Both Insteon and Lutron are veterans in home automation scene. Insteon emerged from a home automation company that was created in 1992. And the Lutron company comes from the late 1950s, when its founder invented the dimmer. The fact that these companies have been successfully around for that long means you probably can trust them both when it comes to quality. And yet, when it comes to our comparison and choosing between Insteon vs. Lutron — we’d go with Lutron.
Before we get to all the differences between the two, let’s briefly look at all four of the Lutron and Insteon hubs. Each brand of hub has a “standard” version and a pro version. In this article, we’re going to compare the pro versions of each hub — the Lutron Smart Bridge Pro and Insteon Hub Pro. And, if you’re looking for a more detailed review on the “standard” vs pro versions, feel free to check out Lutron Smart Bridge vs. Smart Bridge Pro and Insteon Hub vs. Pro — What’s the Difference?.
Insteon Hub vs. Pro — Differences
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Difference #1: Accessories – The Lutron Smart Bridge Pro can be controlled not only via app, but also with the Lutron Pico Remote Control. Pico is a tiny remote control that you can use around your home to control Lutron Dimmers. There are two types of Pico remote controls: one for lights and one for audio. The Pico Audio Remote allows you control any model Sonos Speaker(s). With the remote you can play or pause music, skip tracks, control volume and even select your favorite playlist. Insteon also has Mini Remote Controls. But unfortunately, the Insteon Hub Pro doesn’t support them. They can only be used with the Standard Insteon Hub. So, with the Insteon hub pro, the only option for a remote control is your smart phone.
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Difference #2: Apps – You can control the Insteon Hub Pro via the Insteon+ app. The app is only available for iPhones and iPads. So, if you’re an Android user, you might as well stop reading here and shift your focus to the standard Insteon hub or either version of the Lutron smart bridge. Both the Lutron smart bridge and smart bridge pro can be controlled from via both iOS and Android devices.
Also note that the Insteon+ app seems, generally, pretty slow and buggy in comparison to the Lutron app. The Insteon+ app is not a universal iOS app which means that if you use the app on your iPad, you’ll be basically running the iPhone app on a bigger screen — Ouch.
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Difference #3: Reliability – Yes, there is a reliability difference. In some installs, Insteon is known to have issues. It’s usually because Insteon is using the electrical signal as a carrier wave. So, when you have other appliances running and creating noise waves, it can cause malfunctioning.
Lutron, on the other hand, uses different technology (Clear Connect), so it isn’t susceptible to this interference.
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Difference #4: Compatibility – The Insteon Hub Pro is only compatible with a select line of Insteon products. And, unlike the standard hub, the Insteon hub pro doesn’t support Insteon cameras, motion detectors, door sensors, or window sensors. The Insteon hub pro compatibility is very limited — that’s what you sacrifice for the Homekit-enabled feature.
The Lutron Smart Bridge Pro is also Homekit-enabled, but offers integrations with a wide range of products like: wireless thermostats (Lutron, Honeywell, Nest, Ecobee, Carrier), remote controlled shades (Serena), and other smart home technology like Amazon Alexa, Apple watch, IFTTT, Logitech Harmony, XFINITY Home, Nest Protect, Nest Cam, and Hunter ceiling fans.
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Difference #5: Dimensions – Lutron Smart Bridge Pro is a small, white box which you can easily hide near your router; it measures just 2.8 x 2.8 x 1.2 inches. Whereas the Insteon Hub Pro looks like a router itself: its dimensions are 1.5 x 7 x 3.75 inches.
Insteon vs. Lutron — Comparison Chart
| Insteon Hub Pro | Lutron Smart Bridge Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 1.5 x 7 x 3.75 inches | 2.8 x 2.8 x 1.2 inches |
| App | IOS only | IOS and Android |
| Available Colors | White | White |
| Power Consumption | 2W | 1.3W |
| Operating Temperature | 32º – 104º F (0º – 40º C) |
32 °F to 104 °F (0 °C – 40 °C) |
| Compatible with thermostat | Only Insteon Wired Thermostat | Lutron Wireless Thermostat, Honeywell Wi-Fi Thermostat, Nest Learning Thermostat, Ecobee Wi-Fi Thermostat, Carrier Côr™ and Wi-Fi thermostats |
| Supported Protocols | Insteon | Lutron® Clear Connect® |
Insteon vs. Lutron — Our Thoughts
For us, it’s really a no-brainer: when choosing between the Insteon vs. Lutron hub, we’d say go with the Lutron Smart Bridge Pro Hub. Both hubs are Homekit enabled, but the Lutron Smart Bridge Pro offers way more features, compatibility choices, and seems to be a much more reliable choice than the Insteon Hub Pro.
