Jordan O'BrienFollowing the growing trend of DIY smart home products, Lutron has become the latest manufacturer to cave in and add support for ecosystems specifically designed for the DIY market. More specifically both Samsung’s SmartThings platform and the Nest Cam will be supported by some of the company’s latest products.
This isn’t the first time Lutron has flirted with the DIY smart home market, its Caseta smart switches and motorised blinds already work with Apple HomeKit and Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant, so SmartThings and Nest support seem like a natural progression.
Lutron inside the SmartThings ecosystem works similarly to how it would natively, users will be able to control switches and blinds alongside other products that support SmartThings. Users can even set up scenarios for controlling Lutron products, such as turning off lights and closing the blinds when no movement is detected on a SmartThings-compatible motion sensor.
While SmartThings is supposed to be the hub to replace all hubs, users will still need a Lutron bridge in order to get the system working. That’s because the SmartThings hub doesn’t support Lutron’s proprietary Clear Connect signal, which it uses to transmit data. That means the Lutron Bridge is needed to translate commands from the SmartThings Hub to the company’s switches and blinds.
In addition to SmartThings support, Lutron is expanding its compatibility with the Nest range of products. The Nest Learning Thermostat and Nest Protect smoke detector already work with Lutron, but now the Nest Cam will be able to talk to the company’s light switches and blinds. That means if a Nest Cam detects motion, it can turn on the lights in that area – doing away with the need for motion sensors.
As consumer smart home products continue to grow, expect more manufacturers to announce support for consumer-grade ecosystems.