Lutron Caséta vs. Philips Hue: Which is Best for Your Home?

Smart lights are among the most useful smart devices to enter our increasingly smart homes, and the options grow by the day. The Philips Hue is probably the most well-known option on the market, but other competitors—like the Lutron Caséta—are starting to close the gap. But which is best for your home?

If you’re looking to control multiple bulbs, the Lutron Caséta may be more cost-efficient, especially if you will be dimming more than two bulbs on a switch. However, if you’re looking to add some color to the environment at home, the Philips Hue will be your only option (for now).

Because smart lights are only getting smarter as time passes, it is important to stay up-to-date on what the options are. Though the two smart lights work slightly differently, we’ll take a look at how they differ to help you decide which one is best for your home.

Lutron Caseta vs. Philips Hue: Which is Better?

Here is a quick head-to-head comparison of the two smart lighting solutions:

Lutron Caséta	Philips Hue
Has a Smart Bridge to maximize capabilities	Has the Philips Hue Bridge to manage smart bulbs
Lighting control system	Smart light bulbs
Can control multiple regular bulbs at once	The Philips hue bridge can control all the bulbs
Works with many smart ecosystems like Amazon, Google, and HomeKit	Works with many smart ecosystems like Amazon, Google, and HomeKit
Installation requires wiring	Installation is like replacing a regular light bulb

If you’re not looking to purchase smart light bulbs but still want to add smart functionality to two or more regular light bulbs, the Lutron Caséta is for you. If you’d like to have a customizable smart bulb that comes with the option to change colors, you’ll want to take a closer look at the Philips Hue.

What Can the Lutron Caséta Do?

The Lutron Caséta is a smart light control system, which means it covers light bulbs, lighting control, and integration with smart devices like Google Home and Amazon Echo. Installing the Lutron Caséta system is a breeze; for those who like a bit of DIY, it comes with a DIY install and setup guide. If there’s concern about the safety involved with wiring the Caséta, you can always find a Lutron Pro here to help you with the installation process.

At its core, the Lutron Caséta is about smart switches. The Lutron Caséta makes turning your home into a smart home easier by allowing your regular bulbs to get smart. With a single switch, you can control multiple lights and fixtures throughout your house. You can control these lights in the app, with a remote (called “Pico”), your voice, or a physical switch.

With Pico, you can control the lights anywhere. It fits into the wall, rests on a tabletop—it can even be held in your hand (and it comes with 10-year typical battery life as well).

If you opt for the Lutron Caséta, you’ll want to pick up the Smart Bridge, which works with the Lutron Caséta switches to provide reliable control from the app, Pico (the smart remote control), or voice (Source: Caséta Wireless). Having the smart bridge allows you to still use the smart switches even when the Wi-Fi is down, and the Smart Bridge cuts down on bandwidth traffic by making a single connection to your router (rather than the many that would be required to connect multiple smart bulbs).  

What Can the Philips Hue Do?

As for the Philips Hue, smart homeowners are offered an option to replace each regular bulb with a smart light bulb. Each smart light bulb can be configured independently; one Philips Hue bulb can be set to light up in a certain color while the other bulbs are lighting other colors.

Users can choose between Hue Bluetooth-compatible lights that work with the Hue Bluetooth app or purchase the Philips Hue Bridge smart hub. When paired with the smart hub, you can use the built-in Zigbee network (which is like a Wi-Fi network minus the Wi-Fi) to control up to fifty light bulbs. In the Philips Hue app, you can set routines and add a range of other features (Source: Philips Hue).

Given how established the Philips Hue ecosystem has become, Hue users have a wide range of options to choose from. The Philips Hue offers light bulbs, light strips, recessed lights, table lamps, ceiling lights, and many other options. Depending on where you plan to install your smart lights, it is likely that Philips Hue has you covered, and all of these options can be synced together with the Philips Hue Bridge for a convenient, one-stop-shop approach to your smart lighting.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, whether Lutron Caseta or Philips Hue is for you and your home really depends on what you need. If you’re looking to convert multiple standard light bulbs in your house to smart bulbs, the Lutron Caséta is cost-efficient, easy to use, and highly reliable. If it’s colorful lighting you’re after, the Philips Hue will meet your lighting needs.