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Dimmable LED High Hats, Insteon networked bulb

post #1 of 6
12/26/12 at 8:24am
Thread Starter 
Ive been trying to search for this answer but cant find it. Im looking for feedback on dimmable LEDs. Anyones that ive tested in stores seemed to dim from 100% down to like 70% then turned off. I dont mean the switch said 70%, it was saying that it continiously dimmed but I wasnt seeing the type of dimming that you can get with a normal incandesant bulb.

Im trying to plan my wiring for my theater now and the zones and I want LEDs but do they work good for theaters? Can any of the new ones be set to 10% for a movie and its not over powering bright?

Also. I was looking at the insteon network led bulb. Ill put the link below. Anyone try this? It does seem liek it would be easier to just put in 15 of these, or however many, they would all be thier own zone and I could worry less about all the wiring. Thoughts?

http://www.smarthome.com/2672-222/INSTEON-LED-Bulb/p.aspx
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post #2 of 6
12/31/12 at 11:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SKINSnCANES View Post

Ive been trying to search for this answer but cant find it. Im looking for feedback on dimmable LEDs. Anyones that ive tested in stores seemed to dim from 100% down to like 70% then turned off. I dont mean the switch said 70%, it was saying that it continiously dimmed but I wasnt seeing the type of dimming that you can get with a normal incandesant bulb.

Im trying to plan my wiring for my theater now and the zones and I want LEDs but do they work good for theaters? Can any of the new ones be set to 10% for a movie and its not over powering bright?

Also. I was looking at the insteon network led bulb. Ill put the link below. Anyone try this? It does seem liek it would be easier to just put in 15 of these, or however many, they would all be thier own zone and I could worry less about all the wiring. Thoughts?

http://www.smarthome.com/2672-222/INSTEON-LED-Bulb/p.aspx
The bulb is ok...quite a few people report problems with them though. It will also be a pain to do the initial linking and setup with ~15 bulbs if you don't already have an Insteon system featuring a software controller.

I use Insteon extensively and with their dimmers I've had no problems with recently-purchased dimmable LED bulbs. I've gotten two different models of Philips and they've worked great. They dim very smoothly from 0 to 100 without any jerkiness. They also turn on at a very low dim level which is a problem those bulbs used to have.
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post #3 of 6
1/1/13 at 9:06am
I can confirm the Phillips bulbs work well with Insteon dimmers. Turning them down they stayed visible down to 1%. Turning them up from off, one came on at 1% and the other in the fixture (the older of the two) didn't come on until I got up to 13%. The newer bulb is about 1 1/2 years newer, so Phillips may have changed the logic to allow smoother dimming.

In any case, I can highly recommend the Phillips LED bulbs. The only drawback is cost, but at least they are dropping quickly. The first bulb set me back $40 and the latest ones (this fall) were only $22.

Mike
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post #4 of 6
1/2/13 at 7:40am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael Sargent View Post

ITurning them up from off, one came on at 1% and the other in the fixture (the older of the two) didn't come on until I got up to 13%.
As an aside, I've discovered this varies a lot with the fixture. I've seen the exact same bulb come on at different levels when in a single bulb lamp versus a 3-bulb ceiling fixture. YMMV...
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post #5 of 6
1/4/13 at 3:21pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the replies. This is helpful.

I'm trying to figure out some wiring now. I'm wondering how many zones I want. I'm planning on only having lights in the soffits so I'm wondering if I should just put up my ceiling now. I can run the wires through the soffit then and have all the lights there.

I've been reading a lot about the new bulbs that can do any color and dim and be controlled. I'm debating banking on getting those so I can just wire one zone
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post #6 of 6
1/18/13 at 2:55pm
Thread Starter 
I just bought the Phillips hue kit. Ill let everyone know what I think. It should be perfect for a theater and save me from wiring multiple zones. I'm even debating using them in the riser so the colors match the room!
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