Features:

  • Works with your voice assistant or smart phone via the free Lutron app for iOS, Android or device (smart bridge, l-bdg2-wh required)
  • Connects with more leading smart home devices (including Alexa, Apple home kit, the Google assistant, Nest, Serena shades and sonos) than any other smart Lighting control brand (smart bridge required)
  • Control your existing light bulbs (dimmable leds, incandescent and halogen), up to 17 bulbs per circuit (based on 8. 5W LED bulb, 60W incandescent equivalent)
  • Tested and recommended for use with over 1, 000 bulbs (for recommended LEDs, please see "Technical Specification")
  • Works with up to 150W dimmable LED/CFL or 600W incandescent/halogen bulbs; not rated for low voltage applications (i.e.. track or landscape lighting)
  • Can be used in single-pole, 3-way, or multi-location applications; Lutron Pico wall plate bracket included for 3-way installation
Quality Product for Mounting Pico Remotes

I had a Claro wallplate, and I needed to put a Pico remote on the wall to operate a Lutron RMJ-5R-DV-B - 5A wireless relay. This was the required piece and worked perfectly. Just had to slide off the plastic tab on the back of the Pico remote, and slide the remote into this piece and screw on the wall. Easily done in a couple of minutes. Lastly, f you want to install this on a flat wall without wall switch box, there's a plastic piece on the back that needs to be removed, otherwise top of the remote will come forward when you install the faceplate.

Flexible: Allows Use With or Without a Home Automation Hub

I am using this in conjunction with a Lutron Caseta wall dimmer switch and a Wink hub. The downside to these products is that they have a proprietary wireless system (not Z-wave or Zigbee). That though is also an advantage because they will work with or without a home automation system in operation (or after you sell and take your home automation hub with you). It you do use this with a Wink though, pair the Pico remote through Wink, not using the directions provided by Lutron. You can use this remote anywhere on a wall or just loose, or in a box where a 3 or 4 way slave switch used to reside (or actually even where the 3 or 4 way switch resided). They sell a separate piece of plastic for mounting in a box, which really should be included in the package for the remote. If you do install it in a box, dealing with the existing wiring is pretty simple--you just connect all the wires together with a large wire nut (except any common wire (unlikely) or a ground). I would suggest though taking a picture of the existing switch wiring, and tag the wires as necessary so that you can easily reverse the process if you remove the Lutron switch. As to the remote, it is actually a bit nicer than the wireless switch I paired it with because the middle button can be set to turn on to a remembered brightness level, where the on button remains full bright. Other than that, this product works as well as any wired slave switch--assuming distance is not too great. As to distance, for use with a Wink system it would be distance to the Wink hub. For use without a hub it would be distance to the wired switch. I did not test out distance, but I have not had any issues with them being on a different floor than my hub, but they are virtually right below the hub, so the distance is not great. Anyway, I generally do not like proprietary systems, but here it actually does provide some benefit.

Great upgrade over the standard Caseta dimmer

Aside from the additional load capability, one reason you might choose this switch over the other Caseta in-wall dimmer is the preset dim button (the round button in the middle). This button lets you recall a favorite dim setting. Additionally, the keypad on this dimmer is exactly the same as the pico remote, which makes 3-way installations more consistent. Note that you'll need a neutral wire to install this dimmer. A neutral is optional on the standard Caseta dimmer. I'm using this with Cree LR6-10L recessed lights, and it dims them to around 10%, with absolutely no noise or buzzing throughout any of the range.

Almost perfect for wall mounting Pico remotes without a gang box...

I love this for attaching Pico remotes like the Lutron Caseta Wireless Pico Remote for Audio, Works with Sonos, PJ2-3BRL-GWH-A02, White to the wall to make them look just like they are another light switch. Optimally, you would mount this into a gang box, but it works almost perfectly by removing the plastic shield on the back and mounting it to a wallplate like the Eaton PJS263W Decorator Screwless Wallplate, 3-Gang, White. However, it sticks out a tiny bit. I may scrape out some of the sheetrock to make it sit flush because it just barely comes out from the wall now. But it still looks pretty good and is super convenient to be able to control Sonos from the wall instead of reaching for my phone.

