Here's what I'd like to see within 10 years: solar-powered outdoor Christmas lights that you leave up year round, and change the color scheme using your smartphone: red and green at Christmas, white on New Year's Eve, pink on Valentine's Day, yellow and blue on Easter, red-white-and-blue on patriotic holidays, orange on Halloween, your favorite team's colors on game days, etc.
All this stuff comes under the heading "Don't make/buy this just because we can." No one needs to find their phone to turn on their lights! And what happened to dimmer switches? Now we can pay and electrician to remove them, and a painter to come clean up the walls. How creative and forward-thinking is that?
"For $50, GE is packaging two bulbs with the Wink home-networking hub, which can also connect to Internet-enabled appliances"
Not that I can find. Perhaps the author will enlighten us as to where we can find this deal?
Not that I can find. Perhaps the author will enlighten us as to where we can find this deal?
Please folks, do not setup your house's mechanicals to the internet. Worse. dont set it up to your phone.
It will be hacked. Just a matter of when.
It you really and truly professionally know IT, then go for it. But if you know IT, you already know how non-secure much of this tech is.
It will be hacked. Just a matter of when.
It you really and truly professionally know IT, then go for it. But if you know IT, you already know how non-secure much of this tech is.
2
Do I really need a light bulb that comes with a multi-page instruction manual, in 8 languages no less? No way. Where is the bubble that the marketing people live, who promote these bubble-born engineering and electronic gizmos? It's not anywhere near my home.
Give me a simple solution to lighting, that produces good quality, reliable light, for an extended period of time and is using less electricity, saving me significant money, and I'll buy it.
Give me a simple solution to lighting, that produces good quality, reliable light, for an extended period of time and is using less electricity, saving me significant money, and I'll buy it.
4
it's already noted in the article:
"But in the last year or so, mainstream manufacturers like Philips and General Electric and upstarts like Cree, most notably, have started rolling out cheaper bulbs with the kind of warm light you’d actually want to put in a room. As of last week, you could buy Cree’s 60-watt equivalent LED for $8 at New York-area retailers and $5 at some retailers in the Northeast."
"But in the last year or so, mainstream manufacturers like Philips and General Electric and upstarts like Cree, most notably, have started rolling out cheaper bulbs with the kind of warm light you’d actually want to put in a room. As of last week, you could buy Cree’s 60-watt equivalent LED for $8 at New York-area retailers and $5 at some retailers in the Northeast."
My Clients are usually not terribly grateful for anything that's overly complicated- so I most often specify the simpler, proven choices. JG-
I have one word: Clap on.
Seriously? Obama is helping India to expand the electrical grid to more people without any access to electricity than the entire population of the United States and we have nothing better to do than tie our ceiling lamps into our Wi-Fi. Are we really that myopic and bored? Maybe people who rent 4 room apartments in NYC dwell on such trivia. The outside world doesn't.
I only use $5 -- 800 or 850 lumen LED lamps, with a few $14, 1,200 lumen LED lamps. Some are 2,700 K and some are 6,000 K. The 800 lumen lamps use 9 watts compared to 60 watts for incandescent lamps. They are good for 25 average years, even though the technology will outdate them in 3 years.
I only use $5 -- 800 or 850 lumen LED lamps, with a few $14, 1,200 lumen LED lamps. Some are 2,700 K and some are 6,000 K. The 800 lumen lamps use 9 watts compared to 60 watts for incandescent lamps. They are good for 25 average years, even though the technology will outdate them in 3 years.
7
You realize your comment is just a variation of your mom saying to eat your veggies because there are starving kids in India, right? Does everything in your personal daily world revolve around Obama's foreign policies?
Our brilliant son-in-law just showed me the various lightshow atmospheres that he can control from his iPhone. Very cool, indeed!
Interesting article, but the author, like all but one of the first 28 commenters did not even mention the biggest issue that needs to be part of any evaluation of this technology: How robust is the hub security? Until the manufacturers get that way beyond the usual 4 number string, I am not buying.
3
Are other people's lives so empty and boring, so replete with leisure hours, that they long for the complexities that have been invading our homes?
Light bulbs, for goodness sake. We have one small cupboard that formerly housed our collection. Big ones, little ones, everything from 3-way bulbs to night lights. You could glance at them, read the numbers on the dome, and grab the correct bulb in an instant. Toss out the dead bulb, screw in the new one. Done.
