Question for you lucky devils who have a device in hand, or for the wizards at the ST mothership. I have a Lutron Radio RA2 lighting system, and it looks like the best path to get ST and Lutron talking is through Telnet. Is this relatively easily accomplished if I know all the syntax needed for commands and feedback?
Telnet wont be compiled into the production hub firmware. Right now its in there but is locked down. Working with the RA2 system looks cool. I want to look into it more. How do you like it?
Very very much. I’ve worked with hardwired Lutron systems for 12 years, and the RA2 is awesome. The T-Stats work great, the wireless occupancy sensors are flawless, and the system itself is very logical and sensible to program and install. Also, the App works perfectly…have I gushed enough? I’d be willing to work with you guys to test the RA2 with your system and jump through whatever hoops you can devise. I’ll be putting the Ube in as well when it comes out, and trying to use the Ubi as a frontend when it arrives.
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SmartThings was built to not care about the protocol. Once local network control is smoothed out Ubi will work great. I’m very interested in learning more about the RA2 and its method of control. Being able to bridge that gap would be super awesome for everyone.
The RA2 control is pretty straightforward. Every device (keypad,dimmer, switch, sensor) on the system has an address. Commands for rs232 and network are the same. Essentially, hey press button 2 on keypad 4 <CR> <LF>.
I’m very interested in moving to the SmartThings system (currently have a Vera 3) but I have a half dozen Lutron Maestro devices (same command and interface protocol as RA2) working through a network gateway on my Vera and don’t want to have to replace them. I have the protocol document and LUUP code that’s used on the Vera. If I can help get this moving I would be happy to join in.
Hey Urman. I would like to add my two cents on this topic. I am a DIY and love technology. I love lutrons lighting system it works flawlessly every time. Lutrons system offers awesome looking switches, dimmers (including a LED dimmer RRD-6cl) and scene controllers that are all programmed using Lutrons software that only select can download. (To become a select you need to take the online training course, it’s free for anyone to take and software will be yours for free as well). After you take the course you need the switches/dimmers as well as the lutron main repeater. The repeater is the heart if the system and also makes a bridge between the radioRA2 wireless signal and TCP (using upto 4 telnet sessions as a time). All of lutron products uses telnet access to send and receive info from the lutron system. The commands have a really quick learning curve for many to learn and are extremely powerful. Here is a telnet line to make a dimmer(ID #5) dim to 75% over 10 seconds. #OUTPUT,5,1,75,10
Lutron also will send back status via telnet when a dimmer is changed or if a button is pressed as well or you can even ask the device it’s statue at any point using comand of
?OUTPUT,5,1
Even the lutron app is all done through telnet commands. So lutron does lighting great, only problem is that’s all they do. I want something that will bridge the awesomeness of lutron lighting system with my locks, and outside world of IFTTT. I want to be able to have the lutron Powr Savr occupancy sensor not only turn on my lights but send me a text that it was triggered or dorky things like when I press the “movie” scene on my Lutron SeeTouch wallpad it updates my FB page via IFTTT to say “Movie time as home” (I honestly would never do that but I’m making a point here). I’m willing to help in anyway to get this running. Please let me know. Also I included the like to protocals before for lutron.
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Bump. Any word if the ST will allow me to send telnet commands out of it?
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Welp, I just bought a house decked out with Lutron Radio RA 2 lighting so you better believe I am going to try to look into this, I also see that the Lutron shades work with Radio RA 2.
One thing I am going to look into is the new Logitech/SmartThings integration, as I saw the Logitech remote control Lutron blinds at a recent Logitech event.
If I can initiate (Lutron) scenes with SmartThings Hello, Home action, by way of Logitech that may do it for me for the time being but I really want a tighter integration. Doesn’t sound however that Lutron is that open to 3rd party integrations. I could be wrong.
Lutron is actually pretty good with third party, but in my experience, it’s always through telnet. I’m not sure how Logitech is doing it, however. Some shades work with Ra2, make sure you get the right ones. I have my shades integrated with both movie scenes on my remote, and time of day to open and close.
Ben, I would say the best way to have the remote control the shades or any light control would be using a radiora2 seetouch that has IR. If the house was fully set up correct it should have a repeater. If I were you get onto Lutrons site and take the training for radiora2. Once you finish you will be able to download the software to program everything. Still waiting for a hub to allow you to send telnet commands, weather it’s smartthings or any of the others. All I want to do it control radiora2 lights and shades though ifttt!!
I bet you’re gonna jump on Wink hub now, no? Tee-hee 
Wink hub doesn’t support radiora 2 devices. Lutrons ClearConnect is broken into a couple of part, all still using the same freq. There is Caséta and Radiora 2. Wink and a couple of the other hubs only support the Caséta. Right now the only way to get a radiora2 system on a network is with the lutron radiora2 repeater (about $500 or $350 on eBay). And once you have it on the network you can use lutron software to program everything and the lutron app to control everything. It easily takes telnet commands which is what some of these hubs should be looking to use to control it!! Hint hint smartthings!!!
Hear-hear. Well, now that @ben is personally vested, we can rest assured that STv2 will have telnet support. 
Would you prefer IFTTT to native SmartThings for your scenarios?
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Well IFTTT is just a cool gateway I would want to be able to trigger some of the scenes I set up. Like all lights on when the drop cam sees motion or the smoke alarm goes off (nest protect) or even better energy saving mode where ever light is 20% dimmer when the weather is sunny outside or something. But really I just want a hub that can send telnet to the repeater. It’s really the best way for the hub because the hub can get feedback information from the radiora2 device, status information if it’s on and if so the power level. Also radiora2 has some 120v inline relays for things like outdoor lighting. I don’t own a ST. Infact I don’t own any hub at this moment. I am waiting for a device that can talk to radiora2 and not just Caseta. Leaving price out of it I don’t think any other company has dimmers that are as good as the radiora2 dimmers. And when you add SeeTouch devices into the system and program it using the software (hope you did you lutron training to get ur software @Ben if not contact me and I can take care of you) there is no other lighting system that’s better. I think that ST is the closest device to target the radiora2 world and I would be ready to help test!! Plus I have already been working with telnet commands for lutron using an automation software called QLabs for church events.
No that’s for first gen radiora. That uses telnet too but via serial. You want RR-MAIN-REP-WH
Holy Moly! $400 and it only covers 30 ft (a single room basically)? What a PoS!
FYI, SmartThings don’t have “scenes” in true sense. It has “Hello Actions” that somewhat similar but more limited. Also, you cannot trigger actions from IFTTT directly. IFTTT can only control on/off switches and door locks, so you’d have to manually create virtual switches and use a custom smart app to map switches to actions.