The PD-5NE-xx is the BEST CASETA DIMMER period. Excels at everything the cheaper PD-6WCL-xx doesnt

The ELV PD-5NE-xx dimmer is pricy, requires a white ‘nuetral’ wire, but it’s also the switch to get. It resolves all of the weaknesses of the cheaper Caseta dimmer (PD-6WCL-xx). I don’t know why the CNET type reviewers don’t hit on the weaknesses of the PD-6WCL-xx, the Amazon verified customers sure notice. In this review I reference the less expensive switch, but the truth is both Caseta switches are pricey. Lutron Caseta ELV PD-5NE-xx dimmer pros and cons: PROS: - Allows setting favorite or default dim lvl at switch, just as on the pico remote (not available on Caseta PD-6WCL-xx switch) - Uses white neutral wire which creates a more stable platform. Bulbs shut off without an after glow (Caseta PD-6WCL-xx has no neutral wire) - Supports a wide range of bulbs all work perfectly without flicker or hum. The bulbs I’ve tested and use include many of the vintage type dimmable LED bulbs branded and distributed by smaller companies, and I haven’t had any issues (the cheaper Caseta PD-6WCL-xx had problems with many bulbs including the vintage filament LEDs and the popular GE Reveal LEDs (note, these bulbs weren’t on Caseta’s compatible bulb list. This said, many of my bulbs not on their list have worked flawlessly for years on other dimmers using a white neutral wire). - Flawlessly dims 8 LED kitchen tube lights (Toggle model d416 direct wire )’. The Toggle LED tubes replace 4ft fluorescents using existing receptacles (bypassing ballast). WORKS PERFECTLY (did not even try the other dimmer as the manufacture recommend the upgraded dimmer) - Works with dimmable ELV, LED, MLV, incandescent and halogen bulbs - has switch to support MLV (not supported with Caseta PD-6WCL-x) - Supports the pico remotes, but must be purchased separately. - Supports 29 8.5 watt led bulbs (Caseta PD-6WCL-x supports 17 - very respectable) CONS: - Priced higher than other dimmers, and it doesn’t include a Pico remote LEDs are terrible at matching equivalent wattage and they’re usually brighter. The nice thing about dimmers and led lighting is you can purchase really bright bulbs for those times when you need something really bright, but use a dimmer so you only get the blinding light when requested. This, more expensive dimmer, supports this concept. The cheaper Caseta does not, it turns on at the switch at max brightness, and this is the main problem people have with the less expensive switch. Before buying Caseta look into the differences and consider spending the extra on the PD-5NE-xx switch. If it’s too much, you may want to research other products. I’ve read about people who purchased 20 of the cheaper switches, based on smart switch reviews, and ended up switching them out for the pricier model. The price is an obstacle, but the performance excels. I hope this helps you in your purchase.

Good - with some over caveats about dimmable LED bulbs

Lutron makes a couple of models of Wi-Fi enabled switches. The ones they sell at Home Depot are similar to these but are lacking a center memory switch to “remember” your brightness setting. Also, according to tech support, these are a more robust switch when it comes to compatibility issues using dimmable LED’s. Installing might be easy for some but depending on your house’s wiring, you may run into issues like I did. Apparently I had ground arc fault breakers and this the switches required a neutral lead to be used even though the manual for the switches never mentioned this. Also, if you have more than one switch in a panel, the wiring can get kind of messy and if you aren’t experienced, it may be confusing. In the end, it was more expensive, but I hired an electrician to install the switches. A note about dimmable LED’s: the bulbs can be kind of picky - I had to try 2-3 different makes in order to get ones that worked without flickering. Also, the different level of switches may have contributed to some difficulty. Overall, the switches, once installed can be used either in the lutron app or with one of the smart speakers made by Amazon, Google, Apple. I’ve been using with an Apple speaker and have experienced few issues other than some mild quirks when setting up scenes. Overall, the switches work well but the install was much trickier than the manual made them appear and some dimmable LED bulbs are very sensitive and may not play nice with the switches leading to flickering and blinking. The online bulb compatibility guide was no help has the bulbs listed were all discontinued and impossible to find. Trial and error was the best way to go.