Now this simple, ordinary process rivals buying a new computer.
What's next, nail file drones that magically appear, remove your shoes and socks, do their job, and return to their secret hideout? Ordinary nail files and emery boards will vanish from store shelves, and people who can't figure out how to program a drone-file will be hilariously obvious to anyone who looks at their fingers or toes.
Light bulbs, for goodness sake. We have one small cupboard that formerly housed our collection. Big ones, little ones, everything from 3-way bulbs to night lights. You could glance at them, read the numbers on the dome, and grab the correct bulb in an instant. Toss out the dead bulb, screw in the new one. Done.
Now this simple, ordinary process rivals buying a new computer.
What's next, nail file drones that magically appear, remove your shoes and socks, do their job, and return to their secret hideout? Ordinary nail files and emery boards will vanish from store shelves, and people who can't figure out how to program a drone-file will be hilariously obvious to anyone who looks at their fingers or toes.
13
fireplaces are simple too, do you still heat your house with one or have you found a more efficient, less costly way to do it? Same with LED bulbs. frankly you can go to home depot, pick out an LED bulb that matches the "equivalent wattage" of what burned out in your home and the only extra decision you need to make is which of three color's you want the light to be; warm, neutral or cool.
Presto, you've just saved 90% on your energy cost on that bulb and extended its life from a few hundred hours to at least 10 years if not longer.
Presto, you've just saved 90% on your energy cost on that bulb and extended its life from a few hundred hours to at least 10 years if not longer.
The real issue is conservation, conservation of energy and that is conservation of money. All the options (hues et. al.) diverts the discussion. The technology is changing and changing faster than one can change a lightbulb while getting cheaper, more reliable and longer lasting. One cannot improve an incandescent much more while LED's march onward. If one does not want to conserve money, one can argue insistently for the incandescent bulb and it has nothing to do with regulation.
2
Exactly. As we see, there are those who are not only determined to pull in the opposite direction, holding fast to the old and inefficient, but also to make as bellicose and obnoxious display of their ignorance as possible. The ridicule of the suggestion of checking tire pressure and the in-your-face refusal to adopt new lighting technology are simply two of the many examples.
Actually the biggest power draw in your home is the fridge. It runs 24 hours a day, unlike most lights in a home. And A/C is a huge power suck if you use them. Light bulbs matter too, but if the industry wants to look at the power-sucking monster, then it should look at the fridge. But it wont. Americans want enormous fridges.
1
I was an early adopter of LED bulbs to replace the CFLs I was using.
The CFLs didn't work well in the cold and took a long time, minutes, to get up to full intensity. Often they had an annoying buzz as well. Disposing of them was challenging because of the trace amounts of Mercury.
Unlike the CFLs, when you turn on a LED light bulb it comes on instantly and full brightness.
My experience with LEDs has been good with one exception. If you use them on a dimmer, make absolutely sure the dimmer is designed for LED lights. I was using six recessed PAR38 17 watt LEDs in a vaulted ceiling and they were failing after only 6-8 months of use. I pulled the dimmer and it was not rated for LEDS. I bought a new dimmer and I haven't had one fail in two years.
One of the advantages of using LEDs is the minimal amount of heat they generated. With six 75 watt PAR 38 incandescent bulbs a lot of heat is generated and in the summertime caused my A/C system to work harder.
The color adjustments are nice if done in moderation. Sunset warm to bright white can help set a mood or fine tune the decor.
The connected home is here but having my house connected to the internet 24/7 I don't think is a good idea for security reasons, not to mention Google's insatiable appetite for gathering data on everyone and everything.
The CFLs didn't work well in the cold and took a long time, minutes, to get up to full intensity. Often they had an annoying buzz as well. Disposing of them was challenging because of the trace amounts of Mercury.
Unlike the CFLs, when you turn on a LED light bulb it comes on instantly and full brightness.
My experience with LEDs has been good with one exception. If you use them on a dimmer, make absolutely sure the dimmer is designed for LED lights. I was using six recessed PAR38 17 watt LEDs in a vaulted ceiling and they were failing after only 6-8 months of use. I pulled the dimmer and it was not rated for LEDS. I bought a new dimmer and I haven't had one fail in two years.
One of the advantages of using LEDs is the minimal amount of heat they generated. With six 75 watt PAR 38 incandescent bulbs a lot of heat is generated and in the summertime caused my A/C system to work harder.
