GE today announced that its connected LED light bulbs C-Life and C-Sleep will gain Apple HomeKit compatibility this summer./article-new/2017/05/c-by-ge-bulbs-800x654.jpg?lossy)
A new C-Reach hub with HomeKit support will allow homeowners to turn on and off their "C by GE" lights, dim them, and control bulbs individually or in groups by rooms with Siri voice commands. The lights also should be able to be controlled with the Home app on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch running iOS 10 or later.
GE said the C-Reach hub will sell for less than $50 and will be available at a discount when bundled with some lights, according to The Verge.
GE describes the C-Life as an "everyday" light bulb that provides "optimal daytime light," while the C-Sleep light bulb is supposedly "warm and calm at night" and "crisp and vibrant in the morning." A starter pack with two C-Life and two C-Sleep light bulbs is available for $74.99 plus shipping in the United States.
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(View all)This ('https://www.amazon.com/Philips-HF3520-Wake-Up-Colored-Simulation/dp/B0093162RM') is the one I have. Quite worth it to me, and a very attractive. The "sunrise simulation" light starts off warmer and gets whiter as it goes.
Yes! That's what started it all. A very nice product.For new buyers, I would highly recommend buying a Hue Go along with the Hue hub. You can then use the app to do exactly the same thing. The advantage is that you can then expand your system into multiple lights of various types, all connecting through the same hub and controlled with the same app.
I have three Hue Gos, two Hue Blooms, one Hue Iris, two Hue Lightstrip Pluses, and two lamps with Hue White Ambiance bulbs in my bedroom alone. I have them set to start lighting up twenty minutes before I want to get up, and over the next thirty minutes, they slowly ramp up, starting out warm and growing ever whiter as time goes on. I also have a backup radio alarm set for five minutes after, because INTJ always have a Plan B. (And a Plan C that we don't tell anyone about.)
I am so far away from being a morning person that I actually have trouble understanding people who are. And this lets me wake up so gently and easily that I don't even complain.
A miracle, to be sure.
Sean
GE goes over the head and right around their former Wink partner with this one; interesting. Even with the starter kit. The former Link bulbs and Link hub starter kit was $49. Then you could step up to the full Wink hub if you wanted. This bypasses it entirely. Huh.
I wouldn't expect to see much more Wink stuff from GE. I suspect that relationship largely fizzled after Quirky's demise.Before, especially in the incandescent days, you would just buy a big box of whatever brand is on sale for the lowest price. This was partially because the light bulb makers all got together and chose to make light bulbs not last very long, but also to make them very cheap. Yes, there was a light bulb cartel: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoebus_cartel
Now with LEDs, they last for nearly the length of a mortgage, can be had with all sorts of nifty automation features, color spectrum, and other value-added gimmicks. They're also not so cheap. Now people cross-shop brands, compare features, and really research this stuff.
10 years ago if someone asked me what brand of light bulb I prefer, I would look at them funny. Today, a conversation cab had.
I had to read it a few times to come to the conclusion that the Life bulb is daylight only and Sleep is soft white only. To maintain a normal circadian rhythm, having bulbs that does all temperatures of white is essential.
I bought into the Hue system recently and I feel much better after having the right light temperature to wake me up and to put me to sleep. Philips also sells semi smart bulbs that change color temperature by quickly flipping the light switch. At $6 a piece it was a cheap effective alternative as filler bulbs.
Philips has a proven track record of HomeKit support, so I went with them after doing some research.
The main thing holding me back from these things, as with every "connected" bulb I can find -- is that they're all around 800 lumens. That's weak, like a dim old 60 watt bulb.
I think the limitation is due to heat.I'm lighting our living room right now with a lamp that has two 1600-lumen dimmable LEDs. They tend to "warm" color as they're dimmed, which is nice. Late at night, we dial it back pretty far, but if we want the light in that room on a cloudy day or whatever, it's there.
I love the idea of being able to adjust color temperature between day and night (F.lux for the home, if you will), but I can't afford to drop FOUR dim smart bulbs into a lamp fixture just to light up a room decently.
....right....
What do you mean companies that "promise" homekit support but have still yet to deliver? Oh... You mean like Ring, Canary, Dlink, Chamberlain... I could go on and on.. I'm happy with my hue bulbs, which actually replaced my GE Link bulbs that didn't work half the time...bought at launch a long time ago, cause they said HomeKit support would be here shortly. Shortly did not happen.Then after a bad sync. 2 would not work at all. they could not be seen by app.
GE tech support stop responding after two emails.
fool me once GE, shame on me. fool me twice...
Phillips Hues has a line of white bulbs for $15 each. No reason to go with CE brand which promised HomeKit a long time and is only now going to deliver on that "promise" maybe. They don't have the experience and support of Phillips.