ...
Please don't forget to like this video and subscribe to our channel.
/ handzforhire
Also visit and follow us on:
handzforhire.com
/ handzforhire
/ handzforhire
As an Amazon Associate and Home Depot Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Equipment Used to Film This Video:
Panasonic Lumix G85 - amzn.to/2ymNfHq
DJI Mavic Pro Plantinum - amzn.to/2YBpUjS
Sandmarc Aerial ND Filters - amzn.to/2LQv0mm
SanDisk Extreme Pro 128GB SDXC - amzn.to/2yqqqT7
SanDisk Extreme Pro 64GB microSDXC - amzn.to/2SRfzuW
Full Supply List:
1. Amazon Alexa - amzn.to/2YLwnJb
2. Lutron Caseta available through Home Depot - www.homedepot.com/s/lutron%25...
3. Lutron Smart Bridge (with 1 dimmer, pico remote, and wall plate which is cheaper than buying the smart bridge by itself) - amzn.to/2yCfcv9 (Must have this in order for switches to communicate with Lutron App and Alexa)
4. Lutron Caseta Smart Dimmer Switch, PD-6WCL-WH - amzn.to/2YJu2KE (Used on a single pole switch)
5. Lutron Caseta Dimmer Switch with Pico Remote and Pico Remote Wall Mount P-PKG1WB-WH - amzn.to/31b0wzg (Used on 3-way switch)
6. Lutron Claro 1 Gang Decorator Wallplate, CW-1-WH, White -amzn.to/2KkgD6A (I will use this to install another pico remote elsewhere in the house).
7. Lutron Caseta ELV+ Dimmer Switch, PD-5NE-WH - amzn.to/2YEo8uh (This is the switch that works for the LED flush mount lights (very low wattage LEDs))
8. LUT-MLC - amzn.to/2MEO5Yz (hooks between the neutral wire and load wire in your box to allow your energy efficient lights to stop glowing when dimmer is off).
8. Lutron 5 Gang Switch Plate (flush with switch and no screws show) - amzn.to/2WKZ5s9
9. Voltage Detector - amzn.to/2KqrfRz or homedepot.sjv.io/o164E
10. Wire cutters and strippers - amzn.to/2YJuoRu or homedepot.sjv.io/EmdEQ
11. Needle-Nose Pliers - homedepot.sjv.io/bx1kb
12. Screw Driver Set - homedepot.sjv.io/2E0Ra
13. Ryobi Cordless Power Drill - homedepot.sjv.io/4bnar 
Хобби
For such a small channel your videos are well edited and really professional.
Kevin Armentrout thanks! We just started these tutorials at the end of January and it will take some time to grow. In the meantime, we’re having fun making them and helping out neighbors!
Great video! I just installed my first Lutron Caseta & Maestro sensor switch today. I currently have a Hue setup with about 7-10 bulbs. I am very impressed with the Lutron setup now. Seems like a great way to control (In my case) 5 plus lights with a single command. More cost efficient also than purchasing each individual bulb (Hue). Liked and subscribed! Keep up the great work!
Ryen Elder thanks and I completely agree. Great products!
Solid video with a perfect explanation of the MLC load adaptor.
Jermaine thank you for the nice comment! Glad you enjoyed the video.
Thanks for the tip on the Lutron LUT-MLC.. not sure why they just don't build that right in but this video at least informed me of its existence.. expensive wire at $11 (20% increase cost per outlet)
My pleasure. Yeah, I agree! You'd think they'd build the LUT-MLC into their ELV+ switch since it's used for low voltage lighting. Maybe the LUT-MLC was an afterthought? Like I said in the video, I ended up skipping the LUT-MLC because we didn't mind the dim glow at night. A bedroom would be different story. Good luck to you and thanks for watching!
Great video. I learned some new things about "electrizidy".
Thanks! Glad to hear it!
