How to Pick a Lighting Control System

Find the Ideal System for Your Chicago Home 

There are two types of smart lighting solutions on the market today. The first is DIY, Bluetooth-connected lightbulbs controlled by your phone. Color and brightness options are limited, and if you own bulbs from different brands, you’ll have to switch between their apps and remotes. 

Then there’s the sophisticated, whole-home lighting system that syncs to all your fixtures, motorized shades, and thermostats, even if they’re made by different manufacturers. These premium systems are programmed and installed by a certified dealer and offer more possibilities and integration than off-the-shelf bulbs ever can. 

If you’re interested in a premium lighting control system but aren’t sure which is right for your Chicago home, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s compare lighting systems by some of the top brands today to help you decide. 

SEE ALSO: Whole Home Lighting: How Smart Lighting Should Be

If You Want a Basic System  

If you’re only covering a small area and don’t care for customization, Lutron’s ‘mini system’ Caséta could be a fit. Caséta is a wireless control system that utilizes radio frequencies between lights, motorized shades, and the controller. Caséta can control up to 75 devices, including thermostats, shades, and fans. 

However, Caséta can’t support complex programming, so if you want your lights to follow specific schedules and respond intuitively to the environment, you’ll likely prefer a more sophisticated system. 

If You’re Renovating or Building a New Home 

If your home’s walls are still open, it’s the perfect chance to wire and install a Lutron HomeWorks system. HomeWorks is the pinnacle of Lutron lighting control, covering up to 50,000 square feet with 10,000 lighting zones. HomeWorks understands conditional logic and complex scheduling to automate your lights, shades, and thermostats. HomeWorks supports both wired and wireless communication, making it the obvious choice for large-scale installations. 

If You Need a Wireless Solution

If you desire a more sophisticated system than Caséta but can’t wire a system like HomeWorks, let us introduce you to Lutron’s other controller, RadioRA 3. RadioRA 3 is a wireless system that covers up to 7,500 square feet and up to 400 lighting devices (when using four processors). Plus, Lutron has built stylish, sleek wall keypads for its RadioRA 3 systems that consolidate rows of light switches. 

If You Want to Control More than Lights

All this talk about smart control might have you wondering if you can also incorporate security devices, the home theater, and more. If you’d like to remotely control all your home devices beyond lighting, we recommend a Control4 system. Control4 easily integrates with all home technologies so you can schedule and control everything from the lights to the hot tub. Control4’s latest OS includes color-changing capabilities, so you’ll still enjoy the best of lighting control. 

Ready for Lighting Control?

r:home designs and installs custom lighting systems in homes across Chicago. Contact us here to learn more about these solutions and how you can get started today!