Or we could just hold out for LED lights with more reliable internals (capacitors that don't fail long before the diode itself fails) and a higher lumens per watt rating. And then we could install those and they could provide light during the dim parts of the day (like night) and during the bright parts we could open our blinds. Ideally, these super-long-lasting bulbs (decades) would have no software to go obsolete and no networking chips and drivers to go obsolete. Because, you know, their job is to provide LIGHT.
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GE Announces Line of 'Link' Smart LED Light Bulbs, Starting at $15 [Updated]
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appreciate your suggestion
but I don't want to combine anything. I want the manufactures to sort it and I just use my iPhone for when I'm out and about and at night they go into "do not ****ing blind me mode" 
But will they be bayonet fitting bulbs or screw types which no one really has here (apart from in Ikea lamps).
In order to use these I'd need to get an adaptor since my fans use candelabra bulbs. I would just use a wall switch but it would be nice to leave the fan on but turn the lights off. Also don't like the fact that you need a hub. I guess the hub isn't to bad, by the picture it's about the size of an airport express and plugs right into the wall. Since it's zigbee, I wonder if another zigbee controller would work.
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Do any of these systems have a 'set & forget' system, so that I can set up a particular light/colour balance, the turn it on and off from the wall switch, retaining the setup?
I don't fancy having to dig out my phone for a quick trip to the bathroom.
I don't fancy having to dig out my phone for a quick trip to the bathroom.
The problem that people don't realize about LED bulbs that it's not the LEDs that die, but other electronic parts in the bulbs (chip, resistors, capacitors, circuit board). I had bunch of bulbs made in China and sold thru Costco. They just flash after a year due to the parts inside that didn't provide enough votages to LEDs.
I can't really agree here. Color is not an after thought in the Hue product line. It is the primary function. The marketing, apps and functionality are entirely centered on color. Ignoring this aspect denies the identity of the product. Hue competes with white bulbs about as much as a motorcycle competes with a motorhome. Sure they share some underlying technology, but they serve a different function for the owner.
BTW HUE make poor standard bulbs. They are kind of dim for "60 watt" and a bit to directional.
I agree that CFLs are terrible. LEDs on the other hand are an inherently longer lasting technology. Put it this way, have you EVER seen an LED fail on any electric device in your life? You have been surrounded by far more LED diodes in your life than incandescent bulbs, and their reliably has never been given a second thought.
LED bulbs are this same tech with just a bunch slapped together around a heat sync (oversimplification). On a quality bulb the longevity issue will more likely come from discoloration as the phosphor decays from the heat.
With Hue, yes. I assume that these are the same. If you use the wall switch they revert to white bulbs and function like traditional (non-dimmable) bulbs.
Assuming manufacturers are reading
I would like some that turn red or another present colour or are dimmed at night when I get up and go into the kitchen or bathroom. If this could be programmed to be automatic like iPhones "do not disturb" feature that would be great. It really hurts being blinded in early hours on that one day a week when I can't sleep and wake up at stupid o'clock
Thanks if you can do that
Not entirely clear what you're after here. Do you want the lights to dim and change color after a certain time? And then come on slowly some time in the morning? If so, the Hue app can do that on its own, no need for IFTTT. It will also do location based things, like turn the lights on when you get home, etc.
Now if you want to hook it up with a motion sensor of some kind, you'll need IFTTT for that.
"Smart" bulbs are the wrong approach. If want to control your bulbs all the time, you are forced to leave the light switch in the on position. Doesn't sound too bad at first, until you realize that the only way to turn on and off your lights is to pull out your phone, launch the app, and adjust the settings. Soon after, you will revert to flipping the light switch when it's more convenient. Then, one day, you will be sitting on the couch and want to turn a light on and you don't want to get up. You have these fancy bulbs, perfect! BUT... you can't since you left the switch in the off position.
The better approach would be the smart switch/outlet. Use your existing bulbs with none of the drawbacks listed above. Problem is, the current generation is lacking. The Belkin Wemo line does not allow dimming, nor support for 3-way switches. I was waiting for Ube to be released since it solves both of these problems, but the've been delayed and rebranded as Plum (http://www.plumlife.com). Guess I have to wait and see if they actually release later this year.
The better approach would be the smart switch/outlet. Use your existing bulbs with none of the drawbacks listed above. Problem is, the current generation is lacking. The Belkin Wemo line does not allow dimming, nor support for 3-way switches. I was waiting for Ube to be released since it solves both of these problems, but the've been delayed and rebranded as Plum (http://www.plumlife.com). Guess I have to wait and see if they actually release later this year.
