The Worlds First Networked Light Bulb

June 19, 2012 Ruslan Ulanov 0

Smarthome has outran Google in bringing the first remotely-controllable light bulb to the market. The dual-band INSTEON LED light bulb does not require plug-in modules or special hardwired wall switches. All circuitry is located inside the light bulb, which could be controlled by itself or as part of an automation scene. It’s fully dimmable and produces as much light as 60 Watt incandescent bulb, consuming only 8 Watt and lasting up to 50,000 hours. The INSTEON LED light bulb is available for pre-order from Smarthome (Item# 2672-222) for $29.99

Innovative light switches from Basalte

December 22, 2009 Ruslan Ulanov 0

Being a home automation enthusiast I’ve seen a lot of different light switches, keypads and even LCD touch screens. And to tell you the truth majority of them are either pretty boring or too complex. And then there are light switches from Belguim-based Basalte, that has a very sleek website, but also some pretty innovative switches, that were rightfully awarded with numerous prestigious design awards such as Red Dot and iF product design.

CFL, is it worth it?

November 23, 2009 Ruslan Ulanov 2

I stumbled upon this, a rather lengthy, post that brings up some valid points on the CFL technology as a whole and the trade offs you’ll have to consider when upgrading your incandescent fixtures, especially in regards to home/lighting automation. In wanting to lower my carbon footprint, I tried switching to CFLs myself a while back, but found too many drawbacks in present generation of this technology and opted for replacing all (or most) switches in the house with dimmers and setting their default level to about 80%. The effect on my electricity bill was immediate, the solution was less pricey considering that no fixtures had to […]