Philips adds new models to LivingColors product line.
This post is also available in: Dutch
In a clever plan to keep their customers permanently slightly confused, Philips has added new models to their LivingColors product line. The boxes and lamps are virtually the same, the remote is different. Both versions are labeled as "Generation 2"
LivingColors Gen2 but no SmartLink
The new buzzword is "smartlink".
LivingColors Gen2 with SmartLink
According to the manuals, both the old ( 69143 ) and the new version ( 69171 ) of the Gen 2 lamps use IEEE 802.15.4.
So now we have the "Generation 1" which does not work with the "Generation 2", and there is the "Generation 2 smartlink". Gen 1 and Gen 2 will not work with each other and i'm pretty confused about mixing "Gen 2" with and without "smartlink".
The original LivingColors was pretty over engineered of what it did and it gave me the impression that Philips had bigger plans for these lamps. Apparently they do now with smartlink, but the original LivingColors was more of a prototype.
smartlink is interesting and promising. Philips was one of the founders of the Zigbee name and concept and they used some of the concepts and protocols of Zigbee for the smartlink enabled LivingAmbiance lamps.
For now, I'm stuck with two incompatible lamps.
December 30th, 2011 - 21:34
Interesting remark indeed. I also noticed the version 1 of 2nd generation says 50% more light. So am I to conclude the gen 2 version 2 uses less powerfull led chip(s) or did they just forget to write it on the new box?
My guess is they ran out of power-led chips used in gen 2 ver. 1 and now they chose a different chipset supplier, making it look they added a brand new product…
I really want to get one and now I don’t know which one to opt for. Any help on figuring out about quantity or power of this new chip would be appreciated. Don’t really care for smartlink as I only need one of those.
Thnx!