Good job I have a similar video of the installation.I also showed the install of the plug in dimmers too and the wall dimmer on a 3 way switch. Thumbs up.
Ultimate Tech Hub thanks so much! I’ll check out your video too. Have a great day!
@@HandzforHire Thanks Handz have a great day! I just subscribed too.
Awesome! I subscribed to you as well. Good luck with your channel!
super helpful videos!
Glad they helped!
Hi there. I have a two gang light switch in my kitchen:- one controlling the kitchen light and the other the dining light. However, I also have a one-gang light switch at the other end of the room controlling both lights. Can I install one caseta wireless dimmer in the one-gang switch to jointly control both lights and install two pico remotes in the two-gang switch to individually control each light? Thanks.
Hmmm, that's a unique setup. I'm thinking about it. The pico remotes respond to the switch you connect them to. You can group several switches together on one pico remote. I think it would work better to install two switches on your kitchen and dining setup and then replace your switch that does both with a pico remote. This would allow you to keep the kitchen and the dining room separate, but control both together once you group the lutron switches with your pico remote. I hope that helps!
@@HandzforHire hi there. Thank you so much for your reply. I think that is what I have to do.
@@ChizaramNwankwo cool, good luck and I'm sure you saw it, but I have a part 2 as well that goes over the pico remote in detail. Also, Lutron's customer service has always been good at answering my technical questions. Take care!
Great video! We are currently building a house and about to get our electrical portion. I believe the electrician said we will be using the LED puck lights. My question is, would the regular dimmer switch work with them as long as you had the LUT-MLC hooked to it or do we need the ELV switches and LUT-MLC's to make sure the LED lights dont stay on? Thanks in advance and we love the channel!
Hi Tom, I had to use the ELV PD-5NE-WH for my LED puck lights. I tried the other Lutron Caseta switch first because it was less expensive , but my puck lights didn't dim properly. If you want to double check, give Lutron a call and they'll be able to confirm. Also, depending on the type of LED puck light, you'll most likely need the LUT-MLC to completely turn off the lights. Let me know how it goes!
Great Vid!! The LVT MLC has to be installed to every single Lutron Switch to prevent the lights to glow? Where can I get that piece?
Thanks! No, it should just be one per switch or one per switch circuit. If there's no room in your switch box, you can also install it on one of the lights in your switch circuit. The instructions should help you through the process and Lutron customer service is great in case you need help during the installation. I have a link for the LUT-MLC in the description of this video. Good luck and let me know how it goes!
Hi, i am using Smartthings v3 hub, can i set an automation to turn on a group of light through lutron dimable switch in particular brightness and specific time when a motion sensor detected a movement?
or if it doesn't work on smartthings, can you do it on lutron app?
thanks in advance for the answer
Hello, I'm actually not familiar with the Smartthings v3 hub, but I'd give Lutron customer service a quick call 1 (888) 588-7661. They are really good, and should be able to answer your questions.
Nice video and explanation! I ran into the same issue with my recessed lights ghosting when the switch it turned off, so I was looking into the LUT-MLC. My setup looks similar to yours with the two black wires and a ground, so it looks like I don't have a neutral wire. But I've read that your need a neutral wire to use the LUT-MLC. Any ideas on that?
Chid the bottom line is that you do need a neutral wire for the LUT-MLC to work. You may have neutral wires and just not know it. They might be behind or in the very back of your switch box. Hot wire carries electricity to switch, load wire carries electricity from switch to light, and neutral wire carries electricity from light back to circuit breaker box. In the way back of my switch boxes, I have neutral wires with a wire nut. Check the back of your switch box and see if you can locate the neutral. If you’re able then hook your LUT-MLC up. If you have an older home and no neutral wires, then unfortunately you won’t be able to use the LUT-MLC.
@@HandzforHire Great! Thanks for the write up. I did find the neutral wires twisted together with a wire nut. So from what I see in the instructions, I'd pigtail one end of the LUT-MLC to the hot wire. As for the neutral, would I be adding the other end into the nut of the bundled neutrals?
