Latest news with #LEDlights
CNET
5 hours ago
- CNET
Why Your LEDs Keep Dropping Dead, and Why Experts Say It's Not Normal
Modern LED lights come with big promises: they'll save energy, include smart features and last for years without burning out. But in reality, that last part doesn't always hold up. After testing and swapping plenty of lights around my home, I've seen LEDs fail much sooner than expected. If you've run into the same issue, there's some good news. I asked manufacturers and lighting experts about it, and there are clear reasons why these bulbs sometimes die early. Heat is one of the biggest factors, and when conditions indoors get too warm, it can shorten the life of your LEDs. Here's what I found out about why LED lights don't always last as long as the box claims, and what you can do to help them reach their full lifespan. Don't miss any of CNET's unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add us as a preferred Google source on Chrome. Read more: Best Smart Lights 1. LED lifespan ratings are a broad average, not a promise Not all LEDs last the numbers you see on the box don't always work out in real life. LED bulbs do last longer but those claims about five to 10 years are estimates based on internal testing -- and companies are always looking for ways to show their bulbs in, well, the best possible light. So if the packaging says the bulb lasts seven years, that means testing showed an average of seven years, and you don't always know the math applied to get that result. Thomas Grable, from the LEDvance product technical team, said that when LED bulb averages fall within a normal distribution chart, about 95% of the values fall within two standard deviations of the mean. That still means some LED lights will experience short lifetimes -- and as Grable points out, we're more likely to remember the lights that flicker and die right away than those that plod on. Plus, companies may use sneakier language, like "up to seven years," which means they're probably doing serious weighting toward the very top performers in their bulb testing, making it more likely you'll see bulbs fall short. And don't forget to check LED bulb details for how the manufacturer is defining a single day of use in these year calculations (if it says). Some companies use a more honest 6 to 8 hours of use for a single day. Others may use two to three hours of use to greatly inflate their lifespan numbers. All that said, Grable reports that incandescent bulbs have an average of about 800 hours, far shorter than the average of most LED bulbs, so you should still be getting your money's worth unless something goes wrong. That's where other factors come in. 2. LED drivers overheat and fail Temperature plays a key role in LED life. Getty Images The LED, or light-emitting diode, is very unlikely to fail, and if it does, it goes out slowly over years. Instead, it's the other electrical bits in LED bulbs that fail and cut off the bulb's light. LED bulbs use DC power, which requires a converter and drivers to switch from standard AC power in homes. That means inside every LED bulb are tiny circuit components -- and their soldered contact points -- which are far more vulnerable than the diode itself. The Lighting Research Center of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute reports that research shows the delicate soldered points are most likely to fail in harsh conditions. Heat, in particular, can cause these components to quickly break, so installing an LED bulb in a hot corner of your home or in a deep-set socket with poor ventilation can cause the lights to go out far sooner than expected. You can help prevent these issues by looking for LED bulbs that have weighty aluminum heat-sink materials but ultimately LED bulbs won't perform the same in high heat conditions. 3. Your home electrical power may not be 'clean' Chris Wedel/CNET In electrical grid terms, clean power is steady and reliable, with very accurate alternating current and few unexpected spikes in amps. But not all electricity is like that. Depending on the electrical infrastructure near your home, your power may be on the dirtier side, with tiny spikes in power, and other problems. LED bulb converters need to manage all those small discrepancies, which can quickly wear them down and cause them to overheat. If you seem to frequently lose bulbs around the home for no good reason, you could have a dirty power supply. 4. Sockets may be old or installation may be poor An Ecosmart dimmable bulb against a wood surface. Tyler Lacoma/CNET Even if your electricity is clean, a bad installation could yield the same effects as dirty power. Old, dirty sockets won't transfer electricity as smoothly, creating burnout issues. And screwing in an LED bulb too loosely or too tightly can also create problems. Aim for a firm but gentle installation process in a clean socket for the best results. 