Posted 06.27.2012 at 5:29 pm
5 Comments
Insteon Bulb
Insteon
There will come a time when our homes are completely automated, just like in several horror movies in which a house slowly murders its unsuspecting occupant. The Insteon is a pretty good step towards that inevitable murder--it's the first LED lightbulb that you can control with a smartphone app.
Lots of LED bulbs have some kind of remote triggering--I've been using the GiiNii speaker-in-a-bulb lately, which can be controlled with a little remote--but this is the first we've seen to have a smartphone app. You can trigger each lightbulb independently with an app (compatible with iOS and Android)--your phone talks to a base station, which talks to the lightbulbs. And for the system to really be worth the cost, you'll want to outfit your whole house in these things. The bulbs cost $30 each (which is not too bad; LED bulbs last for decades and even the current best LED bulb on the market runs $25), but the real cost is the $100 Insteon SmartLinc Controller you'll need to buy if you want to hook up devices like smartphones.
[Insteon via SmartPlanet]
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OK, I dug theough the stuff to see what's really going on.
They have a controller that requires an RJ45 internet plug in connection. This controller sends out a proprietary protocol signal over your AC lines. It can apparently do X10 (another home automation standard) as well.
So, I guess that the LEDs have Insteon protocol receivers.
wow (very lowercase
Smartphone lighting control is mothing new and the overall cost makes this laughably expensive. Better to have old fashioned X10 with a bog standard compact fluorescent. Rj45 connection... that kills it for Joe average immediately.
Fun and impressive electronic gaget yes. But is it interesting enough and worth buying for the every day consumer, probably not.
.............
Every day is a new day!
"even the current best LED bulb on the market runs $25" ?? I guess you haven't done much LED bulb shopping.
http://www.amazon.com/LED-60-Watt-Incandescent-Replacement/dp/B0021INMXQ/ref=sr_1_21?ie=UTF8&qid=1341028597&sr=8-21&keywords=60+watt+led+light+bulb
This one costs $58.99 - most of the LED light bulbs you will find for sale are pitifully dim, comparing to anything from a 25 watt incandescent down to a 4 watt incandescent. To really get the equivalent lumen output of a standard 60 watt incandescent bulb, you aren't going to find one for $25.
Just dropped in to say: Hi Robot...love your animation and posts and...um I really think people need to get out more often and quit playing with their smart phones. Perhaps the smart phones are indeed smarter than their users like for example: When a user gets a heart attack, will all this smart stuff save them? I seriously doubt it. I use my everyday Samsung phone only when I go shopping. My chainsaws and log splitter aren't smart but they help me heat the house if you get my drift. Ok? folks...OK.