Home Depot now selling affordable Wireless LED/CFL Bulbs

Anybody know what the lights will do when their power is turned off and then on?  Do they remember their last ON/OFF state and return to that state or do they always turn ON when their power transitions to on?
 
Doesn't really say.  http://www.tcpi.com/consumer/connected-faqs/
 
 
What will happen if I turn off a LED bulb at the wall switch or power outlet?

Since the LED bulb is already paired to the TCP Gateway, turning it off at the wall switch or power outlet will not do any long term damage to the system.

The LED bulb will not be able to be controlled at this time, and will appear 'offline' in the App.

As soon as the bulb is switched on again it will then pair up with the Gateway again and you will be able to access it once more through the remote or mobile application. Note, however, that if there is a 2nd bulb in your network which was using this 1st bulb as a router to communicate with the Gateway and there is no alternative route available, it is possible that this bulb will also become offline.

Generally it is best to keep the bulbs powered at all times and control them using the App.
 
 
Also local integration seems very plausible (similar to HUE) as it can work without the cloud:

 
You can access the TCP Web application on your computer using any of the Web browsers listed below.

You must be on the same local network as the Gateway , this cannot be done remotely (i.e. from your workplace)
 
When the application starts, it automatically searches for your Gateway through your wireless router. If the application finds a Gateway on your local network, it automatically connects to the associated lighting network.
 
 
I will probably pick up a black friday kit to play with if there are any at my store.
 
So has anyone tried these yet?  I saw them today at Home Depot for the first time and it piqued my interest...  I have been a user / fan of X10 since 1984, and use a lot of X10 in my home.  Use HomeSeer to control everything.  Before I go out and start buying these things, would like to hear from some home automation geeks like myself...
 
It appears that it is vaguely based on Xigbee protocol - a mesh network.  The more you add, the more solid the network becomes.  With that said, if I only purchase a few of these items, will I see the full benefit of the system due to a limited mesh network?
 
Lots of questions here, but am glad to see that home automation is continuing to morph...
 
 
Dave
 
Picked up a 2-bulb A19 set for $45 after coupon.  The light is a bit yellow and harsh for me, but the control seems to work well.  The dimming has a good range.
 
Control seems to be implemented as http commands with xml payloads and Zeroconf or SSDP for gateway discovery.  I would say it is definitely possible to integrate with other systems if you are willing to do a little protocol analysis.  It appears that status is polled and not broadcast.
 
If power is removed from the bulb and then restored it seems like it takes 10-20 seconds to be available again for control in the app.  When power is applied the bulb will turn on even if it was off prior to power being removed.
 
Thanks for the info.  Did you try cutting power to the gateway along with the bulb when the bulb is already off?  With what you describe, if you have a power blip, all your TCP Connect lights will come on.  This could be very wasteful if you are not home to turn them back off.  Ideally the bulb would ask the gateway if it also saw the power go off.  If both see the power go off at the same time the system knows that it is a whole house power outage and not an individual light that someone is trying to get turned on.
 
PS:  It also would be annoying if the light is in a bedroom and it gets turned on in the middle of the night because of a power blip.
 
The bulb turns on immediately and no it doesn't matter if the hub also loses power.  I think it is designed this way so that local control can still turn the bulbs on.  But it seems that firmware upgrades may be possible for the bulbs over the air so they might be able to add a setting for that feature.  Of course if it is integrated with a more advanced system that can detect power failures then there can be a power restored scene that could be sent to place the bulbs in the desired state.
 
Has anybody had any luck dissecting the HTTP protocol for use with other HA systems? I want to make sure it's possible before I buy a set. I know az1324 said it was XML Payloads and HTTP Commands, but has anyone found any more specifics? Thanks!
 
It is 100% possible and not that hard.  Here is a command example to turn a bulb off:
 
 

http://192.168.1.2/gwr/gop.php?cmd=DeviceSendCommand&data=<gip><version>1</version><token>1234567890</token><did>112233445566778899</did><value>0</value></gip>&fmt=xml
  HUB IP ADDR DEFAULT BULB ID STATE
obtained on login
 
Of course needs to be URL Encoded.
 
Anybody know how the Smart Controls get the sunrise and sunset times?  I don't see a way to set latitude/longitude or zipcode so I assume its does some geolocation from gateway/router external IP address. 
 
Yes they even show the Jennet RF network parameters on the settings page so you may be able to communicate directly with the bulbs using a compatible radio, if you really wanted to.
 
Back
Top