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Why is YeeLight worth $18? I usually spend $5 or less for led lightblubs. Where is the extra value? Edit: Amazon sells a pack of 16 Phillips 800 Lumen (brithe

by lev99 9y ago

Why is YeeLight worth $18? I usually spend $5 or less for led lightblubs. Where is the extra value? Edit: Amazon sells a pack of 16 Phillips 800 Lumen (brither than YeeLight) for $1.75/blub. The light is brighter, the color temperature is the same, and it's 1/10th the price. Alexa, a smartphone app, and dimming isn't worth $16.25/bulb to me.

StavrosK 9y ago
...it has an API.
- lev99 9y ago
  Maybe I'm too frugal, but I don't see an API worth that much additional cost.
  - StavrosK 9y ago
    Maybe? I don't know of a bulb with an API that works without an internet connection and costs less than $6.
gh02t 9y ago
For some people dimming/color changes/automation features etc are worthwhile. If you don't want that or the added cost isn't worth it to you then of course it doesn't make sense to buy something like the YeeLight, but if you do want that stuff then the $5 bulb is not an option. Smart bulbs are more of a niche product than the current IoT frenzy lets on, but it's not fair to totally dismiss their added functionality when comparing against a traditional light bulb, even if it isn't your cup of tea. Edit: also the projected lifetime of LED bulbs is usually quoted at 50000 hours- about 6 years, not 30. In practice it's 5-10 years. That's all LED bulbs, not just smart ones, and is mostly down to heat causing the LEDs or the power supply to fail.
- lev99 9y ago
  > For some people dimming/color changes/automation features etc are worthwhile. Who? I'm not dismissing that there is a market, I'm dismissing that it's the type of product that should be in most homes. I see the value added being worth cost in smart vacuum cleaners, smart thermostats, and IP surveillance cameras for the average home. I don't see a 10x value added for light bulbs. You're correct about 50,000 hours. Most lights in my home are used less than 5 hours a day, which is the origin of my 30 year number. From my point of view I think about owning an LED for 30 years, but when I communicate the lifespan of an LED to the world I should use a more common measurement.
  - gh02t 9y ago
    It's worth it to me. I like having my lights automated to respond to my schedule and coordinate with other sensors so that the lights come on and off automatically, fade to keep light levels constant, adjust color temperature to reduce blue light in the evening. For me, the real killer app is using them as an alarm in the morning. I'm not a very good morning person and have trouble waking up abruptly from an alarm, but I can use my lights to slowly fade on and wake me up gently (I'm super sensitive to light so just the slow fade in over 30 minutes is plenty to wake me up). I don't feel nearly as groggy in the mornings waking up like that. It's a luxury for sure, but it's one that appeals to some people. Smart lights are definitely over-hyped however, they are far from essential.
    - lev99 9y ago
      > For me, the real killer app is using them as an alarm in the morning. I use a window for that. If I didn't have access to sunlight I would consider using bright dimmable programmable leds in my bedroom. Very good point.
      - gh02t 9y ago
        For me it's more of a time issue. I'm really light sensitive, if I didn't have the window blacked out I'd be woken up at dawn every day. I don't have to get up that early for work, so instead the lamp does its thing. You can get alarm clocks that do basically the same thing, but they're more expensive than a smart bulb.
gruez 9y ago
>Where is the extra value? dry answer: some people (whether through different preferences, or even exposure to advertising) think that the convenience offered by a smartbulb is worth the $16.25 (or whatever) price. you might not place that much value in that, but obviously enough people do that it's a viable market. it's the same logic why luxury [anything] exists.

by lev99 9y ago

StavrosK 9y ago

...it has an API.

lev99 9y ago
Maybe I'm too frugal, but I don't see an API worth that much additional cost.
- StavrosK 9y ago
  Maybe? I don't know of a bulb with an API that works without an internet connection and costs less than $6.

gh02t 9y ago

For some people dimming/color changes/automation features etc are worthwhile. If you don't want that or the added cost isn't worth it to you then of course it doesn't make sense to buy something like the YeeLight, but if you do want that stuff then the $5 bulb is not an option. Smart bulbs are more of a niche product than the current IoT frenzy lets on, but it's not fair to totally dismiss their added functionality when comparing against a traditional light bulb, even if it isn't your cup of tea. Edit: also the projected lifetime of LED bulbs is usually quoted at 50000 hours- about 6 years, not 30. In practice it's 5-10 years. That's all LED bulbs, not just smart ones, and is mostly down to heat causing the LEDs or the power supply to fail.

lev99 9y ago
> For some people dimming/color changes/automation features etc are worthwhile. Who? I'm not dismissing that there is a market, I'm dismissing that it's the type of product that should be in most homes. I see the value added being worth cost in smart vacuum cleaners, smart thermostats, and IP surveillance cameras for the average home. I don't see a 10x value added for light bulbs. You're correct about 50,000 hours. Most lights in my home are used less than 5 hours a day, which is the origin of my 30 year number. From my point of view I think about owning an LED for 30 years, but when I communicate the lifespan of an LED to the world I should use a more common measurement.
- gh02t 9y ago
  It's worth it to me. I like having my lights automated to respond to my schedule and coordinate with other sensors so that the lights come on and off automatically, fade to keep light levels constant, adjust color temperature to reduce blue light in the evening. For me, the real killer app is using them as an alarm in the morning. I'm not a very good morning person and have trouble waking up abruptly from an alarm, but I can use my lights to slowly fade on and wake me up gently (I'm super sensitive to light so just the slow fade in over 30 minutes is plenty to wake me up). I don't feel nearly as groggy in the mornings waking up like that. It's a luxury for sure, but it's one that appeals to some people. Smart lights are definitely over-hyped however, they are far from essential.
  - lev99 9y ago
    > For me, the real killer app is using them as an alarm in the morning. I use a window for that. If I didn't have access to sunlight I would consider using bright dimmable programmable leds in my bedroom. Very good point.
    - gh02t 9y ago
      For me it's more of a time issue. I'm really light sensitive, if I didn't have the window blacked out I'd be woken up at dawn every day. I don't have to get up that early for work, so instead the lamp does its thing. You can get alarm clocks that do basically the same thing, but they're more expensive than a smart bulb.

gruez 9y ago

>Where is the extra value? dry answer: some people (whether through different preferences, or even exposure to advertising) think that the convenience offered by a smartbulb is worth the $16.25 (or whatever) price. you might not place that much value in that, but obviously enough people do that it's a viable market. it's the same logic why luxury [anything] exists.