5. Your home may have high humidity High humidity is bad for electrical connections that bulbs use. Olga Dobrovolska via Getty Humidity teams up with heat to wear down LED electrical components even faster. If you live in a wet area with high moisture content in your indoor air, LED bulbs aren't as likely to last their full lifespan. Luckily, CNET has several dehumidifier recommendations to help dry out your home. 6. LED bulbs and old dimmers don't mix LED bulbs might not work well with older dimmer switches. Treatlife Many LED bulbs can dim, but that doesn't mean they play well with older home dimmer switches. As LED installer Torchlight mentions, old dimmers are made to work with high-wattage incandescent bulbs. They don't really know what to do with low-wattage LEDs, which leads to burnout issues. You can either install an LED dimmer switch or -- my preferred option -- choose a smart LED bulb with self-dimming features you can control via app rather than relying on old-fashioned dimmers. 7. Quality control issues can be a factor LED bulb installation and manufacturing quality are key. Getty Images Finally, the manufacturing quality of LED bulbs will affect all the issues I've discussed above. Many manufacturers have serviceable diodes but try to save money on cheap drivers and converters (as well as sloppy assembly techniques), which is a major cause behind early failure. When picking an LED bulb, it's best to stick with well-known, reliable brands, even if you have to pay a bit more. For smart bulbs, our testers have found some of the best results from Philips, Wiz, Govee, Nanoleaf and Cree. To find the best LED bulbs for your home, visit our guides to the best LED bulb for every room in your house, what to consider when switching to LED bulbs, and the best LED floodlight bulbs we've tested.
CNET
a day ago
- CNET
How to Replace Your Home Lights With Smart Lights (and Why You Should)
Did you know that setting your lights to turn off when you don't need them can save significant cash on your monthly energy bills? And switching to LED lights, which use just a fraction of the watts of old incandescent lights, can also save up to $225 per year, according to the Department of Energy. Both benefits combine in smart lights, which give you detailed app control over new, long-lasting LED lights around your home. Smart lights help home-havers dive into the smart home world with a cheap addition that's easy to set up. But if it's your first time, you may not be sure where to start with all the smart light and bulb options available. No worries -- I have several choices that will narrow your plans down to exactly what smart light you need. Set your budget Smart bulbs are cheap, support multiple voice assistants and have lots of fun tricks. Tyler Lacoma/CNET First, the good news: Unlike pricier smart home devices, smart lights are very affordable, and you probably don't need to spend more than $50 or less. You don't need to replace every light in your home (unless you really want to), so you only need one to four smart lights to get started. And these products are more affordable than ever. The cheapest smart bulbs cost only $10, while even big floodlight bulbs are typically only $10 to $30. Even smart light switches tend to start around $30 to $40, depending on the type you want. Which brings me to the next important question. Read more: Best Home Security Cameras with Floodlights Decide if you need smart bulbs or a smart switch Smart switches work better for lights you can easily change out. Ry Crist/CNET A smart switch is very different from a bulb with smart technology. Smart switches replace your physical switch wired into the wall with a new version. That lets you keep your old lights, which is very useful if you have a chandelier or pendant lighting that's not easily replaced by smart bulbs. Switches can often connect to apps as well for remote control, but they include unique abilities, like presence sensing in a room so they can automatically turn on, or ambient light sensing so they can turn on when light is low. Most also have dimming capabilities, if your lights are compatible. Smart switches are more expensive and take a lot more work to install than smart bulbs. The best fit depends on the lighting situation in your home, so take some time to think about what lights you have. That's also the perfect opportunity for a closely related choice. Pick specific light spots that will make the most difference Smart