Smart Home Options


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I was looking into smart home options, maybe long term money saving and it seems its just ridiculous right now.

 

Frist I was going to get those cool Phillips Hue lights, they allow you to change colors (which would be nice) and I assume turn up/down and off from phone. Well the starter pack which is only 3 light bulbs is $200 CAD plus tax. WHTAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

OK, so maybe I will get cheap LED bulbs (17 needed comes to $230 cheapest, could find) and get something else for automation.

The WeMo Light switches look cool, $49.99CAD plus tax for one!.....WHAT!!!!!! I need like 40 of those or something lol If every switch, which I would want.

 

Is there nothing viable for home automation without spending thousands of dollars?

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Not at the moment. It's still a new concept in term of general usage.

I'm equipping my new house before I actually move in and I'm not going to get as far as I would have liked; the cost is just too high.

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Before you throw your money away on LED bulbs:

 

A California federal court recently entered judgment against Lights of America Inc. and its two owners for exaggerating the performance of the company?s Light Emitting Diode (LED) light bulbs on packaging and in brochures. The court had previously entered detailed findings of fact, concluding that the defendants overstated the light output and life expectancy of their bulbs and made misleading comparisons to other light bulbs. Defendants initially claimed that the LED lamps had a 30,000-hour life and lasted ?15 times longer than 2,000 hour incandescent bulbs,? then later revised the claim to state that the bulbs had a 12,000-hour life and lasted ?6 times longer than 2,000 hour incandescent bulbs.? In reality, according to the court, the defendants? testing showed that the bulbs lasted no more than ?a few thousand hours.? The court?s recent order requires a payment of more than $21 million to the FTC, most of which will be available for refunds to consumers.

 

http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=b04157e4-9762-4a16-b863-b6f991a2e187

 

 

Snake oil sales come in many shapes and sizes. To me, for what they charge for these things, LED bulbs a complete ripoff. Especially when CFLs are like a buck a piece. I have several that have lasted over 5 years, even when used daily. The ones in the bathroom only seem to last a year or so, but I guess I understand why. Lots of on & off cycles. But still, for the price, CFLs are "smart" enough for me at the moment.

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Before you throw your money away on LED bulbs:

 

A California federal court recently entered judgment against Lights of America Inc. and its two owners for exaggerating the performance of the company?s Light Emitting Diode (LED) light bulbs on packaging and in brochures. The court had previously entered detailed findings of fact, concluding that the defendants overstated the light output and life expectancy of their bulbs and made misleading comparisons to other light bulbs. Defendants initially claimed that the LED lamps had a 30,000-hour life and lasted ?15 times longer than 2,000 hour incandescent bulbs,? then later revised the claim to state that the bulbs had a 12,000-hour life and lasted ?6 times longer than 2,000 hour incandescent bulbs.? In reality, according to the court, the defendants? testing showed that the bulbs lasted no more than ?a few thousand hours.? The court?s recent order requires a payment of more than $21 million to the FTC, most of which will be available for refunds to consumers.

 

http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=b04157e4-9762-4a16-b863-b6f991a2e187

 

 

Snake oil sales come in many shapes and sizes. To me, for what they charge for these things, LED bulbs a complete ripoff. Especially when CFLs are like a buck a piece. I have several that have lasted over 5 years, even when used daily. The ones in the bathroom only seem to last a year or so, but I guess I understand why. Lots of on & off cycles. But still, for the price, CFLs are "smart" enough for me at the moment.

 

 Is this saying that the whole LED light bulb technology is not as good as it's been made out to be or the specific product these 2 guys have been selling is fraudulent?

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Yea, that is the first I have ever seen anyone say bad about LEDs...so ignoring that.

 

I went ahead and got the Starter Kit for Phillips Hue, since every single review was good, every person I talked to love it.

 

So now I just will ask my family and friends to get me a bulb for my birthday and maybe I will have enough for the entire place lol

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Yea, that is the first I have ever seen anyone say bad about LEDs...so ignoring that.

 

I went ahead and got the Starter Kit for Phillips Hue, since every single review was good, every person I talked to love it.

 

So now I just will ask my family and friends to get me a bulb for my birthday and maybe I will have enough for the entire place lol

All LED bulbs are not created the same. This has been a major issue for a while. You have to be sure to buy LEDs from a reputable company and not attempt to cut corners on cost are you'll likely get a bulb that is overstating life expectancy or just flat out lying about its light output capabilities. Some are even dangerous as they lack sufficient cooling in their design and pose a fire hazard.

 

LEDs are great, but they are very expensive. I spent well over $800 outfitting my new house with Phillips LED bulbs to save on energy and bulb changes. I went no where near the Hue line as replacing around 70 bulbs with those would have been literal insanity.

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