@@oakkster the LUT-MLC should attach between your load wire (out wire from switch that goes to light) and your neutral wire. If you're able to fit it in your switch box, then awesome. If it ends up being too tight in your switch box, you can put it up in one of your light fixtures (might be easier) on the circuit. One wire going into the light is the load and the other coming out is the neutral. There's a little current bleeding off the switch and flowing up to your lights. No matter where you place the LUT-MLC (between the load and neutral), the LUT-MLC will absorb that little bit of current. Good luck and let me know how it goes!
@@HandzforHire Thanks for the info, appreciate it! But you know, the glow has actually started to grow on me. I might just leave it like this for now.
@@oakkster that's what happened to my wife and I also. We didn't mind the glow and it's like a built in night light.
I got my phone playing this video out loud and my alexas is asking me “DID YOU MEAN TV?” Me “NOOOOOO STOP”
The Bum lol
Excellent video! You seem to have a good understanding of electricity. So let me ask you a question. I have (2) Caseta dimmers with a Pico in the middle of them on a 3 gang box. Now I had to remove both sides of the inner fins on the Caseta’s so my pico could fit in the middle. Now Lutron says do not remove any of the fins on the outsides of the caseta’s but I had to remove one of the fins as I had a screw that needed to be exposed for my adjustable gangbox. Do you see this causing any issues? I’m only running about 60 watts on each of the Caseta’s
Thanks and keep up the good work!
Casey N Casey N thanks for watching. If you watch part 2 of this video, you’ll see that I had to remove both sides of fins on one of my caseta switches too. 60W should be fine. As I mention in the video, the fins act as addition area to help dissipate heat and by removing them it lowers the overall wattage you can place on the switch. With that said, I did a little research and depending on what kind of caseta switch and bulb you’re using, the max load will be on average around 300W-350W with no fins. Hope that helps!
Great video very helpful....I have a smart home but only received a few switches in the build....trying to get the trade to come out and install more switches is impossible. How hard could it be...thanks for this easy step by step video.
Em Tucci thanks for watching. Glad it was helpful! I’d say forget the trade and do it yourself lol. I know you can do it! Let me know how it goes!
random question, What are the dimensions for the 5 gang switch, I have a 5 gang switches that I want to turn them all to smart switches, but I am having hard time finding a 5 gang switch with a plaque, any insight or advise on this would be appreciated!
Hi Moe, the smart switches are standard size, so they should all fit well with a standard plate. I was able to reuse the existing plate when I installed mine. If you use the Lutron Caseta switches, then you'll simply have to remove the fins on either side of the switch so they all fit nicely (as I show in the video). My 5 gang switch plate is 10" x 4.5" which is standard. I'll link a couple of plate suggestions in the description of the video. Good luck to you and let me know how it goes!
Hi can I use it to control my pool lights ? I don’t have a switch inside the house I have to go all the way back to the pool equipment like 40’ away , does it work with color pool ligths?
Hmm, I have to think about this one and ask a few questions about your current setup. When you walk out to your pool equipment, how do you turn the lights on (Switch or Outlet)? I assume your equipment console isn't wifi enabled? If you can plug your pool lights in, then I think a Gosund Smart Plug might be the way to go. You'd plug your pool lights into it and then you can control with Alexa or its native "Smart Life" app. You can turn the lights on and off with voice control, a timer, or manually with app. A Lutron Caseta switch probably isn't the best solution because the switch would have to be hard wired and waterproofed outside by your pool equipment. You'd then use a Pico remote to control from inside. If this is your first Lutron device then you'd also need the Smart Bridge. Anyways, once you fill me in on some details, hopefully we can brainstorm a good solution!