lights make a big difference -- especially in the right spots. miljko via Getty Like I said, not every light needs to be a smart light in your home. I have smart bulbs in a couple of my lamps and smart floodlights in my open floor plan room and am looking to install an outdoor version in my porch. That's enough for me, and you may get results with just one or two. Smart lights work best in convenient locations, as key accent lights or as the primary light in a room. Common favorite spots include entryways, bedroom lamps, lights above a living room, hallway lights, den lights, small nooks and basically anywhere in a dorm. Check your socket sizes and space The socket size and bulb shape need to match your current lighting situation. With your smart light choices narrowed down to the right locations, it's time to check your sockets and note what kind of bulb you need (unless you've settled on a smart switch). This is often easy: Most bulbs in a home use the E26 base, which is the standard screw-in socket. There are other bases like E12, but that's usually too small for smart features, so the E26 base is usually necessary. Then you must check how much space the bulb will have, especially if it's a recessed light or in a small lamp. The classic American bulb shape is called A19, and it's easy to find cheap smart bulbs in this size. The standard floodlight shape is called BR30, but some bulbs are a bit larger and may not fit in every floodlight space, so it pays to double-check. Choose if you want color-changing lights Colorful smart bulbs may be more useful than you think. GE Lighting Many smart lights come in color, which means in addition to white and brightness levels, you can also switch the color to, well, any shade that you want, considering that apps offer millions of color options. I personally am a huge fan of the option to switch colors, from creating mood lighting on demand to prepping for a holiday or creating a light reaction, like turning lights red if a home security sensor goes off. Color-changing abilities don't usually cost much more than white lights (for my top smart bulb pick, the difference is only $2) but offer a lot of potential. Even if you decide you don't need color options, think about getting a light with color temperature changes, which means a white light can become warmer or colder depending on the look you need. Decide on extras like music syncing Govee's permanent lights could be the perfect holiday light solution for some homeowners. Govee Are you interested in playing with extra features that could be useful when entertaining or automating your lights? If you're looking for the fastest, most streamlined experience, you don't need to worry about these features. However, if you like the idea of interesting modes, look for settings like sunrise/sunset, which mimics the rising and setting sun (offered by brands like Wyze) or music syncing, which links lights to music to play along with the beat (from Govee, Philips Hue, Cync and many other brands). There's a lot to try out if you want to experiment. Buy your lights and plan your lighting schedule Think about the schedules you want to set for your smart lights. Tyler Lacoma/CNET It's time to purchase your smart lights or switch, which you can easily find online or in many home improvement stores. As I mentioned, setup is really easy and involves screwing the bulb in, downloading the app and connecting the bulb to your Wi-Fi so you can control it. That part takes only a few minutes, but you'll want to think about setting the right lighting schedule when you're ready. While bulbs have scenes and modes that shift color and brightness to a specific setting, you can also create automatic schedules that do it at specific times. That's useful if, for example, you get up early for work or running while it's still dark and you want a light like an entryway bulb to turn on a certain time for you without waking the whole house. Or maybe you want to save as much energy as possible by setting lights to always turn off at bedtime, or to turn off in the morning after everyone has left for work or school. If you already have smart home devices like a smart speaker ($50 to $100), you can also plan on creating home routines so lights react to other situations, like an alarm going off, or you can simply control them with voice assistants. Now that you've seen how easy it is to pick out your smart lights, check out my guide to the best smart plugs and the smart home devices I can't stop using this year to learn about even more possibilities. Don't miss any of CNET's unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add us as a preferred Google source on Chrome.
