Move over Lutron, Leviton wants some of that low-voltage cash

Most modern smart dimmers work just fine with modern LED bulbs, but if your home has advanced low-voltage applications such as undercabinet, track, accent, and tape lighting—or you’re planning to install the same—you’ll need a more specialized dimmer.

I covered the announcement of Lutron’s new Diva Smart Dimmer ELV+ a couple of weeks back. Now, Leviton is getting into the game with its Decora Smart Wi-Fi ELV/LED Phase-Selectable Dimmer.

I previously explained the basics of electronic low-voltage (ELV), magnetic low-voltage (MLV), and other types of lighting loads that require phase-selectable dimmers, so I won’t go over all that again (please read the story linked above if you need a quick explainer).

This news story is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best smart dimmers and switches.

What differentiates Leviton’s Decora Smart Wi-Fi product line (which, like Lutron’s Caséta, includes a host of compatible devices for lots of other purposes) is that Decora Smart Wi-Fi devices connect directly to Wi-Fi, where Caséta devices depend on a hub—aka a bridge—to connect to your home network. Is one approach better than the other?

Leviton

Well, Leviton’s approach is cheaper by virtue of not requiring you to also buy hub, as Lutron does, but the Caséta ecosystem is so broadly compatible with other smart home products—including smart shades and smart blinds, Sonos smart speakers, and lots more—that you might not mind spending the extra money.

On the other hand, Leviton can brag that its product is certified as Matter compatible, and Lutron can’t. Both company’s product lines, meanwhile, work with all the other important smart home ecosystems; namely, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple Home, and Samsung SmartThings.

The Leviton Decora Smart Wi-Fi Dimmer (model number D2ELV) is phase selectable and compatible with ELV, LED, halogen, and incandescent lighting. Leviton’s press materials don’t mention MLV compatibility, so we’ve reached out to the company for clarification on that point. This model of Leviton’s Decora Smart Wi-Fi Dimmer does not support MLV loads, but the company tells us it has two other models that do: the Leviton Decora Smart Wi-Fi Dimmer model D26HD and the Leviton Decora Smart Dimmer Switch model DN6HD. The latter of those two does not require a neutral wire, but it does need a bridge to connect to your Wi-Fi network.

Like Lutron’s Caséta product, Leviton’s Decora Smart Wi-Fi Dimmer can operate as a single-pole or a 3-way device, connecting to either Leviton’s hardwired companion dimmer (model DD00R) or Leviton’s wireless Anywhere Companion Dimmer (model DAWDC).

And like Lutron, Leviton is targeting the professional installer with this product, although consumers will be able to find it on Amazon and at Home Depot. But Leviton expects its dimmer to fetch less coin, with a $69.99 MSRP compared to $129.95 for the Diva Smart Dimmer ELV+.

Updated shortly after publication to confirm that the Leviton Decora Smart Wi-Fi Dimmer (model number D2ELV) does not support MLV loads, but Leviton informed us of two of its other smart dimmers that do.