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> 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 t

by 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.
    - lev99 9y ago
      I wake up at dawn everyday. The only bad part is that I live on the 47th parallel, so sunrise changes from 5am - 8am every year. Luckily my schedule is flexible enough to accommodate this.
  - astura 9y ago
    Interesting. So you get up at different times per season? The sun doesn't come up at the same time every day. In the winter I'm out of the house before sunrise.

by lev99 9y ago

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.
  - lev99 9y ago
    I wake up at dawn everyday. The only bad part is that I live on the 47th parallel, so sunrise changes from 5am - 8am every year. Luckily my schedule is flexible enough to accommodate this.
- astura 9y ago
  Interesting. So you get up at different times per season? The sun doesn't come up at the same time every day. In the winter I'm out of the house before sunrise.