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GE's smart light bulb reset process is a masterpiece of modern techno-insanity

theregister.co.uk

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Re: GE's smart light bulb reset process is a masterpiece of modern techno-insanity

#2
I'd want to like GE products but the false advertising on their blacklight LED bulb and their subsequent reaction to my notifying them of such pretty much turns me off of their products entirely.

Long story short, 7W UV LED advertised blacklight bulb. Only one LED is UV and the other four are white LEDs, behind a fake woods glass filter. Yanked out the UV LED, dropped it into my Fermata light (pad/form factor compatible) and turned it into the mineral specimen lamp I was hoping to get from the original bulb.

Re: GE's smart light bulb reset process is a masterpiece of modern techno-insanity

#3
I remember this being brought up on reddit. Yes it's ridiculously lengthy, but having a procedure instead of a reset button is actually a smart idea. So they've taken a kernel of a good idea and went overboard on trying to protect users from accidentally resetting.

Having a procedure allows you to reset bulbs in hard-to-reach places or a whole set of lights in one room can be reset using the one lightswitch.

Re: GE's smart light bulb reset process is a masterpiece of modern techno-insanity

#5

I remember this being brought up on reddit. Yes it's ridiculously lengthy, but having a procedure instead of a reset button is actually a smart idea. So they've taken a kernel of a good idea and went overboard on trying to protect users from accidentally resetting. Having a procedure allows you to reset bulbs in hard-to-reach places or a whole set of lights in one room can be reset using the one lightswitch.

> having a procedure instead of a reset button is actually a smart idea

I can't think of any user friendliness benefit for this. Are you thinking about component cost?

Re: GE's smart light bulb reset process is a masterpiece of modern techno-insanity

#6
post #4

Philips Hue is older I think and doesn't have this insanity. The bulbs have a serial number on them, you just input that serial into the app synced with a new bridge.

Originally you couldn't use the three bulbs that came in the kit with another hub.

Re: GE's smart light bulb reset process is a masterpiece of modern techno-insanity

#7

I remember this being brought up on reddit. Yes it's ridiculously lengthy, but having a procedure instead of a reset button is actually a smart idea. So they've taken a kernel of a good idea and went overboard on trying to protect users from accidentally resetting. Having a procedure allows you to reset bulbs in hard-to-reach places or a whole set of lights in one room can be reset using the one lightswitch.

> having a procedure instead of a reset button is actually a smart idea I can't think of any user friendliness benefit for this. Are you thinking about component cost?

> allows you to reset bulbs in hard-to-reach places

Re: GE's smart light bulb reset process is a masterpiece of modern techno-insanity

#9

I remember this being brought up on reddit. Yes it's ridiculously lengthy, but having a procedure instead of a reset button is actually a smart idea. So they've taken a kernel of a good idea and went overboard on trying to protect users from accidentally resetting. Having a procedure allows you to reset bulbs in hard-to-reach places or a whole set of lights in one room can be reset using the one lightswitch.

> having a procedure instead of a reset button is actually a smart idea I can't think of any user friendliness benefit for this. Are you thinking about component cost?

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