15557 SE 160th — Smart Switches & Outlets

01

Direction

Why switches over smart bulbs / smart plugs — and what platform anchors the house.

Working Direction

Lutron Caseta as the house-wide smart lighting platform. Replace standard switches with Caseta dimmers and switches; pair with Pico remotes for 3-way locations. Upgrade the default white plastic wallplates to Lutron Claro screwless plates (color per room). Revisit metal designer plates (brass/bronze) for the foyer and dining once floor + fixture finishes lock.

Why not smart bulbs or smart plugs: fragile network state (someone hits the wall switch = bulb goes offline), per-bulb cost scales poorly across a 2-story house, and plugs only cover lamps. Smart switches work with any fixture, survive the switch being flipped, and keep the wall looking normal.

Why Caseta over alternatives: proprietary Lutron Clear Connect RF — no Wi-Fi/Zigbee mesh reliability issues. Universally the most reliable smart-lighting ecosystem. Integrates with HomeKit, Alexa, Google, Home Assistant. Hub required (~$80) but unlocks everything. Leviton Decora Smart, Kasa, and Legrand Adorne were considered — see §04.

02

Core Devices

The building blocks. Count of each TBD after site walk.

Primary

Lutron

Caseta Diva Smart Dimmer

DVRF-6L · 150W LED · neutral required · single/3-way

Smooth paddle + slider, best-in-class LED dimming

Works as single-pole or 3-way (paired with Pico)

Most rooms: this is the default

~$65

each · Amazon / HD

Lutron

Caseta Claro Smart Switch

DVRF-5NE · on/off · non-dimming · neutral required

For non-dimmable loads: fans, closets, exterior, fluorescent

Same form factor as Diva dimmer

Don't use for main room lighting — you want dimming there

~$55

each · Amazon / HD

For 3-ways

Lutron

Pico Smart Remote (3-button raise/lower)

PJ2-3BRL · battery · wall cradle or handheld

Replaces the "second" switch in a 3-way — no rewiring

Battery-powered (CR2032, ~10yr), snaps into wallplate

Also great for bedside, by-the-bed, or on a table

~$25

each · add wallplate adapter

Required

Lutron

Smart Bridge Pro 2

L-BDGPRO2 · ethernet · one per house

Pro version includes Telnet API — required for Home Assistant

Standard Bridge works too if only using Apple Home / Alexa

Plugs into router, sits in the SMC

~$160

one-time

03

Wallplates

The cheapest meaningful aesthetic upgrade. Default Caseta ships with a screw-visible plastic plate — works, but looks builder-grade. Claro is the baseline upgrade; metal designer plates are the splurge.

Baseline

Lutron Claro

Screwless Wallplate — White

CW-1-WH · 1/2/3/4-gang available

Hides screws — clean, modern look

Cheap upgrade (~$5 more than basic plate)

Default for most rooms with white/warm paint

~$9

1-gang

Bathrooms

Lutron Claro

Screwless Wallplate — Black

CW-1-BL · matches Kichler vanity bars

Pairs with the matte-black bathroom direction

Also works in a moody den if that's where it lands

Black switch in a black plate in a white room can look aggressive — use thoughtfully

~$9

1-gang

Lutron Designer

Metal Wallplate — Oil-Rubbed Bronze

real metal · Caseta-compatible

Warm-dark finish — sits with warm-traditional-black lighting direction

Picks up the Yale ORB lock; reads as intentional accent, not bling

Specify for foyer, dining, formal living once those lock

~5–8x the price of Claro

Finish match to fixtures is a calibration problem — order samples

~$40–70

1-gang

Forbes & Lomax / Buster + Punch

Aftermarket designer plates

solid metal · premium finishes

Showcase pieces — unlacquered brass develops patina

Hotel-lobby / Rejuvenation-adjacent aesthetic

Verify cutout compatibility with Caseta before ordering

Reserve for 1–2 hero locations (foyer, dining) — not whole house

~$80–180

1-gang

04

Alternatives Considered

What got ruled out and why. Preserved so we don't re-litigate.

