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Cree’s latest LED bulb provides low-cost smart home functionality

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Cree's new LED bulb can be switched on and off using your smartphone, and includes the company's improved cooling solution
Cree's new LED bulb can be switched on and off using your smartphone, and includes the company's improved cooling solution
Like its lower-tech sibling, the Connected Cree LED Bulb features durable, shatter-proof construction

Back in October, Cree released an improved version of its LED bulb, revamping its cooling system while hitting an affordable price point. The company’s latest effort continues the trend, adding in smart home functionality while keeping the price down and the energy efficiency high.

Like its lower-tech sibling, the Connected Cree LED Bulb features durable, shatter-proof construction. It’s compatible with Wink- and ZigBee-certified hubs, allowing users to control and schedule the bulb, including its dimming abilities, from both iOS and Android devices. Though the company isn’t ready to go into specifics, it does plan to officially support other hubs in future, as well as key platforms such as Apple’s HomeKit.

The product features the same 4Flow Filament Design cooling that was introduced in the non-smart version of the product. The tech pulls cool air through slots at the base and lets warm air rise out the top, eliminating the need for a heat sink and allowing the company to lower the price of the bulb.

Like its lower-tech sibling, the Connected Cree LED Bulb features durable, shatter-proof construction

While the non-smart version of the device is offered in several configurations, the Connected Cree LED Bulb is launching in just one. Specifically, a 60-watt option, putting out 815 lumens in a soft white (2,700K) color temperature.

According to the company, the bulb uses 81 percent less energy than its incandescent equivalent, and should be good for more than 22 years based on three hours use a day. It comes with a three-year warranty.

The Connected Cree LED Bulb will be available for purchase from Home Depot later this month for US$14.97.

Source: Cree

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3 comments
Buellrider
Payed about 30 bucks for a Phillips LED bulb and it already failed. Turns on bright but dims out within 5 minutes and then goes from bright to dim as it goes through a heat up and cool down cycle I suppose. Pretty disappointed to say the least.
Milton
@Buellrider: Do you have it in an enclosed housing? I ask because a few of these LED bulbs mention using only in an open-enclosure.
Buzzclick
All this technology for 15 dollar LED light bulbs that last 22 years at 3 hours a day? An equivalent 60 watt incandescent costs maybe half a buck and consumes about 1 cent an hour for about a 2000+ hour lifetime. The cost savings and efficiency is worth it?
I have been using many dozens of compact fluo bulbs for the last 15 years, and a good half of them failed prematurely. Recently, Home Depot had a brief promo selling LED bulbs for only 2 dollars each.
I resisted the temptation.