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HomeKit Smart Bulbs that support Thread

mallbritton

mallbritton

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Nov 26, 2006
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Greetings! I'm looking for a little advise on smart bulbs. I currently have several smart bulbs and outlets originally sourced from IKEA. I'm would like to upgrade my smart devices to the latest technology and move away from having to have a dedicated hub, like the IKEA ecosystem I have now.

Specifically I am looking for smart bulbs, with E12 connectors, that support Thread. I've found several "brands" on Amazon that have the right size connector but I can't determine if they support Thread. The specs for these bulbs all say they support Alexa and Google, but don't generally say anything about HomeKit or Thread.

My question is can anyone suggest a smart bulb with an E12 connector that explicitly supports Thread? I'd like at least 40w equivalent.
 
I haven't found any E12 connectors which are HomeKit compatible. Let us know if you find something as I've been hunting for the same thing.
 
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Yes, and I have some already, but Nanoleaf does not sell any bulbs with an E12 connector. This is a smaller connector than the standard E26.
 
mallbritton said:
Yes, and I have some already, but Nanoleaf does not sell any bulbs with an E12 connector. This is a smaller connector than the standard E26.
Click to expand...
If you’re looking for Thread bulbs with a candelabra base (is that what E12 is?), then we’re both looking for the same thing. I was hoping Nanoleaf would deliver such a bulb but nothing to date. Should you find some, please share. As an aside, my Thread-enabled Wemo smartplugs work very, very well, far better than others I’ve tried from multiple vendors over time. Surprisingly though, none work as well as my X-10 power line smartplugs from the 1980’s and I have about two dozen of them still working just fine.
 
I think the E12 connectors may also be known as "candelabra." In a post up above I posted a link to some bulbs I found and ordered off Amazon that support HomeKit. They do not explicitly support Thread, though, as far as I can tell. The bulbs are arriving today and I will definitely post here how they work.
 
Over the long weekend I decided to keep the bulbs with the wrong connector base and use them. Why not, right? I've only been using them for a couple of days and I can report that they appear to be working quite well. I was able to integrate them into my system using only the Home app and so far I have been able to effectively control them using Siri and the Home app.

The one drawback to be aware of with these bulbs is they are larger than a stand light bulb, so if you want to put them in a ceiling mounted light with a glass cover it may not fit as snuggly as it did before. So far, so good.

I still want to find some "candelabra" or E12 bulbs for my floor lamp.
 
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mallbritton said:
Greetings! I'm looking for a little advise on smart bulbs. I currently have several smart bulbs and outlets originally sourced from IKEA. I'm would like to upgrade my smart devices to the latest technology and move away from having to have a dedicated hub, like the IKEA ecosystem I have now.

Specifically I am looking for smart bulbs, with E12 connectors, that support Thread. I've found several "brands" on Amazon that have the right size connector but I can't determine if they support Thread. The specs for these bulbs all say they support Alexa and Google, but don't generally say anything about HomeKit or Thread.

My question is can anyone suggest a smart bulb with an E12 connector that explicitly supports Thread? I'd like at least 40w equivalent.
Click to expand...
Almost two years out…any updates/news products on the market? I’m also looking for an E12 thread bulb!
 
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Just a thought but why not try a Thread enabled smart plug to control your lamp(s)? Seems like this would be a better solution than having multiple smart bulbs in one lamp and less expensive. I use WEMO plugs and they are very reliable, fast and trouble free and they integrate easily into HomeKit.
 
HomeKit compatibility and the Home app have been problematic for me since the beginning several years ago. I’ve gone through lots of (mostly) smart plugs from various manufacturers with/without Thread, with/without Matter, and still today have occasional “No Response” messages come up. I do have two allegedly smart bulbs from Nanoleaf that really worked well…until they didn’t and still don’t today. They are Matter-over-Thread and were chosen for wall sconces where a smart plug isn’t an option. I also have a WeMo wall switch that used to operate flawlessly…until it didn’t and doesn’t now.

TL;DR - nothing in the realm of HomeKit compatibility with/without Matter and/or Thread really works reliably for long periods. At least that’s been my sad experience with the technology.

On a related note, my then-new HVAC thermostat has a built-in Zigbee controller and came with two huge Zigbee smart plugs. Yeah, those didn’t work long either. So far home automation since the X-10 devices of the 1980’s has not improved much if at all. For me. Hopefully others have better fortune.
 