The color adjustments are nice if done in moderation. Sunset warm to bright white can help set a mood or fine tune the decor.
The connected home is here but having my house connected to the internet 24/7 I don't think is a good idea for security reasons, not to mention Google's insatiable appetite for gathering data on everyone and everything.
14
But you can also dim the smart ones with just a slider on the app interface. So that's handy. I know that doesn't solve that for the er...unsmart? ones.
One big point that you have overlooked is these lamps provide additional features at the cost of reduced efficiency - all the additional features require additional energy use (as do additional gateways, wifi routers, etc.) and parts of them need to remain on to wait for your commands. So what was intended to be an energy efficient product may end up using as much electricity as an old-fashioned incandescent lamp.
6
And Google Glass was hip 2 years ago...
1
"Get ready to dust off the old jokes about how many (fill in the blank) people it takes to change a light bulb."
A better question nowadays might be: how many (fill in the blank) light bulbs does it take to change a light bulb?
Suggested punchlines welcome.
A better question nowadays might be: how many (fill in the blank) light bulbs does it take to change a light bulb?
Suggested punchlines welcome.
I've been delighted with my Hue lights. The were spendy, but cheaper than an electrician and some new light fixtures.
I have an alarm set to turn on the ones in the rooms I'm typically in, at about 15 minutes before Downton Abbey. I set the bulb colors using a photo of the manor--so my rooms gets a sort of Victorian sepia toned look. And it reminds me that it's time to get a glass of wine queued up.
My front porch lights I have set with IFTTT programs, to turn on at sunset and off at sunrise. I don't have to have any light sensors anymore, or those awful grinding timers that are permanently set with little plastic do-hickeys. Which were impossible to use on the overhead porch light anyway.
They color is especially nice during the winter when things are otherwise pretty bleak all day.
They aren't for everyone--I really don't care if you don't want to use them. Nobody is forcing them on you.
I have an alarm set to turn on the ones in the rooms I'm typically in, at about 15 minutes before Downton Abbey. I set the bulb colors using a photo of the manor--so my rooms gets a sort of Victorian sepia toned look. And it reminds me that it's time to get a glass of wine queued up.
My front porch lights I have set with IFTTT programs, to turn on at sunset and off at sunrise. I don't have to have any light sensors anymore, or those awful grinding timers that are permanently set with little plastic do-hickeys. Which were impossible to use on the overhead porch light anyway.
They color is especially nice during the winter when things are otherwise pretty bleak all day.
They aren't for everyone--I really don't care if you don't want to use them. Nobody is forcing them on you.
2
My fave is the 15 year life guarantee on these bulbs.
Leading to the inevitable question when you try to return a malfunctioning bulb after 10 years: "do you have the receipt?"
Leading to the inevitable question when you try to return a malfunctioning bulb after 10 years: "do you have the receipt?"
11
LEDs are the future in lighting. Even more so because US, EU and Japan (I think) have governmental policies to enforce its use. However, it has its advantages though. And in the not so distant future LEDs might deliver all the Wi-Fi signal in homes. Some chinese scientists have tested it. More here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li-Fi
1
Another, easier solution if you want to control when your lights go on and off is WeMo, made by Belkin. You plug it in to a wall socket, plug in the lamp to the device, connect it to wifi and you can set it like an old fashioned timer and/or turn your lights off or on from anywhere in the house. You can also do the same thing with exterior lights, with a WeMo wall switch.
3
Lighting that is controlled by music, through some alorithm, is a silly trick that got old years ago. Who would want it in a bar, let alone at home? What might be interesting is lighting that is composed along with the music, by the composer. Could be worthwhile, I don't know how it would be done- maybe by stamping holes in the edge of the record?
7
The record? Now that's an interesting mix of technology and chronology. I can't tell whether you're making a joke or not.
No matter what, the notion of having a composer do it is interesting. Good idea, Stephen. The notion of adding a digital track to a digital music stream and having that track carry the lighting information is a reasonable one. I know some post-production audio people and will ask them.
No matter what, the notion of having a composer do it is interesting. Good idea, Stephen. The notion of adding a digital track to a digital music stream and having that track carry the lighting information is a reasonable one. I know some post-production audio people and will ask them.
What is a "record"??
1
Something tells me that you can still find an Illuma-Storm globe at RadioShack if you know where to look.