CNET
09-08-2025
- Business
- CNET
Act Fast to Save Up to $10 Off the Energizer Smart Wi-Fi 2K Indoor Foldable Cam at QVC
Securing your indoors is just as important as protecting what's outside, especially if you have children or pets at home. If you've been looking to invest in a solid indoor camera, QVC is letting you do so at a discount right now. You can currently grab the Energizer Wi-Fi 2K indoor foldable camera for just $30 after a straightforward 11% discount, and if you're a new QVC shopper, you can save an extra 20% by entering code 20NEWQ at checkout, through Aug. 10. That drops your total to only $24 -- an impressive $10 drop that's available on multiple colors. The camera gets you 2K resolution, a 130-degree wide-angle view, and high-quality LED lights that make everything appear just as sharp even in low light settings. It supports two-way audio, so you can speak to whoever is on the other side just as well -- great for telling your cat to get off the counter. Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money. Live feed can be accessed directly using the Energizer Connect app, and those who prefer storing the videos locally can do so using a microSD card (sold separately). This smart camera also sends immediate motion alerts every time it detects movement and supports 5GHz and 2.4GHz for a smooth, stable connection. Plus, because it's foldable, you can simply cover the lens whenever you want some downtime, so it never feels like it's snooping on you. Why this deal matters At less than $25 for first-time buyers and $30 for regular QVC shoppers, this deal offers solid security and peace of mind for less. You can access the camera remotely and even enjoy two-way audio. Just be sure to grab it soon because deals like this rarely stick around for long.
Gizmodo
05-08-2025
- Business
- Gizmodo
Govee 50ft (2-Pack) RGBIC LED Strip Lights Cost Less Than Prime Day, Basically Free Per Pack
A little bit of light can go a long way, especially when that light comes from a smart source. If you're looking to change how your home feels, or just a specific room, and you want that change to be easy to switch up as you want, then smart lights could well be the answer. While they can be expensive, we've found an amazing deal on one of the best options out there. You can get these Govee 100-foot Smart LED Lights for $44, which is 40% off the normal price. This is a great reduction and definitely a good deal for anyone on the hunt for some great smart lights. However, it's worth noting that it's a limited-time deal, which does mean that it could end at any time. See at Amazon Smart lights can be used to help you control the feeling of any room you want to. While they're often seen used by creative types on YouTube and Twitch, it's not just gamers and content creators who can benefit from them. In fact, we'd wager that a lot of people would get a little bit more joy in their life by using these kinds of lights. Govee is one of the best in the business when it comes to smart lights, offering a huge range of options, but the strip lights can be seen as the staple for many. 100-feet is an awful lot, and should be more than enough to light up hallways, doorways, special bits of furniture, or just really focus on one specific room. This particular one comes with two 50-feet strips. You can install them as you like, and then gain amazing control over the colors using the app, which lets you set different sections as different colors, have them change regularly, or even sync to the music you've got playing. You can even control them with your voice, if you've got a smart assistant in your home, which'll have you feeling like you're living in the future. They're just a great pick up to improve the vibes in any home. It's easy to see why these strips would normally set you back $73, but that's not what you'll pay if you pick them up right now. The chance to buy them for just $44 won't last forever though, so if these are something you want to buy, make sure you get on this quickly. See at Amazon
Al Bawaba
31-07-2025
- Al Bawaba
Watch: Pigeons mistaken for drones in India after 2 men put lights on them
Published July 31st, 2025 - 08:05 GMT ALBAWABA - Two men recently sparked chaos in Muzaffarnagar, India, after turning pigeons into fake drones by attaching red and green LED lights on their feet and flying them at night. While the incident may appear humorous at first, it stirred quite a scene in Muzaffarnagar as residents and local police reportedly chased the pigeons for hours after reports of drone sightings at several villages in western Uttar Pradesh. 🚨 Drone Pigeons" in Muzaffarnagar!Saqib & Shoaib turned pigeons into fake drones by tying red & green LED lights to their legs and flying them at night. Locals & cops chased "UFOs" for hours. Both now arrested by UP Police. — زماں (@Delhiite_) July 30, 2025 According to Hindustan Times, Saqib and Shoaib were arrested by the police on Wednesday after complaints from villagers of mysterious flying objects. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Sanjay Kumar said, "During the investigation, the police recovered two pigeons, a cage, and red and green LED lights from the accused. They confessed to tying the lights to the pigeons' legs and releasing them at night so that the people assumed that they were seeing drones from a distance." SSP disclosed that the individuals responsible were part of a gang operating in Jatwara village and issued a ₹20,000 reward for police officers who could solve the case. © 2000 - 2025 Al Bawaba (
