Carlsbad, Calif. – Linear, the branded and OEM supplier of security and access-control products, has developed its first Z-Wave light bulb, which is compatible with DIY home-control hubs from Lowe’s, Home Depot and Staples.
The bulb will ship in volume next week at retail prices ranging from about $40 to $50, said Linear president Mike O’Neal. The first units, however, will be available first to Linear’s base of professional security installers who sell Linear’s security panel with built-in wireless home automation, said Duane Paulson, SVP of product and market development.
Linear already builds some of the products that connect to the Staples, Home Depot and Lowe’s hubs, and the Nortek subsidiary also OEMs the security/home-automation control panels for AT&T Digital Life and Vivint.
“With our full line of security, access control and lighting solutions, customers can now build a fully-integrated home control system using Linear products,” said Paulson.
The LED bulb screws into standard light sockets and provides illumination equivalent to a 60-watt incandescent bulb. The smart bulb is remotely controllable from any Z-Wave-equipped hub or controller, consumes only 9 watts of energy, and has an estimated lifespan of 25,000 hours. The soft-white bulb is dimmable to 100 levels.
As part of a home-automation system, Linear smart bulbs can be incorporated into automated lifestyle scenes that trigger the bulbs on or off when, for example, a garage door opens or closes. The bulbs also act as a repeater to strengthen the Z-Wave mesh network.
“Our Z-Wave dimmable LED bulb clears a major roadblock for lighting control adoption, the need to install high voltage switches,” said Paulson.
The company also makes other Z-Wave enabled home control products, including three-way and regular light switches, thermostats, doorbells, key fobs, door/window contacts, dimmer modules and wall outlets, and a garage-door controller sold at Lowe’s and Staples.
