Edit: decided to snag all the bulbs. Left the kits.
This is at Target. Trying to figure out a excuse to clean them out, they had a bunch!
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$3-$4 for the bulbs is okay, but $50 for the worthless Wink LInk starter kit is a joke.
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Just a reminder that the GE link bulbs are not on the official SmartThings compatibility list because they have a habit of dropping off the network every few weeks and requiring an individual reset.
That doesn’t happen to every bulb every time, but it happens often enough to be annoying. I had nine of these and at least two would need to be reset every month. The reset process is easy, but does require physical intervention.
Some people are still willing to use them because they are so inexpensive and they put them in Noncritical locations. But it is just something to be aware of.
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Can you remind me the simple way to reset these? I always have to remove and re add them who is a pain because I also have to remove from SmartApps…
That looks like a good deal for them. As long as the power to the bulb stays on, I have found they work very well…
Oh for sure, i left kits.
In most cases, You should not have to remove them from the smartapps. See the FAQ:
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" USUALLY" it is just a matter of power cycling the bulb ( either by switch if available , or by unscrewing it and screwing it back in again ). Then triggering it through the app a couple times until it actually does as it is told.
Occasionally they decide to be a PIA, then you have to do the old 3sec off, 3 sec on 3-25 times until it dims/blinks. Then go into ST, add device, search for the device and then wait for it to blink indicating it was found by hub. Sometimes the hub will find it and it will NOT blink, so if after letting the wheels spin for a few minutes, just back out of add new device and try triggering the light a few times to see if i indeed was found again.
One thing to add is they tend to get very hot so installing them in a confined space may complicate things.
I run six of them in my setup and they rarely stop responding. When they do all I had to do to recover was to turn them off and on again at they always seem to come back. It has been 4-5 months since the last drop off.
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Really? I’ve had 8 of them for nearly a year now, controlled by a Hue bridge for about 3 months and then my ST hub for the remainder, and I’ve never experienced that problem with any of them.
Mine never produce heat, though I generally run them at only 25%.
Pretty sure you just jinxed yourself . I can’t remember a single month in the past 2 years that at least 1 GE bulb has not dropped off the grid.
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Hopefully these prices will show up at more stores. Right now in Colorado 1 store has the A19s at $4.48 and 2 have the BR30 at $5.98, but all are OOS.
Yes, it’s a well known problem, nothing to do with SmartThings, you can find discussion on many forums, in fact, it’s been suggested that that was probably the reason why Hue proposed not allowing third-party bulbs on their bridge that hadn’t been certified for compatibility. Phillips gets too many customer service calls about yellow exclamation points on GE bulbs. But if it hasn’t happened for you, that’s great. Like I said it doesn’t happen with every bulb, just a statistically fairly high number.
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This is YMMV - at my local store in Cleveland, Ohio, the buy two get one sale is active but the bulbs are still at full price ($15).
WAF Rating: Low.
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8 of my GE links are now being use as dumb bulbs. Not worth the headache with them randomly dropping off. I highly recommend Phillips lux white bulb in place of GE link.
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The Philips Hue Lux are good reliable bulbs, with a lumens rating of 600. I like the newest Hue model, the $15 “Hue White” even better as they have the same reliability but are noticeably brighter at 800 lm. 
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Agreed, Now that all of my TCP bulbs have been replaced with Hues, it is time to start working on replacing the GE bulbs with Hues.
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Do they have this nice gradual turning on and off? That’s my favorite thing about my GE bulbs (vs the Lightify ones). I have only 3 and had to reset one only once.
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Yes the Hue whites and Lux do the same dim to 0 instead of just turning off as the GE bulbs. I’m not sure about the Hue app ( never use it except for the timer on bedroom night light ) , but in ST you can even set the dim speed faster or slower.