Here's a link to a video I did on the Gosund Smart Plug if you're not familiar. ruclips.net/video/tNdA2RwLA7A/видео.html
Question I have the ground wire, black and white wire but not the neutral wires that are together in the back. can I still hook this up?
The Bum thanks for watching. It depends what you’re hooking up. Can you share a little more about what you want to do? Do you live in an older home without neutral wires? The switch i install in this video doesn’t require a neutral.
I did some research and I got a single pole with no Neutral. Just ground, hot, and loaded
If I'm just trying to use 1 single switch for one light, do I need the bridge? And I dont plan on using Alexa, etc.. thnx!
Hi No Boring Concrete - If you want to install the Lutron Caseta switch, only using manually, then you do not need the Smart Bridge. If you want to use the Lutron App or Alexa or Google Home, then you need the Smart Bridge. If you go with the Lutron Caseta, then the Smart Bridge is something that you can always add later if you change your mind. You can also tether a Pico remote to the Lutron Caseta switch. The Pico remote can be used as a portable remote switch or you can permanently install on the wall to give you more switch options around the house. I show the Pico remote in part 2 of this video ruclips.net/video/RLVi8MJtrMo/видео.html There are also cheaper Lutron Dimmer switches like I used in this under cabinet lighting video ruclips.net/video/Fn2YDGvzq5s/видео.html but these switches will not work with the Smart Bridge.
@@HandzforHire thnx! Just went ahead and bought the bridge .. it was only like $8 difference... plus it looks like I cant buy the bridge on it's own separately.. thnx!
@@noboringconcrete $8 isn't too bad. You can hook up to 50 Lutron devices to that one Smart Bridge, so if you ever decide to expand, you're setup. Good luck!
8:50 When drawing electrical diagram, we often use blue as white/neutral
Great video. Very informative and entertaining, I installed my first Lutron Caseta and am trying to find out if the smart bridge can be powered by POE instead of requiring another power source. It looks like I don't have a choice
MrSoulMonk I’m glad you enjoyed and that’s a really good question. I have my smart bridge using AC power but I love the idea of PoE. One less wire would be great! If you decide to try it please comment one way or another. I’m curious to know. Another option would be giving Lutron customer service a call and ask if the smart bridge is compatible.
I can’t listen to this out loud my Alexas are freaking out
Haha that’s great
LOL had same issue. Just say Alexa "Go Home" and she stops....
The LUT MLC is sold separately from the Caseta kit I’m assuming?
dragngt yes that’s correct. I have a link to the LUT MLC in my description if you’re looking for one. I think they go for about $10 each.
Handz for Hire Yeah, gonna need a few of those.
Quick question...The lights that don't shut off completely (bled from the 5A) isn't wasting extra electricity is it? Sounds like the workaround just absorbs that amount and becomes wasted so regardless that energy is being "wasted"
I mean the only downside I guess is that it may be wearing down the LED bulb life?
Hi Ian, That's a great question! It's about 5 milliAmps of current that is bleeding off to the switch so not too much, but regardless, even if you do install the LUT-MLC, those milliAmps are wasted after used by the switch. After I read your question, I got out my calculator just for fun to see how much energy is wasted per month. Calculation: Power is current * voltage, so 0.005Amps * 120 Volts = 0.6 Watts ..... Energy measured by the power company is in Kilowatt * Hours. The equation for energy is power * time. Power is 0.0006 KW and time in an average month is 720 hours. That gives us 0.432 kW*Hrs of wasted energy per month. My electric company charges about $0.15 per kW*Hr, so each Lutron switch is costing about 6.5 cents per month. In the end, not too much energy, but very cool thought and comment!
Handz for Hire that would be per switch right so if you had say 10 switches it would be about $0.65 per month so about $7.80 per year.
@@HandzforHire Do you know if the softly glowing LEDs when off make a hit on their longevity? Seems like it should be very minor but I don't know how LEDs work. I had an outdoor LED fixture on a motion sensor that was almost never at full power but didn't last more than a few years.
