If you’re in the market for the best smart outlet plug, look no further than the Lutron Caseta Dimmer Plug. You can add dimmer switches to any nearby lamp while simultaneously adding home automation with its smart light functionality. This is the kind of dimmer switch you need if you don’t want to replace electrical outlets (no need to mess with neutral wires), but still want to move towards a smart home lighting system.
Why We Like It – Lutron Caseta Dimmer
With the Lutron Caseta Dimmer Plug, you can avoid pulling out your old light switches, and rely solely on the plug itself as a smart lighting dimmer switch.
- Can handle two lamps
- Can connect to Lutron app
- Setting it up is a cinch
- A bit expensive
Performance
The Lutron Caseta Dimmer Plug works exceptionally well. Once you plug a lamp in, you’re ready to go. The lamp will only go as bright as the wattage—300-watt incandescent or halogen bulbs, or 100 100-watt dimmable CFL and LED bulbs. It even pairs nicely with Philips Hue smart lighting.
Rather than use the buttons on the plug or the Pico remote control that comes with the starter kit, you can use the Lutron smart app or voice control. However, you’ll need a smart bridge in order to take advantage of smart switches. And with Clear Connect RF technology, it shouldn’t interfere with other frequencies.
The Lutron Dimmer Caseta Smart Home Plug-in works with a versatile set of wireless smart devices such as Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, and Amazon Alexa. Only the Wemo Mini Smart Plug can compete with that.
Design
The Lutron Caseta Dimmer Plug doesn’t need a lot of space to operate. Being about the size of your palm, plugging it should very rarely interrupt any other devices, if at all. However, the Gosund Mini Smart Plug is a lot smaller in size. Once it’s plugged in, the dimmer controls are located on the front of the plug.
Additionally, you can control the light levels with the Lutron application, available for both Android and iOS (and if you’re using a bridge). Two plugs can be found on the left and right side, supporting two lamps at once, unlike the Amazon Smart Plug only sporting a single outlet. If you want to monitor and control your office electronics and appliances from your smartphone, click the Monoprice wireless smart power strip review.
Value
Given how well the Lutron Caseta Dimmer Plug performs, handling two lamps, and giving old lightbulbs a new lease on life, the plug-in has excellent value. Sure, it’s still a bit on the pricier side, but it does more than dim light bulbs. You don’t need modern light bulbs to make use of it, just think how much money you’re saving there. And the extra smart device functionality is pretty nice once it has been set up. To ensure that your electronics stay off when you head to work, you need a smart plug that automatically controls your power usage. For more details, open our Kasa smart wi fi plug review.
Lutron Caseta Dimmer Wrap Up
The Lutron Caseta Dimmer Plug does well dimming lamps and then some. Your still working light bulbs become dimmer lights without ever replacing them, and all you do is plug it in. Its price of $45 sounds steep for such a tiny device, but you’re saving a whole lot more on lightbulbs, not to mention gaining smart device functionality.
