In that case, check out LIFX. I have 7 Br-30 bulbs from them, and they are great. Super bright in all colors. The only drawback is that they are wifi only. They would be better with zigbee or even zwave.
1 Like
I would but the cost around the same as HUE. if I am going to spend the money I will go HUE every where
I have hue , but for nitch things like light bar behind the couch , etc ....
Forgot to ask , can you control LIFX with hubitat ?
Yes. For two reasons:
- Multiple bulbs make really poor repeaters (including GE Link, Cree and Osram Lightify)
- Sometimes people use a physical switch to turn off a bulb. If that bulbs is a repeater in the zigbee mesh, turning it off by cutting power off, eliminates its capacity to function as a repeater and messes up the zigbee mesh.
1 Like
I was using the hue switches that don't turn the bulb off
Hue sucks compared to LIFX when it comes to brightness. The green on LIFX is at least 3 times brighter than Hue.
The drawback is that they are wifi only. But, they do work with Hubitat.
I have thought heavily about getting a secondary mesh wifi just to put wifi bulbs on them
That is great they work with hubitat do i can do schedules , etc
If you're referring to lifx bulbs, the answer is yes.
1 Like
Sorry yes those , ok i might buy one to test out
If i had 35 of them in the house on a dedicated wifi network i wonder if that would scale ok
So - I have a friend with ~20 Lifx bulbs on HE. If several bulbs are turned off via a power switch (accidentally), it slows his hub to a crawl.
2 Likes
I will second that! This reason is why I am down to 3 TP-Link devices. The bulbs don't have to be off, just unreachable. Don't forget that AC routers like the Nighthawk X6X I just decided to replace only support 64 devices total. I just ordered a Velop AX from Costco to replace it since I was having issues with 45 devices connected 24/7 with all the kids at home doing homework and video meetings. I really like the Sylvania recessed RGBW lights and would buy them again in a heartbeat. I have 20+ Hue lights, and they are very good, but no better than the recessed Sylvanias and 3X the price.
2 Likes
I found the colors didn't transition well , this wasnt your experience ?
Maybe i should try them again
Were you using the Osram or the Sylvania branded ones? I noticed that with the Osram ones every change was abrupt, but the newer Sylvania Smart+ are very smooth, which is one of the reasons I switched all of mine over to Sylvania.
That is good to know , i thought they where all the same
Below screenshot is what I had but that was before I started heavily using HE. I think I had them on HUE bridge. I remember them getting hot as hell and not transitioning well between colors. As I am typing this I think i has them running on smart life or ST. I remember i had to ser a master bulb, it changed colors then he other bulbs would change , that irritated the shit out of me
I'd you think i should test again with HE / Hue I will
I think you are mis-remembering. The Sylvanias sold in the US are ZHA1.2, while the Hue bridge only supports ZLL profile bulbs.
You are probably right , does ST sound right then where you have to make one bulb a master bulb ?
Yes. ST didn't have zigbee group messaging, therefore the popcorn effect of one bulb getting the message at a time. HE group messaging makes this smooth. I have a group of 9 bulbs that change all at once.
I don't recommend any of the actual Sylvania "bulbs", because
which leads to less than stellar lifespan. I do recommend the Sylvania RGBW RT 5/6. I haven't had a single failure, or need to rejoin/reconnect, with the 12 I have in over 2.5 years. I also am liking the Sylvania Flex XL, and outdoor garden spots after several months of use with no problems.
1 Like
Which ones are you recommeding then ?
These are the best Sylvania Smart+ I have found. Bear in mind that they are on their own HE hub. You have to watch for them to be on sale. I bought the Accent lights for $22.50 each, the recessed RGBWs for $24.00/pair, and the Flex XL for $19 each.
I have a lot of the A19 RGBWs as well, but even with none of them being in enclosed fixtures, they still get scorching hot, which seems to be when problems occur and they stop responding if left on for a long time.
Interesting, I have several Sylvania's from Osram thru Smart+. I've not had any failures with many running over three years. I have updated the firmware on them all.
I just picked up four BR30s last week for $23. At those prices it is easy to justify the dedicated hub.
1 Like
