Bringing the Internet of Things Home

Lutron Electronics is a provider of smart lighting technologies. Image courtesy of Lutron.

Since its founding in 1961, when Lutron pioneered light dimmers for the home, the company has had an unwavering commitment to delighting customers and innovating top-quality products.

This is evident in Lutron’s premium connected home solutions, which it has been selling through professional dealers since 1990. The solutions are a hit with high-end customers who want to remotely control lights and shades and require large-scale, complex installations. Reaching mass-market consumers, however, required a different approach.

“Customers love our connected home products. We knew if we could make them simple, reliable, and affordable for the every day homeowner, we’d have a winner,” said Matt Swatsky, Caséta, product manager, Wireless at Lutron. The challenge was that Lutron’s premium solutions, built with a proprietary remote access technology, were more time-consuming and costly to develop, deploy and manage.

Solution

Lutron envisioned a connected home offering that could be set up in minutes and easily controlled through a smartphone app. The company turned to LogMeIn for its connected product expertise and Xively Internet of Things (IoT) Platform.

“We believe the IoT isn’t just about connectivity. It’s about making things work better for customers. LogMeIn shares this vision,” said Swatsky. “LogMeIn’s robust platform, Internet of Things expertise, and ability to deliver quickly on its promise were key selling points. In just four months, we went from concept to field-ready product.”

With the Xively platform, Lutron could create easy-to-use technology that consumers can control from their smartphone. Image courtesy of Lutron.

According to Swatsky, “LogMeIn was instrumental in helping us deliver remote connectivity to our mobile experience for the general consumer.”

LogMeIn Professional Services leveraged LogMeIn’s Xively IoT Platform to power the remote connectivity of Caséta Wireless. The Xively platform is built on LogMeIn’s proven, highly scalable, Gravity cloud infrastructure, which supports millions of secure connections between people, devices and data across the globe. Lutron Smart Bridge, a hub that connects and controls Lutron Caséta Wireless dimmers and Lutron Serena and select Sivoia QS remote-controlled shades, connects the customer’s home to a smartphone, tablet or Apple Watch. LogMeIn consultants used Heroku to develop remote connectivity in the Lutron mobile app, enabling consumers to control Lutron devices via the Smart Bridge from any iOS- or Android-based phone or tablet, from anywhere in the world.

Results

•  Brings Lutron home automation to the mass market.

With its affordable price tag and easy deployment, Lutron Smart Bridge and app meet the consumer sweet spot. “LogMeIn made it possible to develop faster and at lower-cost, so we could pass those savings to consumers and quickly go to market with a compelling offering,” Swatsky said. “The Smart Bridge is super simple to deploy. Customers can get it up and running in less than 30 minutes.”

• Delivers superior, real-time experience for customers

The Lutron Smart Bridge provides a remote connected experience that is just as fast as turning on a light or opening a shade, due in part to the fast roundtrip times enabled by the Xively IoT Platform. “Xively’s roundtrip times, which are a fraction of those stated by other IoT platform vendors, help us deliver real-time control and a great customer experience,” said Swatsky.

• Enables remote connectivity of entire Caséta Wireless family

The Lutron Smart Bridge is compatible with Caséta Wireless in-wall and lamp dimmers, Lutron Serena, Triathlon and select Sivoia QS shading solutions and Pico remote controls. It will also be compatible with third-party devices, such as the GE ‘Telligent LED bulb, enabling an even richer connected home system.

More Info:

• Lutron
• Xively