Once again, a combination that makes a lot of sense, Wi-Fi lightbulbs. And Wi-Fi in your lightbulbs may just be the future of lighting.
It’s pretty remarkable. You simply screw in the bulbs, plug a device into your existing wireless router, and do a quick setup on your iOS or Android device. Done. No rewiring your house or anything like that. The LED bulbs fit in most standard sockets, and can all be controlled (individually or in groups) by a remote control or by any iOS or Android device.
The bulbs themselves give off a warm, 2700K glow, which is a comparable color to incandescent bulbs. It’s a pleasing light, and it retains that color even when dimmed. The LED bulbs are Energy Star Certified, and consume just a fraction of the power of incandescents. These are roughly on par with CFL bulbs in terms of consumption, but they are far more durable and should last a great deal longer. The top of the bulb is a disc that doesn’t light up, which makes the bare bulbs not particularly attractive, but they’re certainly not as ugly as others we’ve seen.
Amazingly each lightbulb has its own IP address (using IPv6). That makes every bulb individually controllable, though they can be grouped together into fixtures. It’s an extremely scalable solution—each router is capable of supporting as many as 500 individual nodes. Each bulb acts as a relay point for the others, which improves performance even across large houses.
You can create custom icons for each light by taking a photo of its fixture on your phone, you then group them together into rooms, as you wish, making it easy to control an area’s lighting all at once. The included remote control has four group numbers, and you can assign lights or rooms to each. LED bulbs have many more levels of adjustment than CFLs, and it is possible to create some very mellow mood lighting.
You can also create schedules called “Smart Controls.” These could be very simple, as in “turn on outside lights at sundown, then turn them off again at sunrise,” or they could be intricate vacation modes, where various lights come on and off at various times, giving the appearance of someone moving around your home. But don’t worry, you need to have your phone or remote control with you at all times—you can still use your home’s light switches as usual.
Unfortunately, the apps still have ways to go—at least the Android one does, which, to be fair, is still in beta. There are some force closes and issues with responsiveness. However, once I was all set up I was able to turn on my bathroom light before getting out of bed, eliminating a toe-breaking scenario.
This is all made possible through the manufacturer, GreenWave’s, partnership with NXP, which is responsible for the wireless technology within the bulbs and routers (and probably the NFC chip in your new smartphone), but the bulbs are just one piece of a much larger puzzle. It’s a part of a system which will soon be integrated with thermostats, appliances, IP cameras, motion sensors and much more. These systems have already been integrated in Europe (where utility companies aren’t quite so regulated), and have been well-received. Each bulb only draws 100 milliwatts of power when off, which would cost roughly 10 to 20 cents per year. Not bad at all, considering the other savings.
We’re still waiting on confirmation of pricing and availability, but it should be very soon. GreenWave has licensed this technology to a number of leading bulb manufacturers in the U.S. and China, and now that they’re Energy Star Certified we should see the popping up in no time. We’ve seen a lot of companies take a stab at the “connected home” market (Wi-Fi washer and dryer… great), but this is one of the first that’s actually useful enough (and will likely be affordable enough) to catch on.
GreenWave Reality is really the “brand behind the brand,” selling through utilities and other partners. Because of Energy Star rebates and other incentives through utilities, we can’t give an exact price, but we expect bulbs to be available for around $20 or less. The full kit that you have should be at, or under, $200.
The kit referenced includes four bulbs, the router, and the remote control. And $20 a bulb after that? That would be very tempting.
Another company, Easybulb™ , is a smart bulb, energy-efficient, multicolour lights, which is all controlled by your iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Android phones and tablets. Here are some of the features you’re sure to love:
Colour changing light bulb including white light
iPhone and Android App
Voice Control
Control lights away from home and any location around the globe
Control individual lights or in a Group
Set timer for each light to turn on and off
Save energy – 9Watts LED bulb and 25 years Lifespan
Save-As-You-Dim Technology
Dim your lights to match your mood
Sleep Mode
WPA2 Security, given a user sole authorization to the lights
Has memory function to resume previous settings
Calls and Message Notification
Music Sync
Open API
Use the Easybulb physical remote without the need for Wi-Fi box
And Many More…
Amazing Easybulb Plus™, WIFI and 3G/4G technology allow you to control your devices even when you are away on vacation with ease. Turn your lights up or down. All App functions made available at your fingertips even when you are not near the lights at your home or business. Home Automation simplified.
With the Easybulb App timer and Sleep mode functions, you can wake up to an automatic bright light synced with your phone alarm. With the Sleep Mode activated with a certain time, the lights will start dimming gradually till it goes off. All functions can be setup even when away from home or business.
Set time on each bulb in different groups
Use your lights as a wake-up device
Use Sleep Mode feature to send your child to sleep
Useful when going on holiday
Can be set even when you are away from home or business
Use Easybulb™ Smart Bulb to control your entire room and home to match your mood. Using your iPhone or Android device, you can literally “dial your way” to match your mood, or even change your mood with the right colour combinations. Colour changing light bulb with 16 million colours including white light.
All the range of Easybulb Smart lights can be installed easily like your regular lights. No electrician needed. Just replace your old regular bulb with Easybulb, download the App, connect the WIFI Box and be inspired beyond your imagination.
When you’re away from home, set a timer for lights in the house to go on or off. This will deter possible burglars and you can also use this when you are at home too, to go off after you finish reading for the night, etc. This is made possible as they are WIFI light bulbs.
Let your light listen and dance to your music by simply placing your phone close to any music source. The music mode can be used anywhere.
EasyBulb even “knows” when you get SMS or text messages, notifications and more. You can program it to alert you when messages come in! How cool is that? A mood light modern day techno secretary! And it does much more than that! You can control entire lighting groups or individual lights to recognise activity in the house or office, program up to 10 sequence modes, and even create your own app!
EasyBulb WIFI light bulb was designed with conservation in mind so it is energy-efficient and earth-friendly while it also serves as Home Automation lights. They range between 4 to 9-watt LED lights. LEDs have a lifespan of around 50,000 hours, which is equivalent to 25 years of average use. EasyBulb also comes free of any harmful chemicals such as mercury and other substances so you know the light that is emanating is not harming you, your family, or the earth. It is environment-friendly and features an efficient “dimming” feature which allows you to increase your savings the more you use it – So You Save as you dim. When compared to standard 60-100W bulbs, the Easybulb outshines and outlasts them with much less power output.
So, head over to the Easybulb Plus Shop to find the right smart bulb for your home or business.
Use your Wall Switch – Still works like your regular light
EasyBulb smart bulbs, despite its high-tech features, also works with standard light switch, if you prefer that, giving you the easy option of flipping the switch on and off when you leave or enter a room. save money on low energy light bulbs and colour changing lights by using this product.
