Lutron is one of the most high-end brand names in smart home technology. With that kind of reputation, it's no surprise that they have a range of options to choose from when it comes to controlling your home's lighting.
The Lutron Caséta and the RA2 Select are just two of the four options that they have when it comes to controlling your smart home’s lighting system. These are their two biggest lines when it comes to light and voice control for homeowners. Deciding which one is right for your smart home can be tricky.
The Lutron Caséta is able to connect two fewer devices, but has a lower price tag and is able to integrate with brands like Samsung and Logitech. The RA2 Select can connect to up to 100 devices and in general features more options than the Caséta, but it does demand a higher price tag. Let's take a deep dive into these two smart home control systems and determine which one is right for your home.
Your Introduction to Lutron
Lutron isn't just any smart home technology company. This is the Cadillac of lighting control and smart switches. If you're looking for a high-end name brand in the smart home world, then you found it.
Lutron makes a wide range of products for people looking to gain more control over their home’s lighting. These include switches, sensors, and other devices that you can build right into the very walls of your home.
Two of their flagship smart home control systems are the Lutron Caséta and the RA2 Select (its full name is Radio RA2 Select). There's a lot of buzz online about these two systems, but not a lot of discussion about the pros and cons and their differences.
Let's take a closer look at these two systems and try to figure out which one is going to be right for your smart home.
Overview of the Lutron Caseta
Let's kick off our discussion with the Lutron Caséta.
The first thing you're going to notice about the Lutron Caséta is that it is only able to connect to up to 75 devices (the previous limit of 50 was increased back in 2019). Typically, this is going to be more than enough for your average smart home’s lighting needs. 75 individual components can easily cover a decent sized home. However, if you're a smarthome superuser, or you have a much larger home to cover, 75 just might not cut it for your needs – especially if you have dozens of smart light switches.
Another key factor to keep in mind when discussing the Lutron Caséta is its connectivity options. The Caséta is able to connect to Samsung, Logitech, and a few other brands that the RA2 Select is unable to network with. Both of these devices are able to connect to Google Assistant and Amazon's Alexa. It's up to you whether being able to connect to brands like Samsung and Logitech make a big enough difference to swing this choice.
Another big advantage of the Lutron Caséta is that it can be installed without professional help. Installing the Caséta is a DIY job that you can handle on your own. One of the most fun things about having a smarthome ecosystem is being able to say that you put this system together from the ground up without having a pro come by and install it for you.
The last factor we're going to mention about the Lutron Caséta is that it has a maximum coverage of up to 2,500 square feet. That's a whole lot of square feet and should cover the needs of your average sized home.
One downside, though, is that Caseta is often unavailable outside of America. In this case, you may need to explore alternative smart switch providers, or look at the more expensive RA2 system. So now let's take a look at the Caséta’s big brother the RA2 Select.
Moving Up to the RA2 Select
The RA2 Select is a much beefier option than the Caséta. If you have a larger home or if you just want to connect to more devices, this might be the clear winner for you
The RA2 Select has a maximum coverage of 7,500 square feet. Not only will this take care of most small and average-sized homes, it's also a great choice for considerably larger estates. This system also handles up to 100 connected devices which is ideal for these larger homes as well as users with more expensive systems.
While the RA2 Select does not play nice with brands like Samsung and Logitech, it works just fine with Google Assistant and Amazon's Alexa.
The RA2 Select also has another big advantage in that it gives you more toys to play with. The RA2 Select system not only features more options when it comes to light switch, there are also built-in lighting options and other devices that only work with the RA2 Select.
Speaking of more options, the RA2 Select also has slightly more refined light switches available to it. The RA2 Select has a few additional built-in sensors as well as the ability to give users more options when it comes to controlling their smart homes.
All of these additional benefits and perks, of course, come with a higher price tag:
- The Lutron Caseta starter kit is usually around $100 (depending on which one you buy).
- The Lutron RA2 starter kit is usually $400.
Now that you've been introduced to both of these systems, let's go over the pros and cons of each one.