Leviton

Decora Smart (Wi-Fi or Z-Wave)

D26HD / DG26HD · no hub (Wi-Fi variant)

Cheaper per switch, no hub needed for Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi congestion with 30+ devices is a known pain

Z-Wave variant requires separate hub anyway → loses advantage

~$50

each · ruled out

TP-Link Kasa

Kasa Smart Dimmer

KS230 · Wi-Fi · no hub

Cheapest option, decent reliability for small deployments

Same Wi-Fi saturation concern at house-wide scale

TP-Link security history is uneven

~$25

each · ruled out

Legrand Adorne

Adorne Smart (Netatmo)

modular · best aesthetic range out-of-box

Best-looking plates available (matte black, brass, modular)

Smart ecosystem (Netatmo) spottier than Lutron

Violates "one app, reliable" preference

~$70+

each · ruled out

05

Outlets — Refresh Plan

Outlets don't need to be smart. What's worth doing: swap the old-style duplex receptacles to rectangular-face (Decora-format) tamper-resistant, and add USB-C where useful. The reason for the format change: Lutron Claro screwless outlet plates accept Decora-format receptacles — so outlets and switch plates end up with a consistent flush, screwless look. Nothing to do with Decora-brand switches.

House-wide

Leviton

Rectangular-face Tamper-Resistant Receptacle

Leviton T5325 · 15A TR · required by current code

Fresh white vs old-style duplex receptacles

Tamper-resistant shutters — code-current, safer

Decora-format face fits Claro screwless outlet plates — consistent look with switches

~$3

each · bulk pack

Targeted

Leviton

USB-C / USB-A + Duplex Outlet

Leviton T5635 (dual USB-C, 30W PD) or T5833 (C+A) · Decora-format

Bedside + kitchen counter + desk locations

Eliminates wall warts, charges phones/tablets fast (PD)

Don't do the whole house — pick 6–10 key locations

~$35

each

Lutron

Caseta Plug-in Lamp Dimmer

PD-3PCL · for unswitched outlets with lamps

Bedroom / living-room lamps without a wall switch

Same Caseta ecosystem as wall switches — one app

Only needed where there's no switched outlet already

~$60

each

Smart outlets (full in-wall): deliberately skipped. Once light is on a smart switch and lamps are on a plug-in dimmer, there's no remaining use case worth the $50+/outlet premium. The exception is a shop/garage outlet if we wanted remote-on for a heater or similar — revisit later.

06

Room-by-Room Count

Fill after site walk. "3-way" = light controlled from two locations (top/bottom of stairs, two entrances). Each 3-way = 1 Caseta dimmer + 1 Pico remote.

Wave 1 buy list

Downstairs + master + jr suite + main hallway + 3rd-floor media. The volume to price-check with Ryder (Diva/Claro discount on a supply-house account; bridge + Picos rarely discount). ~3 gangs unverified — confirm on site walk.

Item	Count
Caseta Diva dimmer	14
Caseta Claro switch	19
Pico remote	6
Pico wall-mount kit	6
Claro screwless wallplate	18
Smart Bridge Pro 2	1

Room	Single switches	3-way switches	Outlets (replace)	USB-C targets	Plate color	Notes
Foyer	—	—	—	—	White / ORB splurge?
Kitchen living	—	—	—	counter: __	White
Kitchen (cabinet/counter)	—	—	—	—	White	Under-cabinet lighting?
Dinette	—	—	—	—	White
Dining room	—	—	—	—	White / ORB splurge?	Phase 2 chandelier
Formal living / study	—	—	—	desk: __	TBD (fireplace-study)
Powder room	—	—	—	—	Black (matte)
Main-floor hall	—	—	—	—	White
Stairs (main→2nd)	—	—	—	—	White	Almost certainly 3-way
Primary bedroom	—	—	—	bedside: 2	White	Pico bedside pair?
Primary bath	—	—	—	—	Black	Matches Kichler bars
Primary closet	—	—	—	—	White	Non-dim switch (Claro)
NE bedroom	—	—	—	desk: __	White
NW bedroom	—	—	—	—	White
Other 2F bedroom	—	—	—	—	White
Jr suite / jr bath	—	—	—	—	Black	Matches vanity bar
Stairs (2nd→3rd)	—	—	—	—	White	Likely 3-way
3rd floor den	—	—	—	AV rack: __	TBD (moodier)
Laundry / SMC room	—	—	—	—	White	Non-dim (Claro)
Garage	—	—	—	—	White	Non-dim
Exterior (front/back/side)	—	—	—	—	White	Non-dim; dusk-to-dawn schedule via hub
TOTAL	—	—	—	—