Hello, current non-smartthings user here that has a dozen or so Lutron Caseta switches in my house. Does Smartthings currently support Lutron’s clearconnect system? Has anyone had success with using Smartthings and lutron switches/products?
I believe in the reliability of lutron switches and currently use a Staples Connect hub (read horrible). The only thing keeping me from jumping ship and getting Smartthings hub is the support for 90% of my devices which are lutron caseta clearconnect based.
Does Smartthings have any plans to integrate with lutron any time in the short future? This is already apple homekit and works with nest compatible…
No Lutron antennas have been announced for the next generation SmartThings hub, and ST staff have said there are currently no plans to add it. You can put a post in the Suggest a Device topic, ST staff read that:
tgauchat
(ActionTiles.com co-founder Terry @ActionTiles; GitHub: @cosmicpuppy)
3
Perhaps some solidarity can be formed on the Lutron Forum as well…
No Lutron support now, or likely anytime soon! I too have a home with an older Lutron Grafik Eye system in the living room and kitchen, and there is no clear and easy path to get it integrated. I swapped out all of my “dumb” Lutron dimmers in the rest of the house for Leviton z-wave dimmers, so all of those are in ST.
Maybe someone will come up with an Arduino interface of some sort…
Nothing Lutron can do, ST has to have telnet to connect to the Lutron API. Staples has IT, Insteon has IT, Wink has IT. ST wants Lutron connectivity, they have to start there.
tgauchat
(ActionTiles.com co-founder Terry @ActionTiles; GitHub: @cosmicpuppy)
6
Would this require the Lutron SmartBridge or will this also work with the staples connect hub?
tgauchat
(ActionTiles.com co-founder Terry @ActionTiles; GitHub: @cosmicpuppy)
10
I haven’t researched exhaustively, but it seems that Staples Connect support of Lutron is somewhat limited. Does Lutron have multiple different protocols? … Or has Staples just not included device drivers for the the full-range, etc?
And… I don’t think Staples Connect nor the router has an open API to patch through.
The one intended for residential DIY use is Caseta. That’s the one that works with Staples Connect, Wink, Insteon, and Apple’s HomeKit. It typically also included the Serena line of window coverings.
tgauchat
(ActionTiles.com co-founder Terry @ActionTiles; GitHub: @cosmicpuppy)
12
Same as “Clear Connect 2”?
Well… multiple protocols makes things a bit complicated. I have friends with Lutron systems, but I’m presuming now that they are the professional kind. The only way to convince them to add SmartThings to their home is if their existing lighting systems could be fully integrated. That’s a pain point … and opportunity.
I have looked at this approach, and it’s doable, but a royal pain in the…
For this to work right, you need a Telnet intermediary as you suggest, and you need to model the state of the Lutron system. Doing this you could, in theory, map a Lutron system into ST, and from the ST side it could look similar to other devices. I got tired just thinking about it…
tgauchat
(ActionTiles.com co-founder Terry @ActionTiles; GitHub: @cosmicpuppy)
15
Yup. Frankly, I love thinking about it; but firmly feel that the effort required is only justified if there is some significant financial motivation… i.e., will the end result be good enough to sell and will it be in demand with a decent barrier to competition?
I haven’t done market research, but I’m of the impression, as I mentioned, that many upper-middle-class homes are Lutron entrenched for lighting. IF they seriously desire adding SmartThings, then paying a fair fee for a Lutron integration system would be a no-brainer. But there’s a lot of “if’s”.
I think you’re less likely to be getting migration from upper middle-class homes, and more likely to be getting migration from early adopter DIY homes using Staples connect or wink. That might be a market.
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tgauchat
(ActionTiles.com co-founder Terry @ActionTiles; GitHub: @cosmicpuppy)
18
Anecdotally, I don’t find that to be the case.
Their systems are piecemeal … pre-“Smart Home”. Instead they have separate systems for Lighting (Lutron), Security (ADT or similar), HVAC (Nest!), and AV (Sonos, etc).
SmartThings has an opportunity to join these piecemeal household, but not if it makes things more complicated. It would have to be a seamless integration. That’s the value-add, I think. But, yup, probably more of a challenge than a blank slate… except that these folks already see the value of Lutron Scenes and simple lighting automation, so they are primed for more.
This is correct. Personally, I don’t think most purchasers or people having a home built, who end up with Lutron had a clue about lighting or HA prior. It’s just what they end up with. Also, the vast majority of these Lutron lighting systems don’t do much in the way of scenes. Sure, they are called “scenes”, but to most people that just means you push a particular button and some lights come on or turn off. Seriously, to call these even lighting systems is a stretch. Because, the people who put them in, i.e. builders, do not have a clue – they just want to finish the project and move on.
I seriously doubt there is any market AT ALL for upgrading these homes with automation, aside from DIY people like me. My wife will testify that my adding ST definitely made things more complicated ("Honey, the lights in the closet didn’t come on), and I haven’t touched the Lutron part of the house. I can’t see replacing the Lutron stuff with presently available hardware that works with ST (no decent multi-button controllers), and I can’t see expending the effort to integrate it into ST as a one-off. There is no business to be had for such an integration – zip nada zilch.
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tgauchat
(ActionTiles.com co-founder Terry @ActionTiles; GitHub: @cosmicpuppy)
21
The item I highlighted in your quote is, explicitly, a reason I see for integration.
Lutron system users are accustomed to the functional elegance of simple multi-button wall gangbox and table-mounted scene controllers.
Many SmartThings customers would benefit from these, but Lutron customers would demand that they still work (and work on the expanded system).
In other words, existing Lutron switches are less important to integrate than the user interface, reliability, and simplicity.
thinking about it; but firmly feel that the effort required is only justified if there is some significant financial motivation… i.e., will the end result be good enough to sell and will it be in demand with a decent barrier to competition?