Best deal on LEDs right now is Ikea, which sells beautifully designed "Ledare" 60 watt equivalent bulbs for $5. The light is warm -- very similar to an incandescent "soft white." At that price they're going to pay for themselves in six months if the bulb is used a lot.
They use about as much electricity as a night light -- so the first place to put them is the lights your kids always neglect to turn off.
They use about as much electricity as a night light -- so the first place to put them is the lights your kids always neglect to turn off.
13
Can't wait to see what mischief hackers come up with to mess with these bulbs - not to mention all the other smart home appliances. How about taking over your TV and ordering $10 porn movies to run while your kids are parked in front of the TV babysitter? Or locking out all channels but Fox News for your liberal neighbor? Or strobing all the lights in an epileptic's home? Or turning the thermostat up to 100? Can't wait for the programmable sprinkler system...
11
All this is too complicated for me.
11
A promise to the tech world: I will buy nothing from now on that connects me to the internet, the cloud, any stranger I do not know, any company looking to get in my pockets, the governments of this or any other country, or hackers of whatever motivation. I am finished buying anything promoted at CES; I want my relationships to be eye to eye and hands on from now on.
37
Tempting way to go. Some of us remember when that's the only way it was- simple and direct. JG-
3
Tempting as it seems, architects and their clients- and others have to keep up with the world as it comes along- complicated or not. Some
things turn out to be a bit more useful than they seemed at first. JG-
things turn out to be a bit more useful than they seemed at first. JG-
Wally - You know you are posting to the internet, right?
2
Who needs all these special functions from a light bulb? What are the chances that the whole system would actually function in an emergency situation, which might well involve loss of electrical power?
Warm-white LED bulbs are the best solution for lighting, for effficiency, long life, and the absence of mercury. Most of the additional functions described strike me as nearly useless gimmicks which will appeal to a very few. A technology looking for an excuse to use.
Warm-white LED bulbs are the best solution for lighting, for effficiency, long life, and the absence of mercury. Most of the additional functions described strike me as nearly useless gimmicks which will appeal to a very few. A technology looking for an excuse to use.
33
The fire alarm light is a good one.
Also if they offer color bandwidth, you could have white light in winter (6500K) (like sunlight glinting in the window off a snowfield) and yellow (also known as warm, 2500k, more like fireside or sunset) in summer, or whenever your mood dictates. I keep separate bulbs for color management which is easy enough.
Light bulbs are one of the very few inarguably miraculous items of human technology.
Also if they offer color bandwidth, you could have white light in winter (6500K) (like sunlight glinting in the window off a snowfield) and yellow (also known as warm, 2500k, more like fireside or sunset) in summer, or whenever your mood dictates. I keep separate bulbs for color management which is easy enough.
Light bulbs are one of the very few inarguably miraculous items of human technology.
1
The incandescents cost more to run, but at least that money was recycled by the power companies back through the US economy. Now it's all being sent to China instead to pay for these fancy bulbs, courtesy of US regulators.
7
Your economic analysis is backwards. High efficiency lighting (LEDs or CFLs, which have also improved greatly) will save the typical household around $100-150 a year. That's money in your pocket that would otherwise mostly go to the petroleum industry and help keep oil prices high for our good friends in Saudi Arabia and Russia.
Right-wingers seem to think incandescent bulbs and gas guzzling cars are some kind of badge of patriotism, but they're really just the opposite. Being sloppy with energy helps our enemies around the world.
I love my Prius and LED bulbs mostly because they save me money that I'd rather spend on wine and good American-made food. But sticking it, in my small way, to Saudi Arabia, Iran and Vladimir Putin is certainly a secondary pleasure.
Right-wingers seem to think incandescent bulbs and gas guzzling cars are some kind of badge of patriotism, but they're really just the opposite. Being sloppy with energy helps our enemies around the world.
I love my Prius and LED bulbs mostly because they save me money that I'd rather spend on wine and good American-made food. But sticking it, in my small way, to Saudi Arabia, Iran and Vladimir Putin is certainly a secondary pleasure.
55
LED lights save coal and natural gas, both domestic resources. Very little electricity is generated from petroleum. There are lots of very good reasons to use LED lighting, but punishing Putin isn't one of them.
1
how about the fact that Cree and other small US corporations develop LED bulbs instead of large multinational corporations? Also what makes you think your GE light bulbs are made in the USA? try Mexico or China.
All these things are impressive but useless. All I want is a LED or CFL that puts out a lot of illumination and also fits in my fixtures. Have you ever tried to find a really bright compact LED or CFL bulb? They do not exist.
