stricklybojack
Well-known member
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Take a look at this instruction vid for their light bulbs.
Take a look at this instruction vid for their light bulbs.
GE is in trouble deep....
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WTF?
Ok, I haven't even thought about looking at, much less buying "smart" bulbs. Seriously?
Ok, I haven't even thought about looking at, much less buying "smart" bulbs. Seriously?
I've got a dozen or so smart bulbs around the house, all work as desired. Occasionally I reprogram they, the type I use only needs to be turner on/off 3 time to reset. The GE version is way overkill. Most of my bulbs can be color tuned as well, and I set them to match the rest of the lighting in the room.
whatsername
Well-known member
The Philips Hue ones are fantastic, I haven't had to reconfigure them since setting them up, but it looks like you just press a reset button on the bridge.
I liked the YouTube comment that noted the GE video was being linked as ‘comedy.’
Now: How long ‘til “Turn off for two seconds; turn on for eight seconds” leaves my head, LOL?
Now: How long ‘til “Turn off for two seconds; turn on for eight seconds” leaves my head, LOL?
My neighbor Missy bought her mother one of the LED bulbs that has a battery backup. I decided to buy one and gave it to one of my friends for Christmas. Haven't heard how his works, but I did see a light on in Missy's mothers living room one night when the power was off.
I must be living under a giant rock
I wasn't aware that smart bulbs even existed and assumed that video was a comedic hoax.
The day I'm forced to purchase a light bulb that needs to be programmed is the day I break it against a hard surface and use the jagged edges to slit my wrists.
I hate that I'm turning into my cyclical 80 year old grandfather (may he RIP) at half his age. I guess it's just part of the aging process.
I wasn't aware that smart bulbs even existed and assumed that video was a comedic hoax.
The day I'm forced to purchase a light bulb that needs to be programmed is the day I break it against a hard surface and use the jagged edges to slit my wrists.
I hate that I'm turning into my cyclical 80 year old grandfather (may he RIP) at half his age. I guess it's just part of the aging process.
Reply #6
I must be living under a giant rock too, and some of these ridiculous smart devices make no sense to me what so ever. I may have been born in 1999 (which makes me 20 years old), but sometimes I feel like I was born in 1960 (lol) since anything modern hasn’t appealed to me for as long as I can remember.
I must be living under a giant rock too, and some of these ridiculous smart devices make no sense to me what so ever. I may have been born in 1999 (which makes me 20 years old), but sometimes I feel like I was born in 1960 (lol) since anything modern hasn’t appealed to me for as long as I can remember.
None of this is new, it's just evolving and changing shape.
Remember the home automation products from BSR and X10?
You could turn lights on and off from your couch, computer, nightstand, or telephone.
Or have them do what you wish automatically by proximity when you come home.
Appliances of all types, even 240V, could also be switched on and off, by timer or by command.
Including starting music, or changing what track is playing.
Each light or device needed to be programmed, as did the controllers.
That was the late 1970s.
Remember the home automation products from BSR and X10?
You could turn lights on and off from your couch, computer, nightstand, or telephone.
Or have them do what you wish automatically by proximity when you come home.
Appliances of all types, even 240V, could also be switched on and off, by timer or by command.
Including starting music, or changing what track is playing.
Each light or device needed to be programmed, as did the controllers.
That was the late 1970s.
X10...
I have a mix of Smart stuff and X10. There are programs that will allow you to integrate your old old X10 stuff with the new stuff, works pretty well. I have a lot of X10 been using it for decades, but smart stuff is easier and getting cheaper.
My house knows when I turn into my sub and as I approach the house at night the garage lights come on, as do the back entry and into the kitchen too, no fumbling with bags trying to hit a switch. After a bit they turn off as they are not needed. What's wrong with that? All the lights I like to come on in the evening all come on at sunset regardless of what time that is. I can set some to come on 15-20 minutes early if that part of the house get dark sooner and other s to come on after sunset. Another plus is I can instantly see how much energy I'm using from anywhere in the world and adjust things as needed. I'm on a time of day electric rate and if I get a notice of a "Energy Action Day" where my rate more than tripe between 2-6 PM I can easily kill stuff I really don't need running. Personally I like living in a modern world.
If you're in a small apartment or house you might not need that but in a larger home it's quite useful.
I have a mix of Smart stuff and X10. There are programs that will allow you to integrate your old old X10 stuff with the new stuff, works pretty well. I have a lot of X10 been using it for decades, but smart stuff is easier and getting cheaper.
My house knows when I turn into my sub and as I approach the house at night the garage lights come on, as do the back entry and into the kitchen too, no fumbling with bags trying to hit a switch. After a bit they turn off as they are not needed. What's wrong with that? All the lights I like to come on in the evening all come on at sunset regardless of what time that is. I can set some to come on 15-20 minutes early if that part of the house get dark sooner and other s to come on after sunset. Another plus is I can instantly see how much energy I'm using from anywhere in the world and adjust things as needed. I'm on a time of day electric rate and if I get a notice of a "Energy Action Day" where my rate more than tripe between 2-6 PM I can easily kill stuff I really don't need running. Personally I like living in a modern world.
If you're in a small apartment or house you might not need that but in a larger home it's quite useful.
Such silliness!And after all of those on-off cycles will their bulb still light?I dare not try it with their "dumb" LED bulbs I have bought!Those just die quietly or with smoke and sparks!Don't want to deal with"smart" bulbs-whats the point of all of this-silly to me.I just want the lamp to provide LIGHT!Thats all I want it to do!Now if it could do that and LAST what is promised on the package or wrapper-I would be pleased.
