Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I found the dimmers in this kit to be easy to install. The components are high quality, and well designed which makes them easy and intuitive to use. The kit includes everything you need to control two light circuits in a variety of ways: directly using the dimmer switch; wirelessly using the Pico remotes; with a smart phone or tablet using the free app; with voice commands using Apple’s Siri (e.g. “turn on the kitchen lights”); with programmed instructions using the app (e.g. turn porch lights on at sunset, and off at 11:30 pm). If you are upgrading circuits that are controlled by a single switch, installation is simple. Just remove the two wires from your existing switch, connect them to the Lutron’s two wires and that’s it. You don’t even need to worry about the ordering of the two wires - it doesn’t matter. Of course, connect the ground wire if you can, but it’s not essential. Upgrading circuits controlled by two switches (called a 3-way circuit) is a little bit more complicated. In this case you’ll probably want to install a Pico remote in one switch box, and the dimmer in the other. You’ll need to purchase a Pico Wall Plate Bracket, available here on amazon to mount the Pico. Upgrading circuits with three or more switches is the most complex case, but still doable. Lutron has instructions showing how to handle all these cases in it’s Advanced Installation Guide - a PDF file you can download from their website. I’m impressed with the design - there is more depth than you might at first think. For example, the Pico remotes are more than they seem at first. They are exactly the same size as the visible / touchable part of a standard light switch, and they can therefore be installed anywhere a light switch currently exists. Since they don’t need to be wired in, they can also be installed in lots of other places: stick a wall plate anywhere, and pop the Pico inside the hole - it will look just like a real wired-in switch; set it on a table, or carry it in your car or pocket. I’ll upload a photo showing a Pico mounted in a wall plate so you can see how seamlessly it fits. I solved a tough wiring problem thanks to this kit. My wrap-around porch lights are on two different circuits - one for the side, and one for the front. A walk across the house was needed adjust the lights at the two dimmers. The traditional way to solve this would require wire pulling, cuts into walls and ceilings, drywall repair and repainting - way too much work. With this kit I used the two Caseta dimmers to replace my existing ones. I then paired each Pico remote to control *both* dimmers. I installed a Pico next to each dimmer and job done! Now I use the Pico in either location, and all my porch lights can be adjusted together. I used the Lutron app to turn my porch lights on at sunset, and off at 11:30 pm (set to 15% brightness). It works like a charm, and means no more forgetting to turn off the porch lights. The switches will automatically adjust as the sunset time changes, so there is no need to fiddle with the ON time throughout the year. It all happens automatically. This second generation Smart Bridge brings support for Apple’s HomeKit, which among other things means you can adjust your lights using Siri voice control. I really like this feature. It’s cool, and it’s fun. I just say “turn on the porch lights”, and Siri makes it happen. It’s too early for me to say this is truly useful - perhaps the novelty will wear off in time. There are other Apple-based possibilities as well, such as having your lights come on when you arrive home (or more precisely, when your iPhone arrives within the geofence). These are early days for HomeKit, and I’m sure it will expand in capability, especially if the marketplace signals interest. If you have a first generation Smart Bridge it won’t do the Apple stuff, but it will still work fine otherwise. The Pico remotes come with pedestal mounts, basically a sturdy weighted base with a rubber bottom. These are surprisingly good quality. Nice to have if you do not mount the Pico’s on the wall as I did. Something about Lutron dimmers that’s worth mentioning is their ability to dim down very low - till your bulb is giving off the faintest orange glow. And do it in silence, with no noticeable hum. Not all dimmers can do this. You can probably tell I think this is a good product. Of course, nothing is perfect, so here are a few nit-picks describing some things I don’t like: 1. The included instruction sheet gives enough information for basic, simple setup, but I found I needed to go to the website and root around for the complete instructions. 2. The app runs only in portrait mode, which is fine on the iPhone, but a bit of a pain on the iPad. 3. Setup was a bit surprising. I disconnect my old bridge, and plugged in the new one, as per written instructions. But then the app had me reconnect the old bridge in order to transfer information. Not a big deal, but the documentation should be updated. I've reviewed Caseta products before, in some detail, and not much has changed other than the Smart Bridge and Apple integration. So if you’d like more details please see my other reviews.