I'm more excited to see what HomeLink will bring. If it's just a number of disparate apps and devices, that's not nearly as compelling as a control panel for your entire house.
This is why Homekit is so important. Just swipe down the notification bar and hit "bed time". Your TV shuts off. Doors lock. AC turns down. The lights in your living room, bedroom and hallway dim to a warm yellow light. The lamp on your nightstand turns on. Your brush your teeth and get ready for bed and a few minutes later the the lights slowly fade to darkness. Good night.
BTW - I agree that smart switches are the better choice for general lighting.
appreciate your suggestion
I think you might have misunderstood what was meant by "combine." IFTTT is not another piece of hardware, but simply a web-based service that speaks to the the lights to control what they do.
So, the thing that you are requesting the manufacturers to develop already exists.
Join the revolution - Open your window blinds/curtains.
These have different light settings yes? Like you can dim them?
But those devices work poorly after sundown.
I thought Hue bulbs were expensive - then I checked out Lifx. At $99/bulb the Lifx makes Hue bulbs ($60/bulb) seem cheap.
So much cheaper than the others that it's actually an attractive solution. Except then I realized a huge flaw with this: You can ONLY control the lights with an iPhone. That's usually not the most convenient way, and it means that guests at your house cannot control the lights. I could see this being used for outdoor lighting, but indoor lighting would be a pain.
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Probably because Mac OS does spell checking by default now, and it's switching a misspelled "definitely" to "defiantly".
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How would that work? If the switch is off, they get no power and can't do anything. If the switch is on, they can work, but then the only way to turn them on and off is with an iPhone. It should come with some switches you can put on the wall.
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Probably because Mac OS does spell checking by default now, and it's switching a misspelled "definitely" to "defiantly".
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How would that work? If the switch is off, they get no power and can't do anything. If the switch is on, they can work, but then the only way to turn them on and off is with an iPhone. It should come with some switches you can put on the wall.
Yeah, and they use over four times the power during standby as Philips Hue does, and you have to make sure your "master" bulb is always physically on. (Yes, they're supposed to eliminate your need for physical switches, but I like to think that it complements their use rather than replaces it entirely.) I'd rather have the WiFi-to-lightbulb-mesh-network bridge like Hue--and apparently these bulbs--do.
Hue also has a fabulous API that I have yet to see matched with most other home automation products, much less any other smart bulb. I didn't check these but don't have high hopes. This makes it very easy to make your own solutions to integrate it with other systems or customize its usage for your own home (e.g., I have two rooms on Hue controlled by a Griffin PowerMate as a switch/dimmer).
So to turn on my GE light O open the iPhone, launch the GE light bulb app, scroll down the "kitchen, north end" and click some controls. Then to adjust the heatering I llaluch the Nest "heater control app" and fiddle with that for a few minutes. The make the TV work I need another app. And then what if I have three brands of light bulbs? Three apps and I have to remember which to use in each room. What next my stove, refrigerator, dish washer and laundry each will come with their own apps.
And then you have the problem in a few years that the version 1 light bulb does not work on the version 2 app but the version 1 lightbulb app does not run on IOS 9. So yu need to upgrade the lightbults (and dish washer) every time Apple puts out a new IOS version. Or maybe you keep some older iPhones around with you. After 10 years of this your house is filled with older version lights that nay work on older version iPhones.
This is far worse than a simple wall mounted switch. It needs
let's WAIT until this because standardized. "standard" means more then one company makes parts that interchange.
And then you have the problem in a few years that the version 1 light bulb does not work on the version 2 app but the version 1 lightbulb app does not run on IOS 9. So yu need to upgrade the lightbults (and dish washer) every time Apple puts out a new IOS version. Or maybe you keep some older iPhones around with you. After 10 years of this your house is filled with older version lights that nay work on older version iPhones.
This is far worse than a simple wall mounted switch. It needs
let's WAIT until this because standardized. "standard" means more then one company makes parts that interchange.
But those devices work poorly after sundown.
Alright for me. Doesn't happen until 8PM most of the time.
I wish I was even joking.
That's the problem for me, I'd like to set the lights to a warm white, bright red or whatever, and have them retain that setting when they're used in the 'normal' way via the wall switch.
Intructing my 85 year old mother in the use of an iPhone when she wants to visit the bathroom isn't a viable option, nor is resetting everything after you've had visitors.
Lighting is important, there seems no point to me to be able to control the hue if everyone has to have an iOS device or just get a bare white light.
I want visitors to come back from the bathroom and compliment me on the lighting setup, which they've activated using only the wall switch.