The new Cree Connected LED bulbs are my favorite home upgrade that I have seen in a while. They are easily controlled from anywhere, individually or in groups of lights. There are so many great things about these bulbs, beyond convenience and light quality – I am putting them on the must have list.
With a screw base that is identical to standard incandescent bulbs, they work on any light fixture. The bulbs are dimmable, casting an omnidirectional beam spread- illuminating like an incandescent. They are rated for indoor/outdoor use, and are safe for enclosed features. They remain cool to the touch while on.
The setup is seamless. FYI, you can buy them at Home Depot for $14.97. Sounds expensive until you think about how long they last and what all they will do. The bulbs have technology that makes them compatible with Wink, Zigbee, and SmartThings automated hubs (but are also designed to work with new platforms as they emerge in the home tech market). Users can pair the bulbs with an automated hub and then are able to control the lights via an app on their phone. The app is what you see in the photo above – available for both iOS and Android devices. Here are a few stats on the bulbs:
Back to the App: You can set a schedule for when they will turn on and off. For example, if it gets dark around 7pm, you can set the schedule for them to turn on Monday-Friday (or whichever days you’d like) at 7pm. Then you can schedule when you would like them to turn off. Or, if you wake up for work at 6:30 am, you can set the schedule so that your lights automatically turn on at 6:30 am. Trust me when I say- you’ll get used to this convenience very fast… You can also setup other schedules, like for when you are out-of-town, to activate whenever you please. There is something that is so civilized about coming home to lights turned on, especially when it gets dark earlier. You can also control bedside lamps from your phone, which is a nice feature for bedtime readers if the light switches are hard to reach.
When the Cree Connected bulb is used you can still turn on/off the light with the lamp or wall switch. But, if the switch or power source for the bulb is turned off, the bulb can no longer be controlled via the App. When the switch is turned back on, the bulb will light to full brightness and can then be controlled in the App.
See more about, or order Cree Connected LED Bulbs. Remember that you want the CONNECTED ones- the packaging is similar to the non connected.
This is the hub I have: Smart Things Hub – once you get started with the lightbulbs, you will find that this device supports quite a few other smart innovations.
This is definitely one of the better smart home products I have seen in a while. I love these bulbs and highly recommend them to all. Cree Connected bulbs are so great that, after testing them out, I have transitioned our entire home to smart lighting. The luxury pays for itself. I say Go For It!
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