Unlike indoor smart home appliances, connected outdoor appliances have an extra problem to deal with in the form of unpredictable weather. Lutron aims to solve this with its new Caséta Outdoor Smart Plug, which is designed to resist the elements in all seasons and allows you to turn your external electronics on and off, even when it looks too bad to leave the house.
The Caséta Outdoor Smart Plug is an addition to the largest Caséta intelligent lighting system from Lutron. The IP65 rating means that it must withstand rain and snow, but Lutron also claims that the device is essentially “dustproof” and “sunproof”. The plug can also survive temperatures from -4 degrees Fahrenheit to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, according to Engadget.
Like an internal smart plug, this external one can control the power of anything connected to it, from external string lights to pumps to sources. The plug also allows you to automate the process, so if you want your patio lights to turn on at sunset during the summer, Caséta Smart Plug can avoid the hassle of doing it manually. Lutron also notes that the smart plug includes a “smart timer” that should take daylight saving time into account.
The plug can be controlled through the Lutron app, but it is also compatible with major smart home platforms and assistants such as Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit and Samsung SmartThings.
Lutron expects to ship the Caséta Outdoor Plug starting in March for $ 79.95.