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Philips to Sell iOS-Controlled LED Light Bulbs Exclusively Through Apple Stores

coolspot18 said:
I guess LIFX is too late to the party...

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/limemouse/lifx-the-light-bulb-reinvented

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Yes, but do you really want that many wifi clients on your network? A light bulb?

A controller might not be a bad idea provided it has adequate coverage.
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From the LIFX Kickstarter page:

"No more master vs slave bulb! Based on the cost estimates coming in, we’re confident enough to make the call that there will be a WiFi chip in every bulb. Obviously this makes for much a cleaner setup and more robust networking if the LIFX software can automatically nominate the best bulb (at any given time) to talk with your router. We’re thrilled to finally bed this down and remove the need for different physical bulbs, power-sucking hubs or any other single points of failure."
 
Love the idea, not the price.


This same sort of idea, mixed with the Nest thermostat and the Lockitron deadbolt lock make for a very geeky home should I ever win the lottery.

I keep dreaming, it keeps not happening. :(
 
Lesser Evets said:
You can buy single bulbs like this with a remote for $11 online. Same basic thing with colors and different blinking modes, etc.
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Guaranteed that they are not the same quality and/or brightness. And since they cannot be linked together and controlled by a single remote (or any iOS device for that matter) I would say that no, they are not even basically the same thing.
 
ChrisA said:
You can set the range and also reserve IP addresses with Apple routers. It will work fine.
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If your network is already set up for 10. addresses then resetting the range to 192. at the router would require resetting everything else on your network to use that range (unless the ending DHCP address can be set for 192., but it isn't clear that this is possible or something you'd want to do even if it was). I'm assuming that the Honeywell thermostat would be set up for DHCP, so reserving a fixed IP for it might not work, and even if it did, might not work for long. So does Honeywell provide you with instructions for using this thermostat on a 10. router network? My experience with this in the past is they generally do not. The last network printer I set up didn't know how to discover the 10. router addresses, and even the manufacturer's support didn't offer any solutions. I had to figure it out myself, and it wasn't much fun.
 
I'm very interested, would love to see a review. Can you group bulbs? Turn on when you enter the wifi? Work with manual switches? Cycle through colors automatically?

This is great for coming home in the dark, and setting a mood for you know...
 
Assuming these will last as long as normal LED bulbs the price really isn't that bad. Considering the lighting versatility you get.

These aren't intended to simply replace light bulbs for people that want to blast the room with cheap white light. For these people the $11 60W replacement LED bulbs at Microcenter are too expensive.

This is more along the lines of something home automation buffs would want. Considering how much X-11, Z-Wave and other such ilk run. This isn't so bad. Especially with the vaste versatility of settings mood.

However, these need to be made compatible with existing home automation software such as HAL. As the home automators already have a lot of money spent on infrastructure. They are not going to want something that has to run on a separate software package from the rest of their home automation.
 
Picked up my starter set today. Can't wait to try them out. Brightness is my only concern. If they are 60w equivalent, I am good. They did not have the single bulbs for sale. They said later on in the week?

I will update as I try these guys out. Really excited! :D
 

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thekev said:
There are domestic and commercial systems available that give you an incredible amount of control in controlling lighting in different rooms, allow programmable presets, etc. This isn't a new concept. It's just potentially new as a mass market concept. If those bulbs last long enough, they could be viable. I'm assuming a portion of the price is related to software development and support over the life of the bulb, given the long lives of modern lightbulbs and frequency of IOS changes.
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The difference is that most current systems require special wiring either at the light source or the light switch. This doesn't. You simply plug a bulb into any old socket that you want. No special wiring. No fuss other than setting up communication with the bulbs through the software.

How many people set up home networks for all their computers before wi-fi? The majority of people were not laying down wires and drilling holes in walls and setting up switches and routers. It wasn't until wi-fi tech was pushed and wireless routers were provided by internet service providers that the mainstream population started having home networks. This Hue system is basically the first step toward the same thing...only with lighting, instead of computer data/internet.
 
Tested the bulb at work and it's nice and bright. Even with all the overhead fluorescent lighting going on. Really can't wait to try them at home now. :D

Also, the bulbs have a nice weight to them.
 
No

I learned a long time ago not to buy anything with the name PHILIPS ON IT, they produce garbage.
 
coolspot18 said:
I guess LIFX is too late to the party...

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/limemouse/lifx-the-light-bulb-reinvented

----------



Yes, but do you really want that many wifi clients on your network? A light bulb?

A controller might not be a bad idea provided it has adequate coverage.
Click to expand...

LIFX actually does have a controller. One of the lightbulbs is designated as a Master which connects to your network and the rest connect to that one light bulb. I think it's a more elegant and simple solution for the end user.
 
I think it'd be cool to use these if I could figure out a way to power them remotely. Since they are LED's I'd like to figure out a way to power them through a batterypack. I've been looking for something like this to use in a presentation piece at my church. I want to hang some things and light them from the inside, but not have to be running power cables down wires. If I could figure out how to make these do that and then turn the lights on from my iphone... well, that'd be pretty sweet.
 
Garbage

Anyone who has ever bought a Philips product will know they produce nothing but junk!
 
yup

bought one.

until recently, home-automation tech has been complicated, proprietary and expensive. devices like Nest and Hue have made them stupid-simple to install and use. one can claim $200-250 is expensive, but it's really not when compared to prior home-automation setups. those were toys for the very rich only. these are priced for the middle-class.

LED bulbs are the future, no doubt about it. smart, customizable home lighting. $60 for a smart-bulb sounds like a lot, but compared to dumb LED bulbs, which are $20-50, it's not that much more -- and you get a wifi equipped device capable of scheduling, peer-to-peer communication and 16 million color shades. sign me up.

only drawback as far as im concerned is the lumens -- about the equiv of a 60-watt bulb, which is not bright enough. LED tech has to catch up in this area.
 
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iReality85 said:
Exactly.

What is the point of such a lighting system other than entertainment/gimmickry? Can you imagine fumbling around for your iPad or iPhone to simply adjust the lighting when you really need it. Seems like the height of laziness to me, but to each their own. As for setting the timers, well, timers for lighting have existed for many years...
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Just to confirm: Yes you can still manually use your lights via the switch (they should have advertised this better. I had to dig for the answer).

Source:
Can I turn on the lights without using the app?

You can always just turn your lights on or off via the wall switch. Or if you’re using freestanding lights, just plug them in to switch them on.
You can also control your lights through the hue website. Just make sure you’ve enabled remote access

http://www.meethue.com/en-US/support
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mdelvecchio said:
bought one.
Only drawback as far as im concerned is the lumens -- about the equiv of a 60-watt bulb, which is not bright enough. LED tech has to catch up in this area.
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I echo all the concerns about the lumens. At 1000 or 1200 lumens, I'd buy it! I left a note on their support site telling them so! Hopefully we'll see a 2nd generation soon.
 
sphark said:
I echo all the concerns about the lumens. At 1000 or 1200 lumens, I'd buy it! I left a note on their support site telling them so! Hopefully we'll see a 2nd generation soon.
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yes. i still bought the kit tho, because even if they release new 100-watt-equiv bulbs ill still have uses for the current 60-watts. and i want to vote w/ my dollars that this is a market worth serving...
 
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