I love my LIFX bulb because you don't need a bridge like the Philips HUE.
They sell these for $90 something at Harvey Norman (although they are 2 for $98 atm) and now it's 50% off the LIFX website. I paid the $US30 on via PayPal and it charged me $39.82 to my CommBank credit card.
You're not supposed to work it out.. Just look at those savings!
Did you add to shopping cart and apply the code?
I have 4 of these in lounge, bedroom, office. Programmed them (via a Zwave door/window sensor) to flash red when the garage door opens, and green when it closes, as we can't hear the door, so we know when someone gets home.
Also, one of 2 in the lounge turns on at sunset (auto varies with time of year), so the house isn't dark when we get home.
And we can turn on/off and change brightness via voice commands to Alexa (Amazon Echo).
Note, these original bulbs are big. And heavy - I'd guess around half a KG - so careful screwing them in.
Very bright on 100% - good for looking for stuff. We run ours on 50% most of the time.
Do they remember their brightness/last setting if someone uses a wall switch instead ?
Yes. Last used setting. Which I like - I don't want them turning on full brightness every time the wall switch is used.
It's rare for us to leave it on a weird colour or very low brightness, so hasn't been an issue.
Turning it on once it has been turned off, goes to last colour and brightness setting, flicking it off and on again (within 3 seconds) will default to full white light. Very handy when you want some instant light
@jackwoz: Huh, didnt know that. I always leave it off for at least 5 seconds, as generally its not good to power cycle electronics too quickly.
How to do you program it with garage door?
Bought a Zwave door/window sensor ($65) and stuck one half on the chain housing, and the other half on the dolly thing that pulls the garage door up.
https://capitalsmarthomes.com.au/collections/z-wave-windows-…
When the door is closed, the 2 halves are around 4mm apart, and the magnet closes the circuit. When the door opens, the small part on the dolly moves away, which opens the circuit.
The door sensor is wirelessly connected to a Vera Edge smart hub ($254 with 12% off code). Also have temp/motion sensors and a security camera connected via the Vera.
https://capitalsmarthomes.com.au/collections/z-wave/products…
The Vera controls everything. When the garage door sensor reports an open, it runs a 1 line command (custom script in link below) to make the LIFX lights flash red. And green when it closes.
http://forum.micasaverde.com/index.php?topic=36961.0
Eg to make all the LIFX lights in the house, pulse red, at 60% brightness, 5 times:
lifx_ctrl(all, "pulse", "red", 0.6, 5)
The only thing I changed in the script (from link above, need to register on forum to download it) is the pulse time from 0.1 seconds to 0.3 seconds as I thought a tenth of a second was too fast - felt like I was having a stroke.
@steveb123: Its shown in the bar at the top of the website. Might work for the door/window sensor too.
@systmworks: bah - of course its right infront of me. I was using a Rpi and a ninjablocks cape, but they have a z-wave cape there I might try. thanks!
@systmworks: just need to have a spare grand lying around to live in the future
how about the chinese bulbs like xiaomi or whatever
would they work the same?
Thanks, I thought you wired the garage roller door motor directly to a smart hub. How long does the sensor (effectively a reed switch).
But thanks to your suggestion, I'll have a think about having implementing a smart home when I build my new house.
@systmworks: Is it possible to do this in a similar fashion to Samsung SmartThings?
https://shop.smartthings.com/#!/products/samsung-smartthings…
I see Samsung isn't selling SmartThings in Australia yet though.. :-(
@dosada: USA Zwave frequency is not compatible with AU/NZ Zwave devices, and not legal to use in Australia.
That would be incredibly handy (pardon the pun). You'd know when to shut down all your redtube windows!
Except if she parks out in the driveway…
1017 lumens - yes that is nice and bright. A standard general globe is about 800-900 lumens.
Did you mean that you had 4 each in each of the lounge, bedroom and office, or 4 bulbs in total? Also, if you don't mind me asking, how big is your lounge room? I'm wondering how many I should get to light up my living room adequately. Thanks!
That is an awesome idea. I have the same problem.
Any reason these should be bought over the Xiaomi LED Bulbs?
there is no discount for buying in bulk.
Please don't use sarcasm on the internet, it doesn't work through text.
Doesn't always work in real life for me either!
How do these things work?
That's a broad question. Check out lifx.com
I have five LIFX bulbs. Their support can be a bit slow (had two bulbs that were faulty and they replaced them), but they're generally pretty good. Great colours and brightness, better than the Philips Hue.
It's a funny world we live in nowadays where we need to have a support service for light bulbs :)
Not only that, but they need firmware updates too.
