North Carolina lighting manufacturer Cree is getting into the smart-bulb game with a new connected LED. Click through for a first look at this new smart-home offering.
The other obvious difference from the 4Flow LED is that the Connected LED has a ZigBee radio built right in. This means that it can't communicate directly with your router, so you'll need a hub to play the role of translator. Cree doesn't sell a hub -- instead, it will work with the Wink Hub, which also sells at Home Depot. Moving forward, Cree plans to open compatibility to other hubs, too.
You'll find simple instructions for pairing Cree's bulb with your hub in the Wink app, available for Android and iOS devices. In our tests, pairing each bulb worked on the first try, and took less than a minute.
Published:Caption:Ry CristPhoto:Screenshots by Ry Crist/CNET
You'll need to update the firmware on your Wink Hub before you'll be able to add the Cree bulbs to your system. Unlike pairing the bulbs, updating the hub definitely didn't work on the first try, which was a little frustrating.
Once everything's paired up, you'll find direct dimming controls right in the app. You can control one bulb at a time, or you can combine bulbs into groups and control all of them at once.
Published:Caption:Ry CristPhoto:Screenshots by Ry Crist/CNET
You can also sync your Cree lights up with other devices in your system, or with your phone's location. Wink calls these automations "robots" -- in the example seen here, the lights turn off automatically whenever I leave home, provided I bring my phone with me.
Published:Caption:Ry CristPhoto:Screenshots by Ry Crist/CNET
Cree's Connected LED bulbs will retail for $15 each at Home Depot, where they are due to hit shelves by February. For the full rundown of this smart light's strengths and weaknesses, be sure and check out the complete review.
