This post is sponsored by Lutron
Before we moved into the Merc, the only smart lighting we’d ever used was a motion sensor switch in our garage (sort of saved our marriage). When we were working on the Merc, I knew that we wanted to use simple upgrades to make our home work better for us. The smart home feature that we use the very most is our Caséta by Lutron Smart light Switches. The great thing about smart lighting is that it works on any aged home (yes mom, it would work in your house too!) The switches are the magic component. You can transform any lightbulb into a smart light that dims and is controlled by your phone or home assistant (like Alexa!) just by replacing your switches.
Everyone wants their home to feel secure, especially when you live on a public street like we do. Caséta is made to handle that! You can activate their Smart Away feature and it will randomly turn the lights in your house on and off to make it appear like you are home.
Speaking of making it appear like we’re home. Earlier this month we were out of town working on the bathroom renovation, when I got an alert on my phone from our Nest camera saying that it detected motion in our front entryway. I opened the video and based on the movement happening, I could tell that there were people hanging out in front of the Merc. While we live on a public street, its still a little unnerving to have multiple someones hanging out by your front door. I closed the app and went on my way painting. About 10 minutes later I got another notification! They were still there!! Gahhhhh all the stressful feelings came out.
Court always tells me that I’m that lady. You know the one that spoils everyone else’s fun? I went into full that lady mode. I was ready to call my next door neighbor and have her mosey on over and see what was happening. Then I remembered that I could control our entryway light with the Caséta app, so I switched on the interior light and watched on our Nest as the people left.
When we got home a few days later there was a random shopping cart by our front door, so i’ve deduced that it was either an unruly group of teenagers, or a seriously undertrained band of criminals that were going to haul all of our valuables out our front door in a shopping cart.
My other favorite feature right now is the Sunset Tracker, it’s similar to the way a photocell works in that it turns the lights on when dusk hits, but unlike a photocell, the Caséta doesnt require a specific light or custom wiring situation. It is literally the best of both worlds. I just set our back door Caséta to turn the lights in our laundry/mudroom on when dusk hits, that way we never come home to a dark house. Simple smart home upgrades that make your house feel like home, isnt that the point of all of it?
Read about how easy it is to use Caséta with your Amazon Echo here! And get your own Caséta by Lutron here!