CES 2021: Lutron Debuts New Outdoor Smart Plug for Caséta Lighting System

Lutron, known for its range of Caséta smart home lighting products, today announced the upcoming launch of the Caséta Outdoor Smart Plug.

lutron caseta outdoor smart plug
The Caséta Outdoor Smart Plug has an IP-65 water and dust resistance rating that allow it to be protected even in the rain. Lutron says that it is built to last and will survive severe weather "season after season."

The Smart Plug can be used for holiday lights, string lighting, some motors and pumps, and other outdoor lighting options. It is HomeKit compatible and can be controlled in the Home app or through the Lutron app for scheduling purposes. There's a built-in smart timer that keeps it on the right time year-round, even through Daylight Savings.

The Caséta Outdoor Smart Plug can be used with a Lutron Smart Bridge for increased reliability and responsiveness, plus the plug can be paired with other Caséta lighting products.

Lutron will start selling the Caséta Outdoor Smart Plug in late March at Amazon, Best Buy, Home Depot, and Lowe's, and it will be priced at $79.95.

Popular Stories

iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Will Include These New Features for Your iPhone

Wednesday February 5, 2025 7:15 am PST by
iOS 18.3 was released last month, so the first iOS 18.4 beta should be coming soon. iOS 18.4 is expected to be a more substantial update for the iPhone, with several new features and changes related to Apple Intelligence and beyond. Apple's website suggests that iOS 18.4 will be released in April, following beta testing. Below, we outline what to expect from the update so far. Apple...
iCloud General Feature Redux

iPhone Users Who Pay for iCloud Storage Receive an All-New Perk

Thursday February 6, 2025 11:21 am PST by
If you pay for iCloud storage on your iPhone, Apple has a new perk for you, at no additional cost. iCloud+ is the official name for Apple's paid iCloud storage plans, which range from 50GB for $0.99 per month to 12TB for $59.99 per month in the United States. iCloud+ plans already come with multiple perks for free, such as Hide My Email and HomeKit Secure Video, and now there is another one...
iPhone SE 4 Single Camera Thumb

iPhone SE 4 Launching as Soon as Next Week

Thursday February 6, 2025 3:30 pm PST by
Apple's next-generation iPhone SE could debut as soon as next week with a launch to follow later in February, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple isn't expected to hold an event for the iPhone SE 4, and will instead unveil the device through a press release. The iPhone SE 4 is expected to have an iPhone 14-style design, with Apple eliminating the thick bezels and Touch ID Home button of...
iOS 18

iOS 18.3.1 Update Coming Soon for iPhones

Thursday February 6, 2025 7:31 am PST by
Apple is internally testing iOS 18.3.1 for iPhones, according to our website's analytics logs, which have been a consistently reliable indicator of upcoming iOS versions. The software update should be released within the next few weeks. iOS 18.3.1 should be a minor update that addresses software bugs and/or security vulnerabilities. Apple Intelligence notification summaries for news and...
maxresdefault

An Apple TV Refresh is Coming in 2025 - Here's What You Should Know

Wednesday February 5, 2025 10:17 am PST by
Apple hasn't refreshed the Apple TV since 2022, but rumors suggest that we're finally going to get an update in 2025. We don't have a full picture of what to expect yet, but we have some hints on what's coming. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Updated A-Series Chip The current Apple TV 4K uses the A15 Bionic chip that was in the iPhone 13 lineup, and it's time for...
iCloud General Feature Redux

Apple Ordered by UK to Create Global iCloud Encryption Backdoor

Friday February 7, 2025 2:37 am PST by
The British government has secretly demanded that Apple give it blanket access to all encrypted user content uploaded to the cloud, reports The Washington Post. The undisclosed order is said to have been issued last month, and requires that Apple creates a back door that allows UK security officials unencumbered access to encrypted user data worldwide – an unprecedented demand not before...
Apple Leak Feature

Apple Leaker Issues Apology: 'Profound and Expensive Mistake'

Friday February 7, 2025 9:21 am PST by
Last year, we reported that Apple sued its former software engineer Andrew Aude for providing journalists with confidential information about the company's future plans, including details about the Journal app, Vision Pro headset, and more. As reported by 9to5Mac, the Superior Court of Santa Clara County on Thursday dismissed the lawsuit after Apple and Aude reached an agreement to resolve...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

iPhone Driver's Licenses to Expand to These 7 U.S. States

Wednesday February 5, 2025 6:27 am PST by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Below, we outline which U.S. states and territories offer the feature, and additional states that have committed to rolling it out in...