Pros and Cons of the Caseta and the RA2 Select
Let's do a quick pros and cons list of both the Caséta and the RA2 Select. This will give you a quick overview of the strengths and weaknesses of these two systems before we talk about them in much more detail.
If you're looking for the long and the short of both of these smart home systems, this is it.
The Caséta is Lutron’s entry-level system, and it comes with all of the pros and cons you'd expect from that description. This is what you can expect with the Caséta:
- Connects up to 75 devices.
- Works with Logitech, Samsung, and SmartThings.
- Affordable.
- No sensors.
- Fewer control options.
- Shorter coverage range.
The RA2 Select is Lutron’s flagship smart home system. It's a premier option from a premier company which means that you can expect a high-end product. Here's a few pros and cons to consider about the RA2 Select.
- Connects up to 100 devices on the main repeater.
- Uses the Lutron App.
- Commands a higher price tag.
- RF Occupancy and RF Temperature sensors.
- Up to 7,500 square-foot range, due to the extra repeaters you can purchase and use.
- A wide array of high-end switches and devices available for the line.
As you can see from this quick overview, the RA2 Select has far more pros than it has cons. However, the one in major kind of a higher price tag could be a quick deal-breaker for many smart home users.
Let's take a closer look at what features you should be looking for when deciding between these two systems.
Which Lutron System is Best for You?
Trying to decide which one of Lutron’s systems is going to be best for you is no easy task. Each of these systems provides a different suite of services that can make or break the deal for a given smart home.
One thing's for sure, no matter which one of Lutron’s whole-home systems you purchase, you're going to be getting one of the most high-end smart home products available.
Here's a quick breakdown of some of the key features that smart tech homeowners used to decide which option is right for them.
Amount of Devices
Here’s one of the biggest factors that might make her break which one of these smart home control solutions you wind up going with. The Caséta is limited to being able to connect to just up to 75 devices while the RA2 Select has a maximum limit of 200.
If you have a small to average size smart home, the Caséta is going to be the right option for you. Connecting up to 75 devices might not look like that much when displayed next to the RA2’s maximum limit of 200, but it is typically more than enough smart lighting scenes systems for your average home. If you're lighting a commercial building or a much larger home, you're going to want to go with the RA2 to give yourself a little breathing room.
Cost
We can't do a comparison guide for smart home tech buyers without talking about price.
At the end of the day, cost is a major factor when buying new smart home technology. We spend a lot of money putting together our smart home systems, and we want to make sure that we're using this money wisely. The most expensive option isn't always the right one for your home or your smart home ecosystem.
Entry level costs for the Caséta are typically much smaller than those for the RA2 Select. In fact, the Caséta’s entry-level kit comes in at less than half of the cost of the entry level kit for the RA2 Select.
Connectivity Features
Smart home systems thrive and struggle based on how well they can connect to not only their own devices but with other pieces of smart home technology in your ecosystem.
The connectivity features of these two devices are different. There's really no other way to put it. While the RA2 Select offers some more sophisticated connectivity options, the Caséta is able to connect to a wider range of other brands. The Caséta might be the right option for smart home users that are looking to integrate a wide range of different technologies while the RA2 Select could be a solid choice for smart home users who aren't planning on using some of these less common brands.
We should take a moment to highlight that both the Caséta and the RA2 Select work with Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa. No matter which one you pick, it's going to work just fine with the two biggest names in smart home technology.
Room for Expansion
This is the feature that people talk about the least when deciding which new smart home technology to buy. It's not about which device has the flashiest features, it's about your goals for the future and where you plan on taking your smart home system.
The Caséta and the RA2 Select both have room for expansion. The RA2 Select is able to connect to more devices and if size is the direction you are considering expanding in, it might be the right choice for you. The Caséta is able to connect to a more diverse range of smart home technology brands. If you want to be ready to onboard new technology from competing companies, such as Logitech, then the Caséta I might be the option you want to reach for.
Think over the features that we've talked about today as well as your goals for the future of your smart home automation systems and we're sure that you'll come to the right choice when picking between Lutron’s Caséta and their RA2 Select.
