This post is the third installment in a series on disproving common misconceptions about LED lights. The first myth we addressed was whether or not LEDs save energy – read that here. Then, we covered whether or not LEDs actually work – read that here.
Okay, okay. Yes, LED light bulbs do exist. LED light bulbs are everywhere these days, actually. No prevaricating on this blog! But, I’m not lying when I tell you LED light bulbs aren’t light bulbs. They emit light, and yes, they come in indisputably bulbous shapes, but they’re so much more than simple light bulbs.
What Your Light Bulb And Your Laptop Have In Common
It may be more accurate to describe the LED light bulb as a type of computer.
Where old fashioned incandescent light bulbs create light with rudimentary filaments, LEDs create light with the same kind of technology that makes your computer do its thing: the microchip.
Like computers, many LEDs can be easily programmed, and can even connect to WiFi. With this kind of simple-to-manipulate technology, LEDs might just surprise you with their many capabilities.
What LEDs Can Do
Here are just a few of the possibilities…
- You can pre-program LEDs to dim or turn off at times when you know you won’t need them at full brightness. If you’re always in relaxation-mode after 7 pm on weeknights, you can automate your home for tranquility at that time. If the last one out of the house in the morning is notoriously forgetful, you can make sure all the lights turn off by a certain hour. This means your energy bills will decrease and you won’t even have to think about it!
- You can remotely control your LED light bulbs that connect to WiFi right from your smartphone. You can turn them on while still in bed, or off after you leave the house. How convenient would it be to dim the lights from the couch when you sit down for a movie night with the family, and turn them back on from the comfort of your seat if someone needs to take a break?No more stumbling in the dark! Also, you can even change your LED’s color temperature this way to suit your every whim.
- You can efficiently navigate through stores that have WiFi capable LED overhead lights. Think of this as a mini-GPS for the indoors. Shoppers can use their smartphones to find what product they’re looking for, and then let the LED light bulbs’ wireless signals help them find it in the shopping center with ease.
…And that’s just the beginning. If you recall how much computers have evolved in the past decade or two, you can only imagine the capabilities of LEDs in the future.
Tomorrow’s LEDs – Not Light Bulbs After All?
In the future, we can also hope to see more advanced LED fixtures replacing the rather limited “bulb” shaped lights.
The original screw-in light bulb used the bulb shape to accommodate the light’s filament. LEDs, being filament-less, are only produced in the same shape so they can replace their predecessors. LED light bulbs contain clusters of light emitting diodes to generate the same amount of light as a standard light bulb.
However, these teensy diodes really allow for much more creative freedom with the size, shape, and style of LED light fixtures. These possibilities aren’t limited by the light socket. Down the road, we all might just discover that using light bulbs is an antiquated way to illuminate our homes and businesses.
Stay tuned as we expose even more LED myths!