AppleInsider Staff
Early next year, Sylvania will release a new multicolor HomeKit-enabled Bluetooth lightbulb, allowing users to control the lights in their home without the need for a separate hub.
Sylvania's LEDVANCE lineup will add a "Smart Multicolor A19" bulb that is easily controlled via Siri, as well as Apple's Home app included in iOS 10. All users will need to do is screw in the Bluetooth-enabled bulb, sync it with the Home app, and start controlling their lights.
Because the accessory is Bluetooth and not Wi-Fi, users will need either an Apple TV or a HomeKit hub iPad nearby at home to enable control while away from home.
Other products, most notably Philips Hue bulbs and Lutron light switches, require a HomeKit hub accessory to bridge their platforms over to Apple's smart home network.
With HomeKit support, Sylvania's new bulbs will not only be controlled by voice, but can also integrate into scenes and triggers with other HomeKit accessories from various third-party manufacturers.
Sylvania says its Smart Multicolor A19 bulb will be available on Amazon in the U.S. in early 2017. The company has also pledged to expand with new HomeKit products throughout 2017.
"For more than a century, consumers have looked to the brand SYLVANIA for innovation, and this announcement represents another exciting advancement," said Aaron Ganick, who heads up the Smart Home Americas group at LEDVANCE. "For us, making the Smart Home a reality for consumers is all about quality products and strong partnerships with leaders in the industry. By working with Apple to provide smart lighting that works directly with the Home app, we're making it easier for Apple enthusiasts to seamlessly integrate quality lighting into their Smart Home, bringing convenience and simplicity to their daily lives."
Apple announced in October that it expects to have more than 100 HomeKit-certified accessories available by the end of this year. Recently announced products include new Fibaro sensors and the iHome 5-in-1 Smart Monitor.
Malcolm Owen
Amber Neely
Christine McKee
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Marko Zivkovic
13 Comments
Looks good to me! The only question now is: price?
How bright do they get? Dimness is biggest problem with my Hue bulbs, the colored bulbs get barely brighter than a 60w bulb. They have to get much, much brighter.
I recently bought my 1st HomeKit accessory: the "Eve Energy" controllable outlet plug from Elgato.
Price was about $55, which seems crazy to control 1 plug.
And yet... saying into my Apple Watch, "Turn on Christmas Tree" = priceless!
I wish Cree would do hubless Bluetooth for their high-CRI offerings -- did something particularly new in
the Bluetooth standard allow for this?
Although this is a good Start, this isn't The Way.
What we need are lamps/fixtures/bulbs that conform to a low voltage DC bulb-standard and DC powerline-standard (like USB-C) that will eliminate RFI, heat/HVAC and current loss from the AC/DC conversion/inversion and BLE emissions.
The problem, of course, is that one has to "go custom" to do this now (https://hackaday.io/lists is a good start) until some multi-billion dollar dominant player under pressure to enter new markets and keep making its numbers (while hitching its fortunes to a controversial new DC-power standard and home automation platform) decides to extend their specifications all the way to a (potentially outdoor) battery that sits on the side of a home/business (and ties into a grid transformer or renewable energy source).