Outdoor Filament Smart Bulb? (Sweden)

Hi Everyone…

I am looking for the best Smartthings compatible bulb that is also attractive to look at while switched off. Yes, I could use a smart plug to turn any bulb on/off, but I would like to be able to dim and possibly color change the bulbs too (for fun).

I am wanting to place them in outdoor fixtures where the bulb itself is highly visible during the day. They looked particularly nasty as CFL bulbs in the past, but the modern smart bulbs are also not great looking in an old-fashioned fixture. Something a little glitzy or “filament” looking would be better than the white blobs we have now. I have attached som photos of the fixtures.

I am located in Sweden and am prepared to upgrade and add new hubs if needed. I have currently what I think is the latest Smartthings Hub from Samsung (v3?).

By the way, do you think the signal will reach the lamps on the gate posts? About 5-6 car lengths from the bulbs by the front door. The bulbs by the front door work fine but I only one bulb right now so if I move it to the gate posts it will be even further away from the Hub in the house.

Appreciate and thoughts and hope it fits within this thread. Thanks !

Thomas

1 Like

TEMPERATURE

I don’t know about the “outdoor” requirement: it may get too cold for any of these, although the enclosure will shelter them a little. So it may be a “try it and see” situation.

DISTANCE

The distance should be fine for a WiFi smart bulb, right on the edge for Zigbee. It depends on where the nearest repeating device is. You might need to put one near a first floor window (so it is above the cars) to get signal out to the bulbs.

STYLE

Several companies now make bulbs that look like they have a visible filament for just this reason.

Hue has several in different shapes. However these are dimmer and more yellow than the other brands. But they should work easily with SmartThings when used with a Hue Bridge.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=Hue+filament&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

Sonoff has some with several advantages over Hue: brighter, less expensive, tunable colour temperature, WiFi so they are longer range. However, I don’t know if these will integrate directly to ST: you might have to use Alexa as an intermediary which can get tricky. Hopefully someone who knows more about these than I do can say. :thinking:

ALTERNATIVES

A smart screw in lamp base wouldn’t require any wiring and will let you use any bulb you like. there might be enough room in that fixture for one. These come in both zwave and Wi-Fi.

This is an older Zwave one which is uglier than most of the current models, but it will give you the idea:

https://products.z-wavealliance.org/products/215?selectedFrequencyId=1

Sonoff makes a WiFi one which might even work through the eWelink integration as an on/off switch, but I don’t know for sure. Otherwise through IFTTT or Alexa.

Or of course making a switch inside the house that controls the lights smart. But I assume you’ve already considered that one.

I you place any zigbee or z-wave bulbs that are repeaters in those two circled fixtures, they should transmit signal to your gate bulbs too

1 Like

Thanks JD, I will have a good look at these options. They certainly loo a lot better than the blobs I have now. Ideally I want to dim them so this could limit my options. Maybe I’ll just buy on to try. Again, thanks for your input

1 Like

Good point. I figured this would help, but I only have one bulb to try it with so I’ll have to go and get some more first. Thanks!

1 Like

I have similar set up, but instead of light bulb, I have zigbee contact sensor on my mailbox, far, far away that was loosing connection. After adding light bulbs with repeaters, works without any issues.

1 Like

I wanted to tell that I am using a few Slamphers, with a custom firmware, outside for ages. They are installed in similar cases, but in a hanging style. They haven’t failed even in -20 Celsius.

But if you want to dim things, then I would go with Zigbee bulbs. IKEA has a cheap filament one, but regarding lumens, I would use something else.

Outside, especially during the long nights you would appreciate that you can have brightness and you can see like in daylight.

IKEA has plenty cheap Zigbee bulbs in the Tradfri line.

Wholly cow, that’s some serious eye for detail, mega spot of the week award !

2 Likes