Smartest Light Bulbs Ever, Dumbest Idea Ever? 235
An anonymous reader writes "A spate of smart LED bulbs and light sockets are coming to market and seeking crowdfunding, following the (apparent) success of Philips Hue. But do they really make sense for lighting control? Here's a comprehensive roundup of 13 products and the pros and cons of the category." I like the idea of controllable, long-lasting light bulbs, but I haven't yet been tempted enough to pay $50 apiece.
X10 (Score:5, Informative)
X10! X10! X10! X10! X10! X10! X10! X10!
"Home control" has been around since the 1990s. It was once promoted with some really annoying blinking pop-up ads [geek.com] for the X10 wireless control system. Around 2001, X10 was the fourth most popular property on the web. You can still buy X10 gear. It works fine. Nobody cares.
Then there was Echelon LonWorks. [echelon.com] This was a technically better system than X10 (which was mostly one-way), and it's widely used in commercial buildings. It has really good noise immunity, which has resulted in it being used to control auxiliary systems (lights, HVAC, destination signs, etc.) in subway trains. As a home control system, which was the original plan, it went nowhere.
There's no problem doing this, and plenty of products are available. Remote off/on control of home lights and appliances just isn't that useful.
Re:Why so expensive in the US? (Score:4, Informative)
I'm in the US and I just got a bunch of LED bulbs from Costco for $5 each. Not the color changing ones though.
Re:Why so expensive in the US? (Score:4, Informative)
Down here in Ohio, I've also seen incandescent stop lights clogged with snow.
*shrug*
It depends on the snow and the wind and the temperature and the duty-cycle of that particular light bulb.
Meanwhile, contrary to what everyone seems to assume: LEDs can get pretty toasty. This is why pre-packaged bulbs and fixtures tend to be mostly heatsink.
IIRC, they're only still about 40% efficient. This is more than an order of magnitude better than an incandescent, but it still means that substantial heat can be generated with use.
Re:Why so expensive in the US? (Score:5, Informative)
Two reasons for the heatsink. Firstly, they can get pretty toasty, yes. Secondly, high temperatures greatly shorten the lifespan of a LED. Incandescents or CFLs can take the heat, LEDs can't, so even if the heat dissipated isn't that great they still need large heatsinks.
Re:Yeah, let's do that... (Score:2, Informative)
There's nothing preventing you from having a switch, and even a dimmer (depending on bulb being okay with it), in addition to the 'smart' application.
Yes there is. Unless the "switch" has been replaced with something smarter, or the bulb has a second source of electric power, turning the ligth off at the switch means you cannot turn it back on again wirelessly.
Re:Dumbest story title, ever? (Score:5, Informative)
How many $20 LED lamps have you bought? How many $10 ones? ALL SHIT.
Cree makes good bulbs because they are driving demand for their LEDs - Cree and Philips are probably neck-and-neck for the lead position in the LED market.
They've got a 40-watt equivalent for $10 at Home Depot and a 60-watt for $14.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?356710-Cree-A19-9-5w-60w-800lm-2700K-for-13-97 [candlepowerforums.com]
Re:Dumbest story title, ever? (Score:5, Informative)
And LED bulbs? Still new enough that you have the uninformed Luddites bitching that they cost $60 each, despite the fact that you can now buy them for under $20 regularly and around $10 on sale
How many $20 LED lamps have you bought? How many $10 ones? ALL SHIT. You must spend real money on an LED lamp to get one that even has current limiting, let alone power regulation.
Microcenter has "40W" house-brand Inland LED bulbs for $6.99, dimmables for a buck more. They work great in my house, and I haven't had a single one go bad or burn out in the year or two since I started getting them. They seem to be well built, and have nice solid heat sinks, though the one here in my desk lamp is cool enough to touch (and by touch, I mean put your fingers on it and hold them there) anywhere on the lamp body.
Our kitchen uses two of these bulbs in the fixture, and its as bright as it's ever been with any other bulbs.
On the subject of 'smart lighting' - $50~70 is too much for a bulb, but it speaks to the X-10 enthusiast in many of us to be able to control lighting at the source... but the price needs to come way down. I expect that to happen as production ramps up. Given a cheap interface chip, China could pump the components out for less than a dollar premium on a BOM for a smart bulb. Tie that in with efficient, color-changing LEDs and you could sell them all day long at Wal*Mart for $15 each and make a good profit.
Realistically, "smart lighting" is the way to get people to buy the more expensive LED bulb, anyway.... there is more perceived value in buying a consumable product that can also do cool things. Forget the fact that LED bulbs are far cheaper, in the long run, simply based on lifespan, let alone energy cost, to purchase over any other type of bulb. CFLs don't help the cause of buying energy efficient lighting, since they sometimes last no longer than regular bulbs, yet cost two or three times as much (again, forgetting energy cost savings). Give consumers a neat capability with that expensive cost, and they'll be far more interested as they see more "value" in buying LED bulbs... but that doesn't happen at a $50 price point for 99% of the consumers out there. At $15, yes, it probably becomes more viable for people to start lighting their homes with LEDs.