HomeKit support added to C by GE Reach Hub and Bulbs
Recently reported by Weston Girot at iDropNews earlier this week, HomeKit support has been silently enabled for the C-Reach Hub from G.E (General Electric). While the hub, and the brand’s light bulbs had been previously announced and listed on Apple’s own HomeKit accessories page, there has been no communication from either company as to when support would actually be added. Weston made this discovery by utilizing the “Don’t Have a Code?” option within Apple’s Home app on iOS, which was recently used to enable Home support for Sonos products. When the C-Reach hub is powered on and nearby your iOS device, the device should appear, allowing you to utilize the HomeKit code which is printed on the hub. Once the code is entered, the hub will be added to your Home, as well as any compatible C by GE light bulbs, which currently are the C-Life series A19 and BR30 bulbs and the C-Sleep A19 bulbs.
What makes the C by GE line of smart bulbs compelling for consumers is that the prices of the bulbs and hub can be found for lower than the cost of all other HomeKit enabled bulbs on the market. For example, a 2-pack of the C by GE bulbs, containing 1 “Life” bulb and 1 “Sleep” bulb can be purchased currently from Amazon for just $20.22. Of course these bulbs do require the C-Reach hub, which is also competitively priced when bundled with 2 bulbs, all for the low price of $32.02. The C-Life series of bulbs are dimmable, 800 lumen bulbs, with a rated life of 22 years, while the C-Sleep series bulbs are designed to automatically adjust according to the time of day, and come in at 730 lumens. Both bulbs are “damp” rated by the company, which mean that they must be protected from the outdoor elements, but nonetheless should be ok to use in areas such as a bathroom. We are very excited to see HomeKit support added to the C by GE line, and hope to see further support from the company down the road, with products such as a ceiling light fixture and wall switches teased on the company’s what’s next page.
