[HH] GE Link remote control light bulbs, ZigBee for home automation

[Tom Metro]

You've probably heard of the Philips Hue LED bulbs that can be remote
controlled. They link to a hub and then you can control them from an app
on a mobile device to dim or change color.

These bulbs costs about $50 each. GE has recently come out with a
dimmable, but single-color LED bulb that can similarly be remote
controlled for a mere $15. That's just barely more than the typical $10
price for an LED bulb. That's an amazing price point.

Here's the video review that brought them to my attention:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cybTHa-JT_c

and a tear-down video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sa6v4-5LDdk

(The presenter seemed to think it was pretty well constructed inside.)


You can find them here:
http://www.amazon.com/GE-Wireless-Smart-PSB19-SW27-Equivalent/dp/B00NOL16K0/
http://www.target.com/p/link-wink-led-60w-a19/-/A-16386225
http://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-Link-60W-Equivalent-Soft-White-2700K-A19-Connected-Home-LED-Light-Bulb-PSB19-SW27/205404345

among many retailers. The video indicated they were in short supply at
the time the video was made, but the retailers above have stock.

(There is also a flood light available for $20:
http://www.target.com/p/link-wink-led-br30/-/A-16386080

but at 10W/650 lumens instead of 12W/800 lumens it is actually less
bright than the cheaper bulb. Also, both lights seem to only come in a
warm 2700 K color temperature. I tend to use daylight (6500 K) bulbs,
when possible. Home Depot carries a 3000K, 900 lumen version of the
flood for $25:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-Link-90W-Equivalent-Bright-White-3000K-PAR38-Connected-Home-Flood-LED-Light-Bulb-PSB38-BW30/205404389
)

The Amazon reviews indicate they are compatible with a number of home
automation hubs, such as the Smart Things, Wink, and even the Philips
Hue hub.

Home Depot has a special where you can get two bulbs and a Wink hub for
$31, so basically the hub is free (they sell the hub alone for $50):
http://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-Link-60W-Equivalent-A19-Connected-Home-LED-Light-Bulb-2-Pack-Wink-HUB-PLINK-KIT2/205601641

But reviews at Amazon suggest the Wink hub might not be the best choice.
(Mixed reviews at Home Depot too.) People who use the bulbs with other
hubs seem to be happier with the results.

I plan to give a few of these a try. The next question is how to
interface to them, as I don't currently have any ZigBee hardware. I
haven't investigated whether there is a good ecosystem of open source
hardware and software for ZigBee, or if I'd be better off buying a
commercial hub.

(This video from TI suggests that ZigBee is well supported and more open
than Z-Wave:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkndobW5YTA&list=FLprt1NSle3CC5oUmt29twOw&index=4

My impression had been that ZigBee provided a link layer, but no
standard for home automation devices, and thus interoperability among
different manufacturer was non-existent. But that was an impression I
got from ZigBee presentations I saw in the early 90's. Since then
they've created standardized profiles for home automation devices,
similar to what Z-Wave has.)

It's easy to imagine how these will be below $10 in a few years, and
given how long LED bulbs last, it'll be economical to buy these as you
need to replace bulbs. That means as far as standard lighting goes (A19
bulb), it'll be really cheap to automate it without upgrading the wall
switches. They use mesh networking, so a single hub should be all you
need to cover an entire house.

 -Tom