I’ve posted a similar question over on the Nest website, however at the minute my smart bulb of choice is the Hue.
I’m thinking about fitting some Hue GU10’s in my outside lights so they can come on at sunset, go off when we’re not in etc. The Hue GU10’s would fit with my existing setup, however there is one big caveat…
I have a Nest protect, and should the smoke alarm go off, I don’t want the downlights outside turning red and starting to flash…
So, 2 questions:
Is there a GU10 that works with Hue/SmartThings that isn’t a Hue brand? Single colour is fine.
Is there a 240v device that I can wire inline with the GU10 lighting ring that will work with SmartThings and essentially override the switch? I can’t replace the switch, or put anything behind the existing faceplate.
LIFX made a GU10 version of their bulb, but they’ve sold out their initial run.
They won’t be doing another run of the original design, as they’ve progressed their electronics to be much more efficient - so any further GU10’s would be a new design based on the new electronics. I’ve not heard any plans or timelines, but you could ask over at their website or on Twitter.
Alternatively, you could try to obtain some current LIFX GU10s on e-Bay or similar (I’ve not looked to see if anybody is selling).
Osram have the Lightify GU10’s (PAR16). They have both a tunable white available now and an RGBW available imminently.
They can be linked via the Philips Hue Hub and I believe directly to ST , although I haven’t done the latter. I think ST have to recognise the fingerprint which I’m uncertain they do currently.
I contacted them and was told you can use the smartthings as the hub and not need theres. which makes sense. as it’s zigbee standard. I am hoping they are zigbee repeaters!
I just got one of these bulbs and will report back how I go. ( wanted to test before getting lots more).
They (Osram) would naturally want a good mesh built, especially when just their products are in use, so a single hub (gateway) in the home can control lights throughout the home. The obvious solution for this is the bulbs act as repeaters. The alternative is they would rely on each bulb having a direct connection back to their gateway, which would be quite limiting and lead to lots of customer frustration, complaints, etc.
A possible downside is they may only be ZLL (Zigbee Light Link) repeaters, not general Zigbee (ZHA, etc.) repeaters.
But it appears other Osram bulbs are ZHA repeaters, so you’re probably in luck:
We have recently updated the FAQ on zigbee smart bulbs as repeaters. The short answer is that they will pair as a repeater and show up as a repeater on a zigbee network map, but they appear to miss a lot of messages from other device classes. So they may help, but you shouldn’t count on them as the only ZHA repeater in a zone.
Osram has been saying that officially for a year, and they do show on the network map (using a third-party device) as a repeater, but multiple community members have reported that there seems to be a timing issue and messages from ZHA devices of other device classes sometimes get dropped.
So they can help strengthen your mesh, but you should not rely on a bulb as the only ZHA repeater in a zone.
They work directly with ST. They should be zigbee repeaters, but beware there are different zigbee standards. GU10 most probably comes from EU which have a different zigbee standard than US.
They have been rock solid, except during march than they were having issues (ST was havuing issues)
There is only one zigbee standard for the entire world. Where zigbee differs technically is The “profile” used, but that’s more about the industry. It’s not geographic. There’s zigbee home automation (ZHA), which is what smartthings uses, several zigbee energy profiles, Zigbee hospital care etc.
Where the EU and the US differ with regard to zigbee is in the maximum broadcast power allowed by law. This is not a technical distinction. Amplified devices, which are legal in the US, broadcast at a strength almost twice that allowed by law in the EU. The devices would work in any country, but might be illegal in one.
It is Z wave where frequency varies by geographic region.