Philips EasyScene lets you remote-control lights without rewiring

This