In a major step forward for smart home-enabled consumer electronics, LED manufacturer Ledvance is furthering its long-standing Sylvania brand by launching the Sylvania Smart+ Soft White A19 filament bulb, which lands in markets complete with full Apple HomeKit compatibility.
Unlike competing products that are emerging into the smart home market, the Sylvania Smart+ bulbs can be directly controlled using Bluetooth via Apple’s Siri intelligent personal assistant and Apple’s Home app — without buying a separate hub or smart socket or requiring a Wi-Fi router to function accordingly.
The bulb is also easy to install and combines the futuristic capabilities of smart home technology with a retro look befitting the Sylvania brand’s storied 100-plus year history. After screwing in the Bluetooth-enabled bulb, consumers can simply sync it with the Home app or issue voice commands via Siri to control Sylvania Smart+ lights individually or in groups. The Sylvania Smart+ A19 bulbs are issued in a filament-powered version and a standard version, and provide up to 650 and 800 lumens respectively, aligning with what consumers used to see in 40-watt and 60-watt traditional light bulbs.
The launch of the new Soft White bulb comes on the heels of Sylvania’s much-lauded Sylvania Smart+ A19 Full Color Bulb. The bulb’s features, as lauded by Ledvance, include turning it on and off, adjusting it from a cool white light for concentrating to a warm white for relaxing, as well and changing it to one of literally millions of colors to complement the décor of any room.
The A19 Soft White and Full Color Bulbs are remarkably versatile compared to the range of smart light products currently on the market. Using what is essentially mood lighting, a living room can easily be transformed from a home office for productivity to a fun party room for entertaining — and each light can be transformed on the fly using Apple’s HomeKit connectivity.
Ledvance’s other lighting products include the Sylvania Smart+ Indoor Flex Strip Full Color, a lighting strip whose malleable design makes it possible to contour around corners to enhance living areas, under furniture, and act as backlighting behind televisions. This system can also be fitted with Sylvania Smart+ Extension and Connector kits to further customize and expand lighting options.
Other smart home functions can be enhanced using Apple HomeKit’s versatile command system, allowing consumers to create custom light scenes and automation to enhance users’ needs and lifestyle. With a few simple commands, smart home users can adjust a bedroom’s color temperature to reflect natural sunlight, or schedule lights to come on right before getting home from work to avoid entering a dark house. Naturally, with other Apple HomeKit compatible accessories, users can integrate their Sylvania Smart+ lights and accessories with compatible switches, sensors, thermostats, cameras and other appliances.
“Our approach is unique in the smart industry because we focus on delivering quality lighting products first and only then adding smart functionality second,” Aaron Ganick, global head of Smart Business at Ledvance, said in a statement. “Our customers expect their smart lighting to not only work with the latest and greatest technology ecosystems, but to look good while doing it.”
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