SalisburySam said:
HomeKit compatibility and the Home app have been problematic for me since the beginning several years ago. I’ve gone through lots of (mostly) smart plugs from various manufacturers with/without Thread, with/without Matter, and still today have occasional “No Response” messages come up. I do have two allegedly smart bulbs from Nanoleaf that really worked well…until they didn’t and still don’t today. They are Matter-over-Thread and were chosen for wall sconces where a smart plug isn’t an option. I also have a WeMo wall switch that used to operate flawlessly…until it didn’t and doesn’t now.

TL;DR - nothing in the realm of HomeKit compatibility with/without Matter and/or Thread really works reliably for long periods. At least that’s been my sad experience with the technology.

On a related note, my then-new HVAC thermostat has a built-in Zigbee controller and came with two huge Zigbee smart plugs. Yeah, those didn’t work long either. So far home automation since the X-10 devices of the 1980’s has not improved much if at all. For me. Hopefully others have better fortune.
Click to expand...

The required infrastructure complexity jumped by a factor of two compared to x10 days.

Aside from Siri's shortcomings, the homekit architecture is working pretty well for me, when aided by homebridge, homeseer (talk about a throw back!) hubitat, caseta, yolink.... etc etc haha
 
SalisburySam said:
HomeKit compatibility and the Home app have been problematic for me since the beginning several years ago. I’ve gone through lots of (mostly) smart plugs from various manufacturers with/without Thread, with/without Matter, and still today have occasional “No Response” messages come up. I do have two allegedly smart bulbs from Nanoleaf that really worked well…until they didn’t and still don’t today. They are Matter-over-Thread and were chosen for wall sconces where a smart plug isn’t an option. I also have a WeMo wall switch that used to operate flawlessly…until it didn’t and doesn’t now.

TL;DR - nothing in the realm of HomeKit compatibility with/without Matter and/or Thread really works reliably for long periods. At least that’s been my sad experience with the technology.

On a related note, my then-new HVAC thermostat has a built-in Zigbee controller and came with two huge Zigbee smart plugs. Yeah, those didn’t work long either. So far home automation since the X-10 devices of the 1980’s has not improved much if at all. For me. Hopefully others have better fortune.
Click to expand...
What are you using for a WiFi network?

I had eero for many years and it has been the bane of my HomeKit setup. Even hardwiring all the nodes resulted in instability.

I switched to a UniFi Dream Wall with eight U6 In Wall AP’s and man o man. It’s like UniFi was optimized specifically for HomeKit. Much more granular control and the best feature I’ve found, especially for HomePods is the ability to lock them to a specific AP. I found they roamed a lot with eero with band steering turned on and off.
 
Itinj24 said:
What are you using for a WiFi network?

I had eero for many years and it has been the bane of my HomeKit setup. Even hardwiring all the nodes resulted in instability.

I switched to a UniFi Dream Wall with eight U6 In Wall AP’s and man o man. It’s like UniFi was optimized specifically for HomeKit. Much more granular control and the best feature I’ve found, especially for HomePods is the ability to lock them to a specific AP. I found they roamed a lot with eero with band steering turned on and off.
Click to expand...
I have eight (yeah, 8) eeroPro routers (not the Beacons) throughout our 4700 sq. ft. two-story home, one of which is the gateway. The plaster/lath walls in this 1905 home are absolute WiFi killers hence a router in almost every room.

I’ll look into the UniFi option as a possible improvement, but have low expectations frankly. I’ve gone from an Apple router with extenders, the top-of-the-line Linksys with and without extenders, then to the eeros.
 
SalisburySam said:
I have eight (yeah, 8) eeroPro routers (not the Beacons) throughout our 4700 sq. ft. two-story home, one of which is the gateway. The plaster/lath walls in this 1905 home are absolute WiFi killers hence a router in almost every room.

I’ll look into the UniFi option as a possible improvement, but have low expectations frankly. I’ve gone from an Apple router with extenders, the top-of-the-line Linksys with and without extenders, then to the eeros.
Click to expand...
I too had low expectations and I generally don’t like making recommendations in case it doesn’t work out. Then I feel at fault but UniFi has been a game changer. My house is 200 sq ft smaller than yours on five split levels. Drywall and wood studs though. I used six eero Pro 6 routers all hardwired and nothing but issues with HomeKit, even though our iPhones and iPads were getting great speeds everywhere in the house.

I used to wake up every day and immediately go to the Home app to see what went “No Response” over night. The little dot next to the settings icon at the top right had a permanent residence in my Home app. Then I would begin the troubleshooting process and this was a daily occurrence for me. Since switching from eero to UniFi, I get this all day every day and it’s so glorious:

1725584991710.png
 
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