Top Rated Comments

macwhiztech Avatar
53 months ago
This is a no-brainer for HomeKit enthusiasts. The Caséta devices just work, first time, every time. Hue devices often fail to respond, iHome devices go out to lunch and need a reboot every few months (and iHome's leaving the market), but Caséta just plain works. I have never had to troubleshoot a Caséta device.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
pubb Avatar
53 months ago
Seems like the holiday season would have been the time to launch this, but hey.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TeamMojo Avatar
53 months ago

Seems like the holiday season would have been the time to launch this, but hey.
Yep, just in time for my Christmas lights...
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kabeyun Avatar
53 months ago

This is a no-brainer for HomeKit enthusiasts. The Caséta devices just work, first time, every time. Hue devices often fail to respond, iHome devices go out to lunch and need a reboot every few months (and iHome's leaving the market), but Caséta just plain works. I have never had to troubleshoot a Caséta device.
Agree. In general it’s better to install a hub-and-spoke system where devices are controlled from a proprietary transmitter (Lutron Connect Bridges use their “Clear Connect Wireless” protocol). The other paradigm ([S]Hue[/S], Leviton, etc.) has each device being its own WiFi device, and that’s a recipe for headaches. We have a Lutron RA2 Select smart home with about 40 devices, mostly switches but also sensors and a couple of shades. Not only has it all been rock solid since day 1, but updates and program changes are a breeze and HomeKit integration is completely transparent.

Edit: it was correctly pointed out that Hue is not WiFi based.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rychiar Avatar
53 months ago
Figures they release one now that I just had an electrician put in 2 iDevices in wall outlets into outdoor power receptacles outside my house. Of course I was really hoping Lutron would make one of those
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RMo Avatar
53 months ago

The other paradigm (Hue, Leviton, etc.) has each device being its own WiFi device,
I don't know what Leviton does, but this is absolutely not true for Hue. Hue uses Zigbee (Zigbee Light Link initially, Zigbee 3.0 compatible now), and the Hue Bridge has only an Ethernet connection, so there is no Wi-Fi necessarily involved at all (and in a Light Link network, the bulbs and accessories will mostly keep functioning on their own without a Bridge, which isn't really a "hub" in that sense). Zigbee is designed to be a mesh network, so mains-powered devices acts as "repeaters" (routers in Zigbee terms) for all devices to find a path they need to other devices on the network, often the Bridge to a bulb or accessory. The latest generation also supports Bluetooth, but that's really for people who just want to use the app to control a few bulbs; you'll need the Bridge (and Zigbee) for the full feature set, which is what I'm talking about here--though it should be noted that this other option is still BT and not Wi-Fi.

This is actually one advantage Hue has over Lutron's ClearConnect protocol, which is not mesh: arbitrarily large range. Lutron lets you add up to two "extenders," but that is a fairly new feature. For more range, you'll need a "full" RA2 system where you can add more RA2 Main Repeaters or Auxiliary Repeaters. That being said, ClearConnect does have lots of advantages: not being mesh means you never have to worry about some routing oddities that occasionally plague Zigbee (but usually not with simple networks like Hue/ZLL); they use a low-frequency less-crowded bandwidth; and their products have a well-deserved solid reputation (though I'd say Hue does too).

What you mentioned, however, is one reason I wouldn't fill my house with devices like LIFX or Shelly--or even lots of HomeKit-compatible plugs I see here from time to time. Nothing against Wi-Fi itself (I do have several Wi-Fi "smart" devices), just probably not the best protocol for large numbers of these things.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)