Lutron Caséta vs. RadioRA 3: which one fits?

Lutron makes several wireless lighting control systems, and the two homeowners ask us about most are Caséta and RadioRA 3. They share the same goal, dimmers and scenes you can run from the wall, a remote or your phone, but they're built for different jobs. This guide compares them using Lutron's own product and support pages. Our Lutron lighting control installation page covers how we design and install either one.

The short version

• Choose Caséta for a few rooms, a first step into lighting control, or when you want to set everything up yourself in the Lutron app.
• Choose RadioRA 3 for the whole house on one system, engraved keypads by the doors, Lutron shades and a thermostat on the same system, and room to grow.
• Already have RadioRA 2 or RA2 Select? RadioRA 3 is the upgrade, and most of your existing devices can stay. See our RA2 Select to RadioRA 3 upgrade guide.

Caséta: smart dimmers, room by room

Caséta is built around the Caséta Smart Hub. Lutron says one hub controls up to 75 Caséta devices: dimmers, switches, fan controls, Pico wireless remotes and sensors. The hub plugs into your router with an Ethernet cable instead of joining your Wi-Fi, and Lutron notes that local control keeps working if your internet goes down.

Setup happens in the Lutron app. You can control lights from home or away, build scenes and schedules, and use location-based Arriving and Leaving Home scenes. Caséta works with Apple Home, Amazon Alexa and Google Home. Some audio-video, whole-home and security integrations need the Caséta Pro Smart Hub instead of the standard one.

Where Caséta fits best: a kitchen and living room, a bedroom with a Pico by the bed, outdoor lights on a schedule. It grows a room at a time, and it's easy to live with.

RadioRA 3: one system for the whole house

RadioRA 3 is designed for whole-home control. According to Lutron's system overview, one system can have up to four processors. Each processor handles up to 100 of Lutron's newer Clear Connect Type X devices, such as Sunnata dimmers, switches and keypads, and up to 200 across the system. It also works with up to 95 Clear Connect Type A devices per processor, the radio family used by RadioRA 2 and RA2 Select.

The wall controls are a big part of the appeal. Sunnata RF keypads can be engraved with scene names like “Dinner” or “Goodnight,” and seeTouch keypads and Pico remotes work too. Lutron Triathlon and Sivoia QS Wireless shades and the Lutron Wireless Thermostat can join the same system, so one button can set lights and shades together.

RadioRA 3 is programmed by a trained installer in Lutron Designer software. Homeowners can make smaller changes, like adjusting a schedule or a scene, in the Lutron app.

Who installs each one

Lutron runs two residential installer programs. Caséta sits in the Preferred Pro program. RadioRA 3 is offered through both the Preferred Pro and Dealer programs. Caséta can be a do-it-yourself product, but each dimmer still replaces a switch in a wall box. In older homes, a crowded box, a missing neutral wire or an old switch loop can need sorting out first, and that's where an electrician earns the fee.

Questions that usually decide it

1. How many rooms? A handful points to Caséta. Most of the house, or more than 75 devices, points to RadioRA 3.
2. Do you want engraved keypads? Keypads that set whole scenes are RadioRA 3's strength.
3. Shades and temperature? Caséta has its own shades. RadioRA 3 brings Triathlon and Sivoia QS Wireless shades and the Lutron Wireless Thermostat into one system.
4. Who will maintain it? Caséta is yours to set up and change. RadioRA 3 is designed and programmed by an installer, with small changes in the app.
5. Is there Lutron in the house already? If it's RadioRA 2 or RA2 Select, start with the upgrade path rather than starting over.

What a walkthrough covers

The quickest way to settle Caséta versus RadioRA 3 is to walk the house room by room. When we do it, we look at:

• Which lights you use together, and where you'd want one button to set a whole scene
• Where keypads make sense: front door, garage entry, bedside, the top of the stairs
• The wall boxes themselves: how full they are, and what wiring is behind each switch
• The light fixtures and bulbs, since dimmers have to match the loads they control
• Your network, because the Caséta hub or RadioRA 3 processor connects to it
• Any Lutron already in the house, and whether shades or a thermostat are on the wish list

From that, we recommend one system, list the devices for each room and give you a price before anything starts.

Can you start with Caséta and move up later?

You can start small, but plan for it. Caséta and RadioRA 3 are separate systems with their own wall controls and their own hub or processor, so ask which of your devices would carry over before you buy more. If you already know you want the whole house eventually, it's worth talking about RadioRA 3 at the start, even if you install it in phases. Our Caséta installation and RadioRA 3 installation pages go deeper on each.

Wyatt Electric has installed Lutron lighting control in homes across Harford County, Baltimore County and Baltimore City. We walk the house with you, room by room, and recommend the system that fits how you live, with a price before any work starts.