"Sorry I cant look for your thing right now, I'm updating the firmware on my lightbulbs."
"Have you tried turning them off and on again?"
I have the Colour 1000 in my bedroom and love it. Using IFFT, I've programmed it to turn on automatically on at 5pm and 6am (helps me wake up softly (dark room) by fading on my lights from 30% at 50%). Will pick up a few of these bad boys for the future as more recipes and integrations develop.
Hmmm thinking it could be great for amorous liaisons.
Red at 1% brightness works well..
for those who prefer local, even if it is HN
they do "Add 2 to cart for $98"
http://www.harveynorman.com.au/lifx-led-smart-lightbulb-e27-…
Good point. And OP should maybe amend post as $90 something for one at HN isn't correct
Warranty would be a hell of a lot easier for an extra $6 per bulb too!
Even though you're buying using USD and from a US website - they ship from Sydney.
@AdrianW: that's good to know! Hopefully that means local warranty, returns and replacements as well.
Mine has shipped from Hong Kong. Guess the Sydney warehouse has run out of stock.
Yeah, $49 each at Harvey Norman if you buy in quantities of 2.
Thanks op, bought 2. But do I need it? :)
note: this is the most professionally done checkout process I've ever seen on any website…
It's a Shopify store (like ours), and all Shopify stores have the same checkout to be certified Level 1 PCI DSS compliant.
Saw these on massdrop for $24.95 USD. Not sure about shipping.
They dont ship to Aus.. saw that this morning as well.
Sold out it says.
Only grey is sold out. They've still got white and black.
Thanks. When I checked it also said white was sold out too.
OP, save yourself some money and get a 28 degrees or a Citibank or even a free Coles Reloadable to save on currency conversion fees….
(Instead of using a CBA credit card)
Thanks for the info. Will apply for 28 degrees for future purchases!
28 degrees are about to start charging a fee if you pay off the card using BPAY. Bankwest Zero Platinum might be better and has complimentary travel insurance.
@dazweeja where did you get this information?
Travel insurance is included with 28 Deg Platinum.
It's on the last statement and mentioned many times here:
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/245538#comment-3723550
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/248512?page=1
I don't believe that's the case. They only offer discounted rates through Southern Cross Travel Insurance:
"28 Degrees Platinum MasterCard takes the worry out of travelling for you. With our award winning 5 star travel insurance partner, getting insured has never been simpler and is also great value for money."
Source: https://www.28degreescard.com.au/credit-card-features/
Thanks OP! Just bought 4 of these for $160 AUD. It shows $127 EACH on Officeworks. So quite a bargain :)
Buy 2 for $98 at harvey Norman if you missed out on this deal
Has anyone done the price beat/match with OW?!
bought 4, and i will try :)
Pair this with an Amazon Echo and you can control your lights with your voice :)
that's what I planning to do :)
I constantly um and ah about grabbing a pair of these for the two primary bedrooms in the house, especially the kid's room.
I understand you can program these with a phone app, I guess you can also simply turn them on or off via the same app? Like, really low level, basic smarts? Will do some reading during morno.
Thanks op.
IFTTT also works with this
Oh nice.
I just grabbed the app to have a quick play and it answered the majority of the questions I had. It's pretty nifty. I think I'm in for two.
I have found that Yonomi is a lot more stable then IFTTT. Make sure to give that a go too.
Awesome, will hit up Google. I've come across both those systems before, probably while reading about these globes before.
Anyway, bought three after double checking the silly globes in this house (there's a few random Edison screws around the place that have caught me out before!): Two bayos and one screws for me.
Can't wait!
Don't worry if you bought the wrong type, converters are cheap - http://www.ikea.com/au/en/catalog/products/90295615/
Is it safe to assume 120V bulbs from the US would be twice as bright in AU?
Damn, universal power supply. Joke's on me.
Lets start with. I have 43 bulbs, i built my house on these. overall these are good, issues, well yes there are still issues and perfection to be done.
these are oversize bulbs so tale note when finding the correct fitment, mine had to be slightly on the custom
support isnt too bad
when you buy the original it takes approx 45min for the initial update so you can start using the updated app and features. the following updates are significantly quicker
i like the option of schedule so i can turn all the house lights off at a certain time in case i forget myself. good feature if you have them for exterior night lights
for the price they are good
matter of buying,,, setup a lifx account via pc or app, put the bulb in, use the phone to connect the bulb to the account and bam instant light control
my question is, the limited GU10 bulbs,, does anyone know where i can get some from that are cheap, as they as sold out and discontinued from LIFX. cheers
Seems you have pretty good knowledge of these. Is there a way to set a schedule wherein they slowly ramp up in brightness at a certain time? Posted elsewhere but I am looking to make it into a wake up lamp.
