Lutron RadioRA2 vs Caseta

Lutron Caseta dimmers (and the matching hub), are solid devices with good 3rd party integration options. It's a good option for smaller installations, though it's a bit pricey.

Lutron RadioRA2, on the other hand, is a great option for larger installations (up to 200 devices for fully certified installers/dealers). It's even more pricey however, at $120-ish for an LED compatible dimmer, several hundred for a multibutton keypad, $400 for a touchscreen thermostat, and around $50 for a motion sensor. Even mid sized systems quickly get very expensive.

I often see mention of RadioRA2 on r/homeautomation, and thought I'd share some installer insight for those who maybe purchased a home with it already installed, or are considering installing it. Beyond being a dealer/installer/programmer, I also have a RadioRA2 system in my own home, and I live with it every day. If there's something you'd like to know that's not addressed here, just ask.

The Good:

• The hardware (switches, keypads, appliance modules, etc..) have a quality feel, are available in a wide range of colors (usually special order), and typically last a long time. While you'll only find white or almond at most retailers, Lutron offers all of their switches, dimmers, and other wallbox controls is a large palette of colors and textures, even stainless steel.
• The multibutton in-wall and table top keypads are backlit, and come with a voucher for custom engraving. I have yet to see another brand that comes close to the high-end look of these.
• Lutron in based in Pennsylvania, is family owned, and has real live tech support people available by phone 24/7.
• Each device knows all of the programming, so if the hub is disconnected for whatever reason, scenes and other advanced features still work, albeit a little slowly.
• The switches are pretty smart all by themselves. Press and hold to start a slow-fade-to-off timer. Hold longer for a longer timer. Double-tap the switch to bring the light to 100% quickly. Power failure memory remembers the last state of the switch (on/off and brightness level).
• Every multi-button in-wall keypad has an IR receiver in it. While this is outdated for the most part, it may be useful in some installations.
• There are thin, battery operated remotes that fit in standard switch plates and can be surface mounted. Basically, you can add a wall switch for any function, at any location.
• There's a car visor remote with exceptional range that can trigger lighting scenes and door openers.
• Optional alarm panel inputs can either flash certain lights (i.e. flash the driveway lights to help emergency crews locate you) or lock the system into a predetermined state (pressing keypad buttons or switches will have no effect).
• Though there's an optional annual contract for cloud access to your system available from Lutron, the system itself is not cloud based. It functions with or without internet access. The switches and dimmers are still switches and dimmers, and will always function as such. Want to turn on the light without using an app, keypad, or 3rd party hub? Just use the switch in the wall.
• There are many types of switches and modules available for any conceivable load type. Incandescent/halogen, magnetic and electronic low voltage, LED, CFL, dimmable flourescent, 0-10 volt dimming, PWM dimming, non-dimmed loads, motors, fan speed controls, dry contact outputs for triggering 3rd party devices like garage door openers.
• For higher current applications, optional power modules can be added to the switches and dimmers. Need to dim 10KW of lights with one switch? Done.
• There are devices available for the dreaded 'no-neutral' application, and they work fairly well.
• The built in timer knows when sunrise/sunset is, and can trigger events based on that, or any arbitrary time before or after, or simply at a predetermined time.
• Timeclock modes allow you to suspend certain events (i.e. don't shut off the outside lights at 11:00pm today because I'm entertaining guests). This can be triggered with a keypad button or via the app.
• There are optional dry contact inputs that can trigger lighting scenes, timeclock modes, or just individual loads.
• There's an app.
• There are 3rd party apps that are better than the Lutron app.
• The hub has a real ethernet port and an RS-232 port for interfacing with 3rd party hardware. The integration protocol is the same for both, is well documented, and allows you to both poll the system for device status as well as outputting device status updates every time something happens. This makes it easy to use it to trigger 3rd party hardware based on a specific button press, HVAC temperature, etc..
• Lutron offers some of the best automated (don't say motorized, they hate that) shades in the business. In fact, Lutron sells more automated shades than all of their competitors combined. They're very very quiet, can be either hardwired for power (new construction) or battery operated (retrofit). They have something for just about any application, including roller shades, cellular shades, wood slats, room darkening shades, skylight shades, and my personal favorite, projection screen drapes. Who doesn't want those great red velvet curtains slowly pulling back to reveal their home theater screen as the lights go down and the movie starts to play?
• It's designed to be installed without running any new wires. Batteries are used for some devices (shades, occ sensors, HVAC temp sensor, optionally table top keypads), but the batteries typically die from old age before they get drained from usage.

The Bad:

• The occupancy/vacancy sensors have only 3 time settings for triggering a vacancy function (typically turning off a light). 5, 15, and 30 minutes are the only choices. This means that my bathroom light is always on for 5 minutes after the room is empty. Good for an office. Annoying for my powder bath.
• There is no conditional logic. None. Whatsoever. Use OpenHab, Homeseer, Savant, Control4, something else if you want IFTTT type things to happen. Even IFTTT works with Caseta, but not RadioRA2.
• It's expensive. Holy moly, it's expensive.
• Installation of the hardware requires an electrician, or you can install it yourself, just be careful not to brick a $300 in-wall keypad..
• Programming is done via registered Lutron dealers. It may be possible for individuals (i.e. homeowners) to register and obtain the programming software as there is no minimum purchase requirement as there is with Lutron HomeWorks. The software is free, and is straightforward, but is Windows only. Hiring a dealer to program for you varies in price, with hourly rates (in New York) between $100/hr-$150/hr.
• There is no outdoor motion sensor
• There is no RadioRA2 receptacle (outlet). If the outlet is currently controlled by a switch, you're good to go however.
• If you already have an installation of RadioRA (the original or 'RA Classic' as Lutron puts it), and you want to add on to it, you can't add RadioRA2 components. You're either stuck sourcing RA classic parts, or you're starting over from scratch.
• The hub (called a 'Main Repeater') has a range of 30 feet in any direction (radius). This sounds small, and it is, sort of. It's a 60 foot diameter sphere that all of the devices need to be within. If your installation is larger than that, you'll need to add one or more auxiliary repeaters. What happens if a device is outside this 60 foot sphere? Chances are it'll still work fine at 100 feet, 200 feet, or even more. Lutron defines this range based on what they know will work 100% of the time, regardless of local RF interference, building construction, or other factors. When I am designing a system for a client, I stick to their rules, adding auxiliary repeaters where necessary, and never have problems. My personal installation has no auxiliary repeaters, and there are devices outside the 30/60 foot specified range. I have no problems.

The Ugly:

• Notice the number of '3rd party' and 'optional' items above. Building a comprehensive system requires a knowledgable dealer to determine what the Lutron hardware can and can't do, and what requires non-Lutron intervention.
• TL;DR If you need a mid to larger sized lighting/shading/HVAC system with a proven record of reliability, and you've got the money (and a 3rd party controller for conditional logic) RadioRA2 may be what you're looking for. If you want to control a few devices in an apartment or smaller home, Caseta, HUE, Nest, or any of the other available products is probably a better choice.