I ordered 8 of these and hardwired them in the other week. FWIW, the in/out power ports are interchangeable! I checked the wiring when I had the light opened to hardwired it in! The input and output ports are literally just tied together. So either port works for power. They are probably just trying to stop stupidity of plugging two inputs into the same light.
@@EricWelander yeah, exactly! It’s also weird how they say if you knock out the metal plate for hardwiring you can no longer use it by plugging it in. I think it’s to align with some certification or liability requirements. But technically speaking, there is no technical reasons for the limitations they set. I also heard that if you have them connected to the Cync app it will synchronize the power/color temperature buttons on the lights too if you have multiple connected. But I’m using them purely with matter. Been loving them!
I just ordered these lights and panicked when I read they only go from right to left. I have the standard hard wire placement on the left of the cabinet. I had envisioned running wires back and forth all over or even placing them backwards. Thanks for the tip!
COB led strips are now my go to in my kitchen remodels (you can get them CCT or RGB), along with crimp on connectors, I installed a kitchen and the strips took me 45 minutes to install, which involved drilling holes between cabinets so the wire does not go below the cabinet. The end look is way cleaner since its one continuious strip of of light and not "sections" of light. This comes into play when the counters are reflective. I would highly NOT recomend any puck or "spot" lights like this one for kitchens that have a polished countertop as the reflection is very off putting.
One question is your electric bill high with all this home automation .. I remember when home automation first came out it was always about saving electricity
Great question…That’s a whole video topic in and of itself. But yes my electric bill is high but it’s probably not from low power LED lights that turn on. Of course more lights, with things like accent lights, does use more electricity than just overhead lights. Smart automations you set up can minimize the light usage at any given time.
@@EricWelander yes i setup home automation in 1998 using a software called hal2000 it was away a head of it time had to put mic in the wall tech was hard to find .. now about to build a 2 apartments in Vietnam both fully automation with home kit .. i think it going be a lot cheaper in 2024 compared to 1998 .. do you think it better to have 2 separate HomeKit systems or just 1 for both apartments as the appartment are beside each other and second apartment will be rented out
For my cabinets, I actually use Hue PlayBars. I drilled up into the cabinets and ran all of my cables inside. And, when I redid my kitchen a few years ago, I had two power outlets strategically placed in cabinets so I can plug everything into those. There's nothing running down walls to visible outlets.
Nope, Matter works with HomeKit. You can just scan the QR code same as anything else. (Experience from my SmartWings blinds, not from this product, but hey, standards.)
Yes HomeKit is a participant in the Matter standard. You need to upgrade to the new home architecture if you haven't already. If you don't see alerts about this in the Home app you probably already are. You also need to have IPv6 enabled on your Wi-Fi router, which it probably already is. Then jump in, the Matter water is great lol!
"Thank you to GE for sending these to me free of charge." "This review video of lights sent to be free of charge by the manufacturer is not sponsored."
Sponsored for me and most RUclipsrs means the company pays the RUclipsr a hefty fee in addition to the free product, and then gets to control what's said in the promotional (not review IMO) video. I could not afford to buy all this tech to review if I didn't get a lot of it for free. GE and its PR agency did not see anything about this video before it was posted. For more on my related policies, you can check out this page on my website www.ericw.org/ethics
I ordered 8 of these and hardwired them in the other week. FWIW, the in/out power ports are interchangeable! I checked the wiring when I had the light opened to hardwired it in! The input and output ports are literally just tied together. So either port works for power. They are probably just trying to stop stupidity of plugging two inputs into the same light.
Oh wow that's great to know. Thanks for sharing. It's weird they etch the input and output words so clearly on there if it doesn't matter.
@@EricWelander yeah, exactly! It’s also weird how they say if you knock out the metal plate for hardwiring you can no longer use it by plugging it in. I think it’s to align with some certification or liability requirements. But technically speaking, there is no technical reasons for the limitations they set. I also heard that if you have them connected to the Cync app it will synchronize the power/color temperature buttons on the lights too if you have multiple connected. But I’m using them purely with matter. Been loving them!
I just ordered these lights and panicked when I read they only go from right to left. I have the standard hard wire placement on the left of the cabinet. I had envisioned running wires back and forth all over or even placing them backwards. Thanks for the tip!
Great timing. I planned to purchase today.
Can i set the power on color so that if i unplug and plug it back in it will turn on to the color i had already set?
COB led strips are now my go to in my kitchen remodels (you can get them CCT or RGB), along with crimp on connectors, I installed a kitchen and the strips took me 45 minutes to install, which involved drilling holes between cabinets so the wire does not go below the cabinet. The end look is way cleaner since its one continuious strip of of light and not "sections" of light. This comes into play when the counters are reflective. I would highly NOT recomend any puck or "spot" lights like this one for kitchens that have a polished countertop as the reflection is very off putting.
Does it detect movement?
One question is your electric bill high with all this home automation .. I remember when home automation first came out it was always about saving electricity
Great question…That’s a whole video topic in and of itself. But yes my electric bill is high but it’s probably not from low power LED lights that turn on. Of course more lights, with things like accent lights, does use more electricity than just overhead lights. Smart automations you set up can minimize the light usage at any given time.
@@EricWelander yes i setup home automation in 1998 using a software called hal2000 it was away a head of it time had to put mic in the wall tech was hard to find .. now about to build a 2 apartments in Vietnam both fully automation with home kit .. i think it going be a lot cheaper in 2024 compared to 1998 .. do you think it better to have 2 separate HomeKit systems or just 1 for both apartments as the appartment are beside each other and second apartment will be rented out
for the wood between the cabinets, anyone drill a space for the connecting cord? or just run it over tdge like Eric did?
For my cabinets, I actually use Hue PlayBars. I drilled up into the cabinets and ran all of my cables inside. And, when I redid my kitchen a few years ago, I had two power outlets strategically placed in cabinets so I can plug everything into those. There's nothing running down walls to visible outlets.
Do the GE Cync lights work with adaptive lighting?
Good question. That's an Apple Home specific feature and not part of Matter so no it does not.
Do I have to convert my home to Matter to get these to work with Homekit?
Nope, Matter works with HomeKit. You can just scan the QR code same as anything else.
(Experience from my SmartWings blinds, not from this product, but hey, standards.)
Yes HomeKit is a participant in the Matter standard. You need to upgrade to the new home architecture if you haven't already. If you don't see alerts about this in the Home app you probably already are. You also need to have IPv6 enabled on your Wi-Fi router, which it probably already is. Then jump in, the Matter water is great lol!
@@EricWelanderdo I lose anything by upgrading to Matter architecture?
I suppose these lights use « Matter over WiFi » as there is no other details (and not « Matter over Thread ») ?
It looks interesting, it allows you to install without special skills, but the flicker is terrible. It's not good for your eyes
Needs batteries. Don't like cables dangling around.
You mount them correctly. Wireless sucks
"Thank you to GE for sending these to me free of charge." "This review video of lights sent to be free of charge by the manufacturer is not sponsored."
Sponsored for me and most RUclipsrs means the company pays the RUclipsr a hefty fee in addition to the free product, and then gets to control what's said in the promotional (not review IMO) video. I could not afford to buy all this tech to review if I didn't get a lot of it for free. GE and its PR agency did not see anything about this video before it was posted. For more on my related policies, you can check out this page on my website www.ericw.org/ethics