Wifi Light bulbs

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jonherries

676 posts

Ultimate Geek

Topic # 111057 23-Oct-2012 09:14
Just read this: http://gizmodo.com/5953671/wi+fi-lightbulbs-are-real-and-theyre-awesome-first-impressions/ Wondered what others thought. At $US200 for the starter kit (in the update at the end) and $US20 per bulb, this sounds awesome. Although I assume that the cost is likely to be a little higher due to the rebates in the US on these sort of things. Apologies for the edits Monday morning isn't conducive to quality BBCodes

Zeon

2365 posts

Uber Geek

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Reply # 704921 23-Oct-2012 09:39
Was taking a look at mFi for something similar with LED strip lighting.

NonprayingMantis

3601 posts

Uber Geek

Reply # 704931 23-Oct-2012 10:08
dunno, seems pretty pointless to me. why not just control the switch via wifi instead. Ok it means you can;' control every individual bulb whenmultiple bulbs are attached to a single switch, but really how often do you need to light up a single spot in the kitchen or something?

wellygary

1244 posts

Uber Geek

Reply # 704941 23-Oct-2012 10:17
NonprayingMantis: dunno, seems pretty pointless to me. why not just control the switch via wifi instead. Because to alter a switch requires a customer to get a sparky to do the job and thus increases the cost and complication for a householder, ( although this may be balanced out by having one unit per light circuit rather than one unit per bulb), I can see this possibly becoming the hipster version of the '80s clapper

stuzzo

491 posts

Ultimate Geek

Reply # 704985 23-Oct-2012 11:14
I automated some of my lights a few years ago and I would have to say, on balance, it is really one of those things that has marginal utility. That switch on the wall is about as convenient as it gets. I'm sure all lights will eventually come automated as the relative cost becomes negligible and it can be useful in complex lighting set ups. A caveat to that would be the standby power usage able to be almost nothing.

CYaBro

1782 posts

Uber Geek

Reply # 705014 23-Oct-2012 11:50
I think, with LED technology, sparky's will eventually no longer be required at all for lights in a house. LED light fittings will run off a PoE switch, so will be controllable from your network, which means anybody can run the data cable required to each fitting. You would control everything from a touchpad device and probably wouldn't even have switches on the wall. Computer Repairs Whangarei Remote Support

jonherries

676 posts

Ultimate Geek

Reply # 705017 23-Oct-2012 11:54
Hmmm, yeah was thinking about these things myself. I would agree that the benefit that I can think of is the DIY one cf. an electrician. Does anyone know whether there are self-contained switches that work like this in NZ? Insteon appear to support a 240V 50Hz switch but presumably it needs a "central control" to connect to your network as well, and at $US69.99 for the switch it seems expensive? Jon

gzt

3196 posts

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Reply # 705190 23-Oct-2012 16:47
jonherries: Wondered what others thought. At $US200 for the starter kit (in the update at the end) and $US20 per bulb, this sounds awesome. Even better if bulbs can be operated without a proprietary solution - but that may take time. The press release says this product is "now shipping to utilities in Europe" - @240v we could get this before the USA. Genesis are trialing Greenwave automation systems using a select group of households in Auckland. Potential uptake would be too low to justify a utility based NZ release but it would be smart marketing all the same. NonprayingMantis: Ok it means you can;' control every individual bulb whenmultiple bulbs are attached to a single switch, but really how often do you need to light up a single spot in the kitchen or something? Not often. Late night snacks maybe. Still useful for retrofitting existing installations where more control is desired. stuzzo: I automated some of my lights a few years ago and I would have to say, on balance, it is really one of those things that has marginal utility. That switch on the wall is about as convenient as it gets. Brightness and colour temperature in response to ambient light and time of day would be very convenient. Energy saving and monitoring devices available in NZ: www.energymonitor.org.nz

Pock

148 posts

Master Geek

Reply # 705246 23-Oct-2012 18:39
CYaBro: I think, with LED technology, sparky's will eventually no longer be required at all for lights in a house. LED light fittings will run off a PoE switch, so will be controllable from your network, which means anybody can run the data cable required to each fitting. You would control everything from a touchpad device and probably wouldn't even have switches on the wall. HAHAHA! You can run approximately 4.4w on a cat5. No way you would be able to light a whole house without running a cat 5 for every light in your house.

gzt

3196 posts

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Reply # 705345 23-Oct-2012 21:23
Max endpoint power per port: PoE1 = 3.85W PoE2 = 6.5W PoE3 = 12.9W PoE3+ = 25.5W PoE3+ = 6x more realistic than you originally thought It is still anyone's guess where it is all heading. Wireless for every endpoint is questionable when every endpoint is wired already. You would think a new standard for in-building power line communications a more likely contender but there is almost no-one to push progress in that area. Generators, utilities and electrical suppliers are not known for IT innovation. Low voltage PoE does have some advantages - added to photovoltaic and storage improvements and a trend towards green buildings PoE could capture some ground in lighting.

CYaBro

1782 posts

Uber Geek

Reply # 705359 23-Oct-2012 21:40
Pock: CYaBro: I think, with LED technology, sparky's will eventually no longer be required at all for lights in a house. LED light fittings will run off a PoE switch, so will be controllable from your network, which means anybody can run the data cable required to each fitting. You would control everything from a touchpad device and probably wouldn't even have switches on the wall. HAHAHA! You can run approximately 4.4w on a cat5. No way you would be able to light a whole house without running a cat 5 for every light in your house. Yea I think you're a bit off there buddy. Anyway running a cat5 to each light would still be cheaper than wiring with standard lighting power cable and anybody could do it. Computer Repairs Whangarei Remote Support

Pock

148 posts

Master Geek

Reply # 705810 24-Oct-2012 17:07
CYaBro: Pock: CYaBro: I think, with LED technology, sparky's will eventually no longer be required at all for lights in a house. LED light fittings will run off a PoE switch, so will be controllable from your network, which means anybody can run the data cable required to each fitting. You would control everything from a touchpad device and probably wouldn't even have switches on the wall. HAHAHA! You can run approximately 4.4w on a cat5. No way you would be able to light a whole house without running a cat 5 for every light in your house. Yea I think you're a bit off there buddy. Anyway running a cat5 to each light would still be cheaper than wiring with standard lighting power cable and anybody could do it. I thought about this after I posted. 4.4w of LED's would actually be a fair amount of light, and you're right running a cat 5 to each light would be cheaper. TPS is expensive!

CYaBro

1782 posts

Uber Geek

Reply # 705824 24-Oct-2012 17:39
Pock: CYaBro: Pock: CYaBro: I think, with LED technology, sparky's will eventually no longer be required at all for lights in a house. LED light fittings will run off a PoE switch, so will be controllable from your network, which means anybody can run the data cable required to each fitting. You would control everything from a touchpad device and probably wouldn't even have switches on the wall. HAHAHA! You can run approximately 4.4w on a cat5. No way you would be able to light a whole house without running a cat 5 for every light in your house. Yea I think you're a bit off there buddy. Anyway running a cat5 to each light would still be cheaper than wiring with standard lighting power cable and anybody could do it. I thought about this after I posted. 4.4w of LED's would actually be a fair amount of light, and you're right running a cat 5 to each light would be cheaper. TPS is expensive! Especially when you have to pay an electrician to run the TPS! Computer Repairs Whangarei Remote Support

Niel

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Reply # 705903 24-Oct-2012 20:17
Where does 4.4W come from? PoE can do much more than that. You can never have enough Volvos!