@@Houndsworth that's a good question too that I can't answer with data. I can guess that it shaves a small amount of life on the LED bulb. LEDs can burn out prematurely if heated. I don't think the 5mA of current is causing my bulbs to heat up, but it is chipping away at the run time hours. The LED fixtures in my kitchen are rated for 10 years and I'm 4.75 years into use. I'll keep you posted! Lol.
Hi, do you need a hub for this to work?
Angela Nadler thanks for watching! The switches will work manually without the hub but if you want them to work with the Lutron app or something else like Alexa, then you’ll need the Lutron Smart Bridge (hub).
@@HandzforHire Thanks for the quick reply and super helpful videos. They are awesome. Very detailed and easy to understand.
What do I need be side the switch? I want to make work with my cell phone pls
Hi Dennis - if you want to make it work with your cell phone, you'll also need the Lutron smart bridge which hooks directly into the back of your modem. You can connect up to 50 switches to one Lutron smart bridge, so the smart bridge is a one time purchase and then you add more switches as needed. In part 2 of the video, I show you how to set up the switch with the Lutron app and Alexa. ruclips.net/video/RLVi8MJtrMo/видео.html
Ah, unless you have pigtails connecting the switch, cutting the wires is not a great idea because, well, they get shorter. Most (all) switches have a release if they were stuffed into the quick connect holes on the backs.
Mark Eissler that’s a good plan if you don’t have much to work with. In my case, I had a lot to work with so it was quick to cut and I only lost about an inch. Have a great day!
So if I use one on a 3 way pole, does each light switch need to be a lutron caseta?
Hello! You will need one lutron caseta switch, and then the other switch can be replaced by a pico remote. I'm not sure if you saw the link to the second part of the this video, but I help explain that a little better in part 2. ruclips.net/video/RLVi8MJtrMo/видео.html Good luck!!
@@HandzforHire I will watch that one. Thank you.
@@lilyrosedaisy2003 you're welcome. Let me know how it goes!
Hello, thank you for the video but my switch only has 2 wires? I can’t find any ground wire inside. What can I do? Thank you
Hi Mikegasm TV, thanks for watching. Do you live in an older home? If so, sometime the metal switch boxes are grounded. If that’s the case, your switch will be connected to the metal box and therefore be grounded. Your switch should work just fine without the ground if you just cap off the ground.
If your metal switch box is not grounded, then this becomes a safety issue. I wouldn’t risk it. If you flip on the non-grounded switch with damp hands one day, you could get a nasty shock. A solution might be installing a GFCI outlet on the same circuit as the switch. This would at least give you some safety.
If you’re still not sure after my advice, I’d call Lutron customer service and ask them for their suggestions. I’m sure they come across this issue often. Good luck my friend!
Removing the middle tabs on the sides of the switch does not reduce voltage capacity. It reduces wattage. Big difference.
Will Dwyer dimmer switches produce heat and that heat is proportional to the load on the circuit power = current * voltage. When a fin is removed from the switch it de-rates the amount of heat that dimmer can dissipate so in turn there’s a the maximum wattage load capacity decrease. You’re right I should have said volt-ampere capacity or wattage. The reason my mind was on voltage capacity is because these dimmers vary the voltage in order to dim the lights. In relation to max load thought it’s really going to come down to max current running through the circuit when the voltage is set to the max (not dimmed) on each switch. Good catch! Thanks for watching and have a great day.
Can (lutron mrf2s-8s-dv-wh) set up wid Alexa please answer me plzzz i have bought lutron bridge it says “device is not supported” when i try to pair with with lutron app in my phone
Hello - I'm really sorry, but I think that the Maestro devices aren't compatible with the Lutron Smart Bridge. You have two options. You can either purchase a Pico remote, which works with the Maestro series and the Lutron Smart Bridge. You'd just pair your switch with the Pico remote and then find the Pico remote in your Lutron app. Or you have to exchange your current Maestro switch for a Lutron Caseta series switch to work with the smart bridge. I hope that helps!!
if you want to lease some songs my guy for your youtube channel let me know.
