After noticing that a few of my local Home Depot stores had the $15 Wink compatible GE Link LEDs in stock (60w variety), I decided to stop by during lunch to see if they were actually there. Lo and behold, I was able to find some for sale and brought them home!
The GE Links come in a simple box that gives the normal specs for an LED light bulb. A nice little graphic indicates that the bulb is compatible with the Wink Hub. On the back of the box are additional features of the bulb which include
The bulb itself has a nice heft to it and seems quite sturdy. After buying a few LED bulbs the past month, you can definitely tell the good from the bad quality.
Setup was simple. In the Wink app, you simply push the Add a new Product button, then select the Zigbee Light under the Lighting category. Once the Hub and bulb connect, the bulb will flash three times indicating a successful pairing. On the main Lights page of the app, you will see your new bulbs which can be individually named (Lamp 1, Lamp 2, etc). You can even create a group and add each light bulb to manipulate them all together. On/off and dimming work, but there is still a few seconds delay.
Looking forward to GE releasing their BR30 Link lights so I can start installing these in the ceiling. With the release of these bulbs, it should surely start to bring down the prices of competitors such as the Belkin Wemo and Hue LEDs. Should mention that Wink is running a promotion right now at Home Depot where if you buy 2 Wink compatible items, you can get the Hub for 99 cents. These should qualify if they are in stock at your local Home Depot.
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I love the idea of smart bulbs. I really want to be able to use them. But until you rewire your house to have smart light switches, they are a complete pain the ass. A smart bulb on a regular switch is no longer usable if someone turns off that switch. Don't plug it into a switch outlet you say? So then I have to load an app on my phone everytime I want to turn lights on and off?
People with smart bulbs, is this a problem in your house? I'm currious. It just doesn't seem practicle to me yet.
It's not just you...The Mrs. constantly turns off the lamp instead of using an app or button on the WeMo. Solution is to turn on the lamp, then just rip the switch off of it. :-)
Yeah, same deal with my four recessed Hues in the family room. Do I leave the switch always up and hope no one hits it? Do I rewire so they're always on? I mostly just manually flip the switch - which limits the usefulness of timers and geofencing. Also, I very briefly owned a Philips Hue Bloom. But a bedside lamp needs a switch on the wire plus the geofencing was extremely unreliable - return to sender!