Incurred an issue, but Lutron support was great and resolved problem

Given the expense, I have been replacing my standard "dumb" switches with these smart ones a few at a time, and overall I have been very happy with their operation. They perform beautifully with only an occasional hiccup due to Siri. I've never had something fail to operate using the Lutron app for iOS or Apple's Home app. Following my recent purchase of a few more PD-5NE's, however, I did run into a problem with one load. The fixture, driven by a 12V/300W magnetic low voltage (MLV) transformer, consists of three incandescent bi-pin halogens of 50W each. When I installed the PD-5NE to switch this load, the lights on the fixture oscillated off and on, and some of the LEDs on the PD-5NE flashed repeatedly. I toggled the PD-5NE's default mode from reverse phase (for ELV loads) to forward phase for MLV, but the fixture still did not behave and I felt the PD-5NE start to get hot quickly. Secondly, later the PD-5NE blew its internal fuse. I contacted Lutron's tech support and they sent me a replacement PD-5NE, thinking possibly that the original one was faulty. The new PD-5NE arrived fairly quickly and upon installing it, I did not see its LEDs flashing as I did on the previous one nor did it heat up. However, as soon as I toggled the new PD-5NE to forward phase, it immediately blew its internal fuse as well. I placed another call to Lutron and the tech support guy recommended we try a PD-10NXD PRO switch instead. Unfortunately, that switch lacks the "favorite" button that the PD-5NE has, but I was willing to give it a try. Lutron quickly got the PD-10NXD PRO to me and I reviewed some details with tech support before installing it. You see, the PD-10NXD per the specs can operate without a neutral (though I have the neutral in the switch box). However, the specs do say that neutral is required for MLV loads. Lutron tech support suggested I first just try it without the neutral, stating that the switch would flash LEDs if it absolutely required the neutral. I installed it without the neutral and the switch did not flash its LEDs; i.e. it's operating fine, controlling the MLV without neutral, and seems to have no trouble at all unlike the PD-5NE it replaced. Score! Lutron stated that the max load rating for the PD-NXD is quite higher than the PD-5NE, though my transformer should have, per its specs, still functioned properly with the lower rated PD-5NE. I'm just happy that ultimately I got a workable solution.

Mount alone, next to, or into an existing gang to create 3 way switch without needing to rewire.

Mounts perfectly to hold the Pico remote. I added it to a two gang outlet by surface mounting it to the wall right next to the two existing recessed gangs, purchased a new 3 gang wall plate, slid the remote onto this bracket and now I have a convenient three way switch without needing to re-wire. A very, very slight deduction in the 5 star rating only because of the way the remote is held onto this bracket - - - it slides down onto it, rather than somehow being able to click into it. What this means is that the bottom is securely held in place, but there is an ever-so-slight bounce to the top half of this. Because it's secured only at the bottom, it also sits just a smidge further out from the wall on the top than it does at the bottom. Please understand that I am a tad OCD, so when pointing this out to my husband, he just smiled, shook his head, and gave me that "only you would notice" look. Just wanted to point that out to anyone else out there with my same affliction. * * update with additional info: I purchased this again for another location and this time I mounted this bracket into an existing 3 gang opening. Using it this way was also just as easy and the bracket fit perfectly. Whether mounting to drywall or into an existing gang opening, this bracket fits perfectly.

Great system

I purchased two of these for our kitchen. I used them to replace three ways switches. They perform well and did what I needed them to do. Note that the picture on Amazon for this product is not accurate. There is no metal bar around the plastic. Also the plastic is clear and not white. If you are do not need to replace a switch in a box, then you can either use this with a wall plate, or just the remote and wall plate will do the job (see pictures). The remote comes with adhesive on the back and all you need to do is peel off the sticker and put it anywhere on the wall. You can also install wall plate around it. This is mentioned in one of the other reviews. I like using this in all installations.

Creates the appearance of a hardwired dimmer/switch in an electrical box or on the wall

I purchased 8 of these and have replaced a majority of the 3-way and 4-way switches in my house with them, and used a Caseta dimmer in a central location. I have also used them to add new switches where I needed them by wall-mounting. These (and the Caseta dimmer in general) are super-easy to install. When mounted in a box, you need to screw them down to the box pretty tight to avoid a "spongy" feel but if you do that the feel and appearance is indistinguishable from a hardwired switch. The bracket replaces the little clear plastic tab on the back of the pico remote, and it just slides into place. I have attached some pictures showing how it mounts in a box and how it all fits together. Really couldn't be much simpler. EDIT: some other reviewers said that when mounting flat against a wall (not in a box) the remote bulges out from the wall a bit. This is because you need to remove the back plate from the bracket unless you are putting it in a box. It will sit flat that way. This is in the instructions.

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