X10, Z-Wave, SmartThings, HUE, Sengled, OH MY
<span style="font-family: 'courier new', courier;">I know we are on the opposite end of many of you but we're with Matt at our house. We have many smart devices and take full advantage of this new technology. My most recent situation is just the other night. After we had gone to bed we had a terrible storm here, wind gusts of 70MPH according to the news. We woke up to part of one of our trees on our front porch. I was able to go back on the camera and find the exact minute it happened. I saw the wind, the rain, the tree shaking and then falling. It was actually pretty cool to watch while at the same time a little sickening to see the damage happen. But what great documentation for the insurance company.</span>
<span style="font-family: 'courier new', courier;">A couple of weeks ago I was at the grocery store when the UPS man rang the bell with a package. We didn't want this sitting on the porch so through the doorbell I had a conversation with him and convinced him to leave the package in the garage (hubby works for the USPS and he knows us). I was able to open the garage door so he could put the package in and then close it when he was done. All from the grocery store.</span>
<span style="font-family: 'courier new', courier;">We pull in the garage and unlock the door to the house with a touch pad. It unlocks the door, disarms the house and after dark turns on certain lights all while sending a text to my phone that this has happened.</span>
<span style="font-family: 'courier new', courier;">Our case may be extreme and it isn't for everyone but I've been in Technology since the 80s and never get enough of this stuff. The 'Technology' folder on my phone has gone to a second page. Too much? Not for me.</span>
<span style="font-family: 'courier new', courier;">I know we are on the opposite end of many of you but we're with Matt at our house. We have many smart devices and take full advantage of this new technology. My most recent situation is just the other night. After we had gone to bed we had a terrible storm here, wind gusts of 70MPH according to the news. We woke up to part of one of our trees on our front porch. I was able to go back on the camera and find the exact minute it happened. I saw the wind, the rain, the tree shaking and then falling. It was actually pretty cool to watch while at the same time a little sickening to see the damage happen. But what great documentation for the insurance company.</span>
<span style="font-family: 'courier new', courier;">A couple of weeks ago I was at the grocery store when the UPS man rang the bell with a package. We didn't want this sitting on the porch so through the doorbell I had a conversation with him and convinced him to leave the package in the garage (hubby works for the USPS and he knows us). I was able to open the garage door so he could put the package in and then close it when he was done. All from the grocery store.</span>
<span style="font-family: 'courier new', courier;">We pull in the garage and unlock the door to the house with a touch pad. It unlocks the door, disarms the house and after dark turns on certain lights all while sending a text to my phone that this has happened.</span>
<span style="font-family: 'courier new', courier;">Our case may be extreme and it isn't for everyone but I've been in Technology since the 80s and never get enough of this stuff. The 'Technology' folder on my phone has gone to a second page. Too much? Not for me.</span>
We've bought 6 Philips Hue bulbs (full color) so far and we'll probably buy more.
They are easy to install and use, they download their own firmware update to keep current and they are easy to reset and adjust from a smartphone.
We used to have a lot of trouble with people trying to find our home (particularly the pizza delivery people) and now it's so much easier to just tell them "the home with the purple lights on the porch), set the 2 bulbs to purple and we're done. When the pizza arrives, we can just flip a switch and the bulbs go full bright white again.
We can leave the porch lights "off" and when we come back home, if it's after sunset, the lights turn on as we approach the home.
I've been experimenting with turning the bulbs yellowish to prevent bugs from hanging around the porch during the evening.
The living room lights are easy to adjust to any color or brightness, depending on what we're doing.
So far, it's been at least a couple of years, and we still recommend them.
They are easy to install and use, they download their own firmware update to keep current and they are easy to reset and adjust from a smartphone.
We used to have a lot of trouble with people trying to find our home (particularly the pizza delivery people) and now it's so much easier to just tell them "the home with the purple lights on the porch), set the 2 bulbs to purple and we're done. When the pizza arrives, we can just flip a switch and the bulbs go full bright white again.
We can leave the porch lights "off" and when we come back home, if it's after sunset, the lights turn on as we approach the home.
I've been experimenting with turning the bulbs yellowish to prevent bugs from hanging around the porch during the evening.
The living room lights are easy to adjust to any color or brightness, depending on what we're doing.
So far, it's been at least a couple of years, and we still recommend them.
whatsername
Well-known member
For me, having the smart devices in an apartment was a huge improvement. Since the apartment was built in the 60s, outlets were few and far between, and always behind furniture, and none of them were switched. Smart bulbs and outlets meant no more fumbling in the dark for lamps. When I moved to a new construction home, everything moved right over as all the devices are mine and they just needed to be able to find my wifi network and they were good to go.
We can be sure we've closed the garage door when we're away from home. We have lights that come on when we arrive home, and lights that come on 30 minutes before sunset but only when someone is in the house.
In Colorado we very rarely use the AC outside of July and August. We use window fans instead. It's great to be able to turn them on and off without walking all over the house, even when we're away from home and the temp has increased or decreased significantly from when we left.
We can be sure we've closed the garage door when we're away from home. We have lights that come on when we arrive home, and lights that come on 30 minutes before sunset but only when someone is in the house.
In Colorado we very rarely use the AC outside of July and August. We use window fans instead. It's great to be able to turn them on and off without walking all over the house, even when we're away from home and the temp has increased or decreased significantly from when we left.
