I didn’t think I’d ever buy a smartbulb, but I'm glad I bought this Soft White LED.
I have a frequently-used ceiling light fixture, and its associated wall switch is in an awful place. I was going to move the switch - but it's a real pain to cut into my walls (the walls are "plaster-on-metal lath" from the 1930s, which makes doing anything in the walls painful and messy). So I decided to try this smart bulb as a lazy way out of rewiring.
Set up with HomeKit was a real breeze. I screwed the bulb into place and opened the Home app and I was up controlling the bulb with my iPhone in less than a minute. Homekit has improved greatly, and now I can't imagine it being any easier. I experimented with dimming and brightening the bulb, and it all worked great: good light, and good dimming. No noise and no flicker.
I am happy to report that the range and reliability of the bluetooth connection is excellent. My Apple TV is literally on the other corner of my house - the bulb and the Apple TV could not be further apart. Also, as I mentioned before, I have plaster-coated metal lath in the walls - beneath all the plaster, each room is like a metal cage. And I live in the city with a ton of 2.4 GHz radio noise (I see 47 WIFI stations right now). So this seemed like a real bluetooth stress test, and I was concerned that it wouldn't work well. But over the months it has shown to be 100% reliable from everywhere I've tried it. My conclusion is that the Bluetooth LE implementation within this bulb is top notch.
Power consumption is excellent. I measured the power consumed by this bulb with my kill-o-watt meter. The bulb seems to draw half a watt when the light is out, and it ramps up to about 9 watts at full brightness. I usually keep this lamp at 70%. My kill-o-watt reports this at 3.8 watts.
Finally, I wanted to know what happens when someone does hit that wall switch, or after a power failure. More good news: The bulb remembers all of its settings. If the bulb was at 44% brightness when it was last used, and then my wall switch is turned off, then the bulb comes back on at 44% brightness when the switch is turned on. Perfect!
In all, this is a big win, and now I can watch football or something instead of rewiring. I'll update this if anything changes.
UPDATE:
We've been using this bulb for over seven months now, and it is working perfectly. We use it for 5+ hours each day. Siri has controlled this bulb with a 100% success rate - it has let us down zero times. I've used the iPhone Home app to automate the bulb (turn it to 30% when it is evening and I'm not home, turn it to 70% when it is night and I am home, turn it off during the day or during sleeping hours, etc).
Update: I'm happy to say that iOS 12.1 also provides 100% bulb control reliability. iOS 12.0 seemed to be a little problematic controlling the bulb.
| Brand | LEDVANCE |
|---|---|
| Light Type | LED |
| Special Feature | Energy Efficient, Dimmable |
| Wattage | 6 watts |
| Bulb Shape Size | A19 |
| Bulb Base | E26 Medium |
| Incandescent Equivalent Wattage | 50 Watts |
| Specific Uses For Product | For indoor use only |
| Light Color | Soft White |
| Voltage | 120 Volts |
| Unit Count | 1.0 Count |
| Color Temperature | 2700 Kelvin |
| Number of Items | 1 |
| Brightness | 650 Lumen |
| Shape | a19 |
| Material | Glass |
| Model Name | 74979 |
| Connectivity Technology | Bluetooth |
| Indoor/Outdoor Usage | Indoor |
| Controller Type | homekit, iOS |
| Included Components | 1 LED Bulb |
| Power Source | AC |
| Connectivity Protocol | Bluetooth |
| Color Rendering Index | 80 |
| Power Consumption | 6 Watts |
| Item Package Quantity | 1 |
| Light Source Type | Dimmable |
| Item Weight | 0.18 Pounds |
| Light Source Wattage | 6 Watts |
| Product Dimensions | 2.36"W x 4.72"H |
| Control Method | Voice |
| Average Life | 15000 Hours |
| White Brightness | 650 Lumens |
| Manufacturer | LEDVANCE |
| Part Number | 74979 |
| Item Weight | 2.89 ounces |
| Item model number | 74979 |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Size | 1 Count (Pack of 1) |
| Color | Soft White |
| Style | A19 Filament |
| Finish | Soft White |
| Number Of Pieces | 1 |
| Special Features | Energy Efficient, Dimmable |
| Batteries Included? | No |
| Batteries Required? | No |
| Warranty Description | 2 years. |
