Lutron Caseta Smart Plug-In Lamp Dimmer Switch Kit with Pico Remote, Smart Dimmer for LED Lights, Table and Floor Lamps, 100W, Single-Pole/3-Way, P-PKG1P-WH

This isn’t the best choice of an outlet mounted dimmable on/off power switch. It is the only choice. Sure there are a few no name brand switches that can be operated with a handheld remote control and there are an increasing number of outlet switches can be operated using an app or even with your Alexa device, but there is nothing I could find anywhere that is a brand name dimmable switch that you can simply plug something in to, walk up to it and turn it on and off and dim it up and down just as if it was a wired wall switch. Nothing. That alone makes it worth its weight in gold. And to cut right to the chase it works and it does exactly what I expected it to do.WHYTo detail that, in my case the need was for me to install a track light above the kitchen counter space I use most often for food prep. When they built the house they put lights over the sink and over the stove and over the center of the kitchen floor but they left one long countertop entirely without its own lighting. Installing the track light was easy as shown in my pic, it is in exactly the right place and I use Philips Bight White LED 50 watt bulbs in three track light fixtures with frosted side flutes. The lighting is perfect but when I’m not actually working at the counter it sure would be nice to be able to dim the down a little.The problem is that unless I wanted to pay a lot to have an electrician wire a permanent wall switch in, the best way to power these lights is to simply plug them in to an outlet right above the counter. There are some simple power switches that you can get at the local fixit store that can turn a light on and off but I wanted to do that plus be able to dim them. The Caseta switch could not be more perfectly designed. Without the need for remote controls or apps or anything complicated any family member can simply tap the on or off buttons or touch the up or down dimmer buttons. There is a second outlet available on the switch that I am considering to use to plug in a task light over the stove for added convenience.This switch would be perfect just the way it is and no matter where I looked it was the same price everywhere. I chose to opt for this kit that includes a wireless remote control because of a special deal one day and I’m glad I did. Now if someone leaves the kitchen task light on accidentally I can turn it off from the next room without having to get up. That to me is convenient, if not entirely necessary.IS A HUB NECESSARYThere is one important thing that needs to be cleared up about the product description and that is that no, it is not necessary to buy an expensive hub to use these switch as I described above. It works perfectly out of the box as a stand alone product or with the remote control without any additional accessories. You need a hub ONLY if you want to control the switch with an app or by using Alexa or a similar device. Okay, I use those personal assistants every day for a lot of reasons but I think it overcomplicates the function of a simple outlet switch to have to use an app just to turn something on and off. I think the whole idea of requiring a hub for any of these devices will be obsolete in a year or two for three reasons – they are overpriced, there is no compatible standard between them, and they require plugging them in to an Ethernet port on a router, which as the world goes wireless is becoming a dinosaur relic. My house doesn’t even have an accessible Ethernet port these days and it won’t be long before most houses don’t.WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THE WALL DIMMERThe wall dimmer is close to perfect in design. You simply plug it into an outlet, plug your light into it and you’re done – no apps or programming or learning complicated commands. There are four push buttons that you can actually feel move. Two of them are white and two of them are dark gray. The top white button turns the light on and the bottom dark gray button turns it off. When power the light instead of it just popping on or off the brightness fades softly up or down. The middle two buttons are actually a split diagonal with the upper white part increasing the brightness and the bottom dark gray part dimming the light.WHAT THEY COULD IMPROVE ABOUT THE WALL DIMMERThe first thing that seems obvious that I would recommend is that the white on button should glow softly so it is easy to find in the dark. The second thing is that there should be memory function so you can have the light turn on to a preset level if you choose. And the third thing is that the design makes you use your bottom outlet on your wall plug, which means when you press any button the whole device rocks up and down a little. Yes you could plug it in to the top outlet but if you do then you lose the use of the bottom outlet on your wall plug. By plugging it in to the bottom outlet if you have something else plugged in above it the cord drapes down right in front of the push buttons on the Caseta. I solved that by plugging in a Hug-A-Plug adapter which routes the cord off to the side and also gives me back an extra unswitched outlet.WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THE REMOTE CONTROLRemember I didn’t really need a remote control, but as long as it was included I like that the buttons replicate the function of the wall plug almost exactly but as a bonus they include a fifth little round button that memorizes your favorite light brightness and lets you turn the power on to that exact level.WHAT THEY COULD IMPROVE ABOUT THE REMOTE CONTROLIf you own an Apple TV you know how customers feel about the slim remote control, fifty percent of the time you will grab it upside-down and either nothing will happen or you push the wrong button. Lutron makes the same mistake here, unless you look very closely at the remote you have a one in two chance that you will be holding it upside-down. The other mistake, which should be so obvious, is that they make the remote all one shade of white instead of following the excellent theme of using white buttons for on and dark gray buttons for dim or off. What were they thinking.

I have a cheap, but cool looking floor lamp with a poorly placed switch, so it got little use.Tried 3 different Apple HomeKit compatible wi-fi enabled wireless switches, but none worked.Saw this switch and realized that I already had a Lutron Casera Pico wi-fi control.Set it up in less than 5 minutes!Now my neglected lamp is fulfilling its intended role!Love it!

I love this kit. It took minutes to set up and now I can dim my lamp from the bed or couch. The Pico remote feels high quality and the dimmer works perfectly with LED bulbs. Seamless with HomeKit too.

Nothing beats the Caseta system

90% of my house is outfitted with lutron caseta light switches and motion detectors. App is easy to use (also works with alexa and others). Slowing getting the rest of my house outfitted with Lutron Caseta switches! Their customer service is fantastic as well! Highly recommend!

Lutron switches and dimmers are the best. Very reliable. I love that they work with the Lutron hub for wireless control over WiFi.I hooked this up to some LED garage shop lights to turn them on and off. I also have one for the lamp next to my bed which has a 200W LED bulb that I can dim and turn off and on with my phone or the Lutron remote while I’m in bed.I use Lutron dimmer switches throughout my home. Started using them in my original 3-story townhome so I wouldn’t have to run up and down stairs to turn off lights that I’d forgotten to turn off before going to bed! Saved my knees.I also use Lutron’s geo fencing to automatically turn off lights when I leave home and to turn them on when I return.

I think Lutron products are great. I have Caseta Products throughout my home. This, however, was a failure at first, until I tried many bulbs to find one that would dim less than 50% brightness.I purchased this to replace my manual dimmer switch and to have HomeKit control. This just does not operate as good as the actual wall switches, but it gets the job done.What I had to use is a Feit 100w vintage LED bulb which lets me dim pretty much down to a 5% brightness level. Any other dimmable LED bulb with a lower wattage just didn’t work right or flickered.

I wish Lutron made something not so expensive for this but it works well. Used it to control the end table lamps in my TV room with a Pico on a stand on the coffee table. I put the device into non-dimming mode since the Ikea lamps have custom non-dimming bulbs and used a simple on/off Pico. You have to find the Lutron “advanced instructions” online to learn how to do that. So I’m wasting the dimmer capability, hence wishing Lutron had a cheaper device. But still, this is a useful device