A Basic Option with Smarts Not Guaranteed

If you’ve started to explore options for smart window coverings, the Lutron Caseta Shades are one of the latest choices available. They’re a bit bare bones in their looks and require additional components to make them smart, but they do raise and lower efficiently.

Lutron Caseta Smart Shades

Caséta smart shades open and close in near-perfect unison—while making almost no sound. 

Pros & Cons

• Quick movement
• Low motor noise

• Not smart without extra hub
• Replacing D batteries can get expensive

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Price and Availability

The Lutron Caseta Shades start at $399 for the roller shade or honeycomb styles and up to 48 inches by 80 inches. Adding blackout light filtering or larger sizes will increase the cost.

There is no smart hub included with the blinds. To enable smartphone control, the $80 Lutron Smart Hub is required.

Speed and Reduced Noise Reign Supreme

I’ve tested SmartWings blinds and BlindsMagic blinds. Both of those products perform quite well and are easy enough for most people to install themselves. Comparatively, the Lutron Caseta Shades offer two noticeable differences: speed and volume.

The Caseta Shades are faster. It took 24.85 seconds for them to open 66 inches, while it took the SmartWings 45.62 seconds to open 53 inches. Waiting several extra seconds isn’t a big deal unto itself, but the faster speed is noticeable and nice.

The Caseta Shades are also a little bit quieter in their motor operation. This is harder to quantify since the noise level is minimal overall. Most of the time, the sound shouldn’t be a factor. But the difference in volume is meaningful when the blinds are opening or closing while people are sleeping. They will make a difference in a bedroom.

Installation Can Be Done Without Much Fuss

The plastic piece on the blinds slides into the other plastic piece attached to the wall.

The installation varies slightly, depending on how you’re mounting the blinds. I mounted mine inside the window and found it easy enough that most people should be comfortable with the process.

The most disappointing thing about the installation is the lack of directions. My blinds arrived with only a tiny QR code to scan to get started. I would have liked to see a little more guided direction for first-time buyers, even if people ultimately need to use the digital instructions on the web.

I did have one issue when installing the blinds. Two of the three blinds I tested went up without a problem, but I did have one that the plastic clip broke and took down the blinds. A new unit didn’t have the same problem so it seems to be a fluke. Still, the plastic pieces do give me a little pause if you’re constantly needing to unhook them to put new batteries inside.

The Smart Hub Is a Must (But Not Included)

The roller shades have an exposed, utilitarian look.

Despite being a little slower and noisier, both SmartWings and BlindsMagic have support for Matter built in. I didn’t need any extra pieces to get them onto my network and connect with my smart home.

The company says these “smart” shades start at $399, but without an included hub, that’s simply not true. The Caseta Shades require an extra $80 hub to connect wirelessly. Heck, even the basic remote control costs $27 extra. Even if you don’t want these to be smart, you can’t operate them without paying for the basic remote. The company didn’t send a smart hub for testing, so I have no idea how this part of the product works—a huge missed opportunity (this is a technology site after all).

Beyond not being able to test the control through the Lutron app, I’m not able to see things like battery life. Two of my shades take four D batteries and the third one takes five D batteries. The actual life span will depend on how often the shades are used so it’s even hard to estimate how long before they stop working, and when the pricey batteries will need to be replaced.

Both the SmartWings and BlindsMagic use rechargeable batteries. Each of those blinds have lasted about five months while going up and down two or three times a day. But even when one did die on me, I plugged it in for a few hours and it was ready to go again. I didn’t need to remove it and refill it with batteries.

Should You Buy Lutron Caseta Shades?

As a made-to-order motorized window covering solution, the Lutron Caseta Shades are a respectable option. The roller shades style looks a little too unfinished for my tastes, but that opinion may vary with different home decors.

In terms of function, however, I was pleasantly surprised by the effortless movement and the low volume of noise from the motor. I’m not crazy about the extra hub needed and the limited functionality without it or the number of D batteries used. If you can get over all those things then these blinds are still worth considering.

Lutron Caseta Smart Shades

Caséta smart shades open and close in near-perfect unison—while making almost no sound.