SmallNetBuilder has a nice roundup on smart bulbs http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/smarthome/32627-smart-led-light-bulb-kit-roundup
I think they got it wrong on GE being Z-Wave.
They say WeMo bulbs use the Zigbee HA profile. Can anyone confirm this? Doesn’t this make it easier to pair with the ST hub?
IMO, I think there are a waste of time. I have one over the kitchen sink that is a single pole. Often times the live state of the bulb is not in sync with the status reported in ST. Why, because the switch may have been cut-off leaving automation of the light useless. There are other reasons as well. I am not all that wise to the Zigbee products and I am sure that Zigbee has it’s place in the market with certain devices. I just don’t think Zigbee Smart Bulbs are the place to be until someone figures out a more economical way to make it on par (truly Smart) with a z-wave switch. I don’t see a reasonable price point for a Zigbee bulb. I think the price of the bulb was 32.00 USD And, in order to have a always live automation, I think there is an “over the switch type controller” so that the light switch is always in the on position and the buttons on the outside allow for manual control thus allowing for a correct status in ST. I think the one I saw coming to market was priced around 45.00 USD. It makes more sense to put in a z-wave switch. Also, if there are other in the house that don’t necessarly have the same amount of home automation enthusiasm it came be a bit frustrating for them. One of my goals this project was to make things as transparent as possible and the over the kitchen sink bulb is a no go. Just a thought.
-Pat
Multiple technical errors in that article, it looks like a good first draft, but needs corrections.
Part of the confusion is not distinguishing between the hubs and the bulbs.
The interoperability is also wrong: GE and philips work ok together.
Didn’t mention cree at all.
Hopefully that site’s forum will note the errors and the author will fix them.
Sorry, did not answer your question or provide opinion on it. Yes I was somewhat confused and according to the GE site they are indeed zigbee.
WeMo light controller, like most WeMo devices, is WiFi ip addressable. However, the WeMo smart LED bulbs themselves use zigbee. (No idea if ZLL or ZHA or something proprietary). So the bulb talks to the controller, and vice versa, via zigbee.
This is an example of not reporting both hub and bulb protocols.