Last update on 2024-04-18 at 02:55 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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I’d like to request that you revise this review, using the Standard Insteon Hub. The Insteon Pro Hub is ONLY for people who MUST have homekit. Even according to the your review of the standard vs pro hub, the Insteon Pro hub is the least capable of the Insteon hubs (especially if you have an android device), while the Lutron hub is the most capable of the Lutron hubs.
So, I think you really give the wrong impression with this review.
Hi Ben!
Thanks for your feedback! We’ll look into adding standard Insteon hubs (2242 and 2245) and standard Lutron Smart Bridge hub into this comparison review to make it a more well-rounded comparison.
Cheers,
– Iryna & Joseph
I purchased and installed the Insteon wall dimmer switches for use with the standard Insteon hub. I’d like to control the switches using Homekit without having to upgrade to the Insteon hub pro.
Do you know if the Luton Caseta Wireless Smart Bridge hub is compatible with the Insteon switches?
Thanks in advanced.
Hi Glenn!
Unfortunately, Insteon dimmers can’t be paired with the Lutron Smart Bridge because they use different technology to communicate — Insteon dimmers use Insteon protocol, whereas the Lutron Caseta Wireless Smart Bridge uses Clear Connect® technology.
So far it looks like upgrading to the Insteon hub Pro is the only option to add HomeKit to your existing Insteon dimmers. Though, make sure to check our article Insteon Hub vs. Pro, because with a HomeKit upgrade you actually sacrifice a whole lot of compatibility with other smart home products.
Hopefully this helps 🙂
Cheers,
– Iryna
Hi Joseph,
Got a question: I’m gonna replace my standard 3-way wired switch with an Insteon switch on one end. Do u know whether I can use a Lutron Connected Bulb remote (somehow via IFTTT or something else) to work with the Insteon switch via a Smartthings hub, as a replacement for the 2nd switch on the other end? This is to turn on/off 6 reccessed canned lights. Thanks!
Hi Victor,
We haven’t tested the Lutron Connected Bulb Remote yet, so we can’t be sure if it works in your particular setup. Please try contacting Lutron support; the last time we’ve talked to them they were really helpful.
– Iryna
Just a general comment as I’ve been a user of Insteon hardware since their inception. You will loose the 3-way control of the recessed lights if you only replace one of the switches. Insteon does not use a traveler wire to connect the switches, it communicates through the neutral wire. You will want to replace both of the switches in a 3-way circuit with Insteon hardware (can be switch/switch, keypad/switch, keypad/keypad, etc…) and then pair the switches together to have the 3-way control as well as ability to remote control the lights with smartphones, Alexa, Insteon remote, etc…
Someone linked to this article in an Amazon question, but I think this is Extremely misleading about Insteon. I would not recommend the Insteon hubs at all, I would recommend the Universal Devices ISY-994i that is the advanced Insteon controller and with addons can control almost anything (network devices, IFTTT, zwave, hue, pool controllers, led lights, Nest, Ecobee, Somfy, Raspberry Pi GPIO, 1wire devices on Pi, etc).
And since Lutron works with IFTTT you should be able to control Lutron devices too (if you have their hub already) through the ISY controller.
Hi Jason!
Thanks for your feedback! In the intro to this article, we clearly state that we’re comparing the pro versions of each hub. However, we will look into updating this article to reflect the differences between the two brands on a bigger scale. Again, thanks for your insight! 🙂
Save yourself time and headaches and buy a house automation product you can count on. A wide know issue found on Insteons forums is that in recent months have bricked their Connection Hub with updates . This is the brain / bridge that will connect all your lights, smart plugs and other automated devices. This resulted in my whole house automation not working -including the baby’s room.
Insteons solution to fix the connection hub wait for a repair to the hub or “start from scratch” reconfiguring all your devices and deleting your account with a newly provisioned hub. I have asked if the replacement is a next generation otherwise I will painfully migrate to a different company that provides more reliable devices/hub. Stay tuned for an update from Customer Service ?
Thank you for sharing this super-useful info with our readers, Chad!
We really appreciate it! 🙂