Thanks!
Sure can. I have them come on over 10 minutes when my alarm goes at 6am.
same, best feature as for me, light helps me wake up more naturely
yes there is the feature. once the bulbs are upgraded they become clouded, which means whilst at work etc you can turn the bulb on or off change colour etc. kinda funky when friends are outside your house and your changing them whilst at the shops.
to answer the question, yes schedules can be created to increase or decrease over a selected period of time say 5min or 15min etc
also take note, these bulbs only work via a router that must have internet connectivity to work
I'd like to build with these as well. Some questions:
Can anyone give a quick comparison of this "original" model verses the "color 1000"?
There is very little difference between the Original and the Colour 1000.
Size, weight, power usage, reset mechanism.
All of which are only very slightly different to the Original. I have both and would't be able to tell the difference if one didn't say "Color 1000".
@Flying Ace:
The older ones use 50% more power - the originals are 17W, the new ones are 11W.
The light output is not notably different
What would be the correct bulb type?
Is it the e27 (AU and NZ only) version? To be honest, I don't buy a lot of light bulbs so I am not sure.
Looking to use this to make a wake up light for my bedroom using a lamp.
edison e27 is the screw type. (us design) but for 220-240 volts. e26 is for the 100-110
boyonete b22 is the bulb with the 2 pegs at the end that locks into the lamp, etc. the usual aussie version.
your choice all depends on what you are plugging it into
plug them google images and you will see the difference
Bayonet.
You need to unscrew your current lightbulbs and look at how they plug into the ceiling. If they are twisty - they are Edison (E27). If they have little prongs to the side they are bayonet (B27).
Check all the fittings you want to change - don't assume they are all Edison, just because the first one is.
I bought the b22 bulbs and just bought converters when required - http://www.ikea.com/au/en/catalog/products/90295615/
Isn't that the opposite converter if you bought b22 bulbs?
I'm in a similar situation where I bought these globes for a house I move into into August. I'm taking a stab and going to assume the sockets will be b22 - otherwise will need a converter.
Looks amazing, very pricey but justified at half price. Biggest downfall is that it's only 1000 lumens, I find the 1500/1600 lumen light bulbs from Woolies/Coles to be just bright enough for the Kitchen/Living/Study. This will definitely be far too dim. Lifespan is about 10 years at 6hrs a day according to the specifications on the website.
What happens after your light bulb dies? Time to buy a fresh set?
What do you normally do with light globes when you've exhausted them?
I usually throw them out and buy a new one to replace it.
LEDs work different to filament bulbs. An LED slowly gets dimmer each second it is on. The LED lifespan rating will be some arbitrary level of brightness like 50% of original brightness.
I'm more familiar with LED torches and no experience with smart bulbs. For torches the LED is on a chip/component board and can often be replaced if the manufacturer designed the product to be repairable. Usually its not economical to repair as LED chips are always superceded each year by newer models that are more energy efficient + brighter + reliable + cheaper + pleasant, etc.
In 6 years time I'd be more worried about the Wifi and smart electronics working rather than the dimming LED.
I have 20 of these and almost every day I wish I purchased the Philips hue.
reasons why:
Did they ever say they were homekit compatible?
What do you mean by bigger range. I only need a globe?
Guess it depends what you are after: Philips Hue has a few different devices (I think there is a large spotlight) and also has lighting "strips" (e.g. could install them into the floor / running along a home bar) so they are more flexible, whereas LIFX just has standard globes
Yes they confirmed they would not be homekit compatible directly.
You would need to add them to a hub.
They are bringing out new ones that are compatible.
I have made mine homekit compatible with a raspberry pi running hklifx.
If you only need one globe do you really need a wifi lightglobe???? best results would be to replace the whole house. And Hue have more bulb options.
Note: these are the ORIGINAL version - there's a newer, improved version: Lifx Color 1000 which are smaller, slightly brighter and use less power 11W vs 17W.
also there is a newer 800 version that works out cheaper. note the 50% discount only applies on original.
The 800 is shades of white only (no colours).
THank you.. was trying to figure out the difference.. didnt notice that one.
"Buy in bulk and save:
1 Bulb $59.99
4 Bulbs $239.96
6 Bulbs $359.94
12 Bulbs $719.88"
Doesn't show up as being 50% off for me. But I must say, I love their generous bulk discount!