Life of smart bulbs, adaptors, relays, sockets etc.

[ericmark]

I started when mother still alive with MiHome Energenie sockets, light switches, and TRV heads. To date two sockets, three lights switches, and one TRV failed although latter down to carpet fitters. Of the other makes, had one GU10 RGB bulb fail within 6 months of fitting, but other one of pair seems cross fingers OK up to now.

Also had three GU10 dimming bulbs start to get annoying flashing or shimmer, again after around 6 months, and a strip light failed within a week, that one taken back it was the power supply that failed, not anything to do with the smart module.

I have around 10 smart bulbs, 5 smart switches, one smart relay, 5 smart socket adaptors, and 9 smart TRV heads. Plus around 7 Nest Mini speakers so I can use voice commands. Around 55 devices not counting speakers and Nest Gen3, so on the whole not that many units have failed, and easy not to count a bulb, it is light switches, relays, and sockets which cause all the hassle to change.

I would not buy smart sockets any more, I would use socket adaptors, as little difference in price, and easy to change if they fail, or more to point no longer wanted in that location. I pray the smart relay does not fail, that would be hard to replace inside the chandelier, but the post is to find out how others have faired with failures. I do have SPD fitted, in fact two of them, as second fitted with solar panels.

 

[Rodders53]

I've had two Phillips Hue wall wart supplies for their Bloom lamps fail on me. I have used a simple 12V led driver to replace them. That's a 50% fail rate on the four Blooms that I own.

One of two Tradfrei Ikea candle lamps sings for its supper, so they're now unused.
{The last lamps I had that sang that bad were 10kW GEC TV studio hard glass lamp filaments (on dimmers). Phillips equivalent Quartz lamps were procured to get the studio into use while GEC went off to discover why.}

One Blink outdoor camera ate a set of batteries, made a second set get very, very hot in seconds and was replaced under warranty recently.

Other than that I can't thinks of anything smart that has failed.

A fair few non smart electronics items are still working fine but have to go to landfill recycling as they are 'worthless' or, with IT stuff (inc phones and tablets), no longer supported for security updates.

 

[SUNRAY]

Well so far my decorating of 2017 and replacing 3 pendants with triple G9 LEDs has cost me far more on LED's and their replacements than the previous 23 years of incandescents and CFL's aditionally I have to go a good few years yet before I break even on running costs and if anything to go by I doubt I ever will. I've actually given up counting how many LED bulbs I've had to buy so far to maintain 9 working. I think I purchased 10 budgets, 10 expensive, 12 Energisers and 12 from Home bargain of which I have 2 spares and the Home bargains are certainly the best longevity so far.

Averaging at say £2.50 (probably unrealistly low) is £105 in 6 years or £17 per year and say averaging 2 hours per day at 38W (estimation of difference between 60W & 2*7W CFL as removed and 9*2W (Probably more like 2.5W) LED) or 30KWh/y at 50p = £15

No, in my view this modern technology is nowhere near as reliable as claimed or work out cheaper.

I have absolutely no doubts other peoples experiences are different and I have no reason to question their findings or for that matter dispute it.

 

[Why Not Indeed]

I have absolutely no doubts other peoples experiences are different and I have no reason to question their findings or for that matter dispute it.

You must be new here

"Life" also includes, "how long the manufacturer wants to supports any cloud services it talks to", which is basically unknowable at the point of purchase.

 

[ericmark]

I was unaware you could get G9 smart bulbs, the non smart caused me enough problems, with interaction with smart switch.

I do see the point about support, but post triggured by another smart socket failing.

Hard to work out price, what price does one put at not having to get up to switch on lights and cross a floor with cats on it, to reach switch in pitch dark, after one has nodded off.

Or being able to switch on outside lights before leaving car, and them not switch off at most inoptune moment when climbing the steps at side of house with hands full of shopping.

It is not anything one can put a value on. And I have had it with PIR's either waking me as a cat turns them on, or switching off too early.

But been using smart controls now for about 7 years, so now the older ones are starting to fail. I expect a bulb to fail, although would want an average of a two year life at least, but sockets, and light switches would have expected 10 years.

But not had any 10 years, so still an unknown. Hense the question.