Those little tabs dont lower voltage they are a heat sink they all need to be removed when you have 2 switches next to one another lutron would never allow for you to remove something that would impact their device it would become.a serious problem.
Tom G dimmer switches produce heat and that heat is proportional to the load on the circuit power = current * voltage. When a fin is removed from the switch it de-rates the amount of heat that dimmer can dissipate so in turn there’s a the maximum load capacity decrease. For example, if a dimmer with all fins has a maximum load of 600W, and one side of fins are removed, the maximum load may de-rate to 500W. It’s just something you have to be careful about when you remove fins. Lutron has a section in their installation instructions that show how much the dimmer switch is de-rated per fin removed. I hope that helps explain it better. I used “lower voltage” because that’s what this type of dimmer does. Dimmers either vary current or voltage when you dim the switch. Lowering voltage is linearly proportional to the maximum load capacity or wattage you can run on the circuit. Thanks for watching and have a great day.
Why did you cut the wires? Why not just unscrew them?
Trae Dantzler I had a lot of extra wire and it was quicker to cut. The wires weren’t screwed in but push-in connectors. If I had less wire, then I definitely would have grabbed a tiny flathead screwdriver to release them. Thanks for watching!
Was your intro meant to troll everyone with and amazon echo?
Haha, that wasn't my intention, but it's funny how many have said the same thing about this video. Sorry for the troll and thanks for watching!
Your diagram is wrong@8:33 at the light you called your red(white) wire neutral, it is is a hot wire and should be labeled as such(Black tape)...Since you only have 2 wires Black(Hot) and White(Red) plus ground, both black and white would be hot. If it was a neutral it would be connected to another white neutral wire with a wire nut.
chex313 in reality, the neutral wire (red in this diagram) is connected to another white neutral wire with a wire nut. I didn’t draw it in for simplicity purposes since the neutral wire nut is located in the back of the switch box. Thanks for watching!
Kinda annoying they use wire and nuts instead of just screws on the side of the switch, kinda messy when you could just hook the wire on the screw
Good point. I'm not sure why Lutron designed it like that. I wonder if it has to do with how they had to engineer and design their casing? Maybe adding screws on the side made it too bulky? Anyways, have a great day!
Handz for Hire yeah just a pet peeve from a former electrician
@@tracemitchell2093 I can understand, the extra wire nuts in there do make it tight.
Theres no such thing as losing watts if you cut off the side pins on the caseta... its a metal piece that sticks to the metal box wich is grounded... so there's no volts going there!
When I made this video, I should have explained more clearly. The fins on the Caseta switch are heatsinks, and according to Lutron, each fin you remove lowers the amount of load that you can place on that switch. I think what Lutron means is the lower amount heat dissipated, the lower amount of max power allowed in the circuit. Therefore, removing fins causes load capacity loss in the circuit. Have a great day!
Waaay too much use of the A word(Alexa). Kept setting mine off.
Haha, sorry Jacob. Just trying to keep you on your toes. Lol. Have a great day!
@@HandzforHire Sure gave me a work out. Good video.
Why the heck would you keep saying "Alexa"!
To torture my audience.... Muhahaha. Just kidding. Sorry if it caused issues in your house. I was trying to demo how it works in my house and wasn't thinking ahead of how it would impact anyone listening to the video. Lol.
you need to mute the word alexa
Lost me at the needle-pegging logo.
Dude, when you make a video you have to cut out the “Alexa”part every time you say it!!!!
Castaneda? You might want to learn how to pronounce the name of the product before you make a video about it.
Will Dwyer I have a good friend with that last name and while recording made the mistake once in the video haha. I had it correct the rest of the time I think. Otherwise, how did you like the video?