14
I have tried and succeeded!! When was the last time you tried to buy an LED lamp (bulb)? The new CREE bulb that the author mentions in his article costs about $8 and puts out 860 lumens, which is exactly, if not more than what an incandescent on put our. Also at 2700 Kelvin, which is the yellow light put out by an incandescent. There are also alternatives that put out as much as their 75 and 100W incandescent counterparts. Check it out http://goo.gl/FsxkrS
5
I stocked up on 14W 6500k color CFTs at home hell depot when they were being cleared out. Output of a 100w filament bulb. $1 a piece. I use six in a row above my workbench for cost of one 100w regular bulb that used to be here. Its like an operating room; bright universal white shadowless light.
I am not suffering from any government forcing me to buy a superior product for less.
I am not suffering from any government forcing me to buy a superior product for less.
2
A bulb that puts out 860 lumens is not bright. I have 100 watt bulbs in most of my fixtures and they typically put out 1500 - 1600 lumens. Also, I have candelabra base bulbs in many of my fixtures including my ceiling lamps. The higher power CFLs do not fit in my fan light fixtures and I have not been able to find bright LEDs for these fixtures.
I do have CFL bulbs in many ofmy fixtures but they do not work in other applications in my home.
Also, I do accept intellectually that LED bulbs make a sound financial sense since they are claimed lo last forever. However, psychologically however, it is hard for me to spend $15 or $20 for a light bulb, even if it does last forever.,
I do have CFL bulbs in many ofmy fixtures but they do not work in other applications in my home.
Also, I do accept intellectually that LED bulbs make a sound financial sense since they are claimed lo last forever. However, psychologically however, it is hard for me to spend $15 or $20 for a light bulb, even if it does last forever.,
1
My comment has nothing to do with the specifics in this article, but rather something to do with the use of LED bulbs with full-range/off-on dimmers.
About a year ago, I bought a dozen Warm White Dimmable Cree LED bulbs to replace the old fashioned 60W bulbs in my 2 kitchen overhead tracks. All looked well .. for a little while, but then the first bulb popped (and died). What could be wrong?
I turned the switches OFF .. then I googled this and I googled that .. and finally discovered that one needs different types of dimmers to operate the LED bulbs. But then the fun really began while trying to figure out just which dimmer I needed.
I reluctantly removed all of the Cree bulbs (so as not to lose them thru popping as the first one had done). So I'm back to using my old fashioned 60W bulbs.
Guess I need to speak to an LED-wise electrician .. because I can't get any info from clerks at hardware stores .. and the LED web sites just make my head spin.
About a year ago, I bought a dozen Warm White Dimmable Cree LED bulbs to replace the old fashioned 60W bulbs in my 2 kitchen overhead tracks. All looked well .. for a little while, but then the first bulb popped (and died). What could be wrong?
I turned the switches OFF .. then I googled this and I googled that .. and finally discovered that one needs different types of dimmers to operate the LED bulbs. But then the fun really began while trying to figure out just which dimmer I needed.
I reluctantly removed all of the Cree bulbs (so as not to lose them thru popping as the first one had done). So I'm back to using my old fashioned 60W bulbs.
Guess I need to speak to an LED-wise electrician .. because I can't get any info from clerks at hardware stores .. and the LED web sites just make my head spin.
13
As Janet discovered you do generally need a different kind of dimmer for LED bulbs, especially if your current dimmers are the old rotary-dial or an older electronic version. As Mr. Tedeschi says in his article, though, there is an early-adopter tax involved, and you'll pay anywhere between $40 and $60 for a single dimmer. Once you do, you can choose a dimmer that can work with hubs such as the Staples and Wink hubs mentioned in the article. One example (which I'm using in my home) is the Lutron Caseta, which works equally well with dimmable LEDs, CFLs, and standard incandescent/halogen bulbs.
4
Which leads to another issue... These bulbs are expensive and advertise a very long life, for the LED. However, the electronics driving the LEDs don't have such good reliability and are susceptible to power fluctuations and spikes (like those caused by a Triac-based dimmer). Like the CFL, the weak parts are not the light emitting ones but rather, the support electronics.
10
Compact Fluorescents have same failure mode. Esp if upside down, i.e. in ceiling fixture in basement where the coils heat the base. Still last long, but not 60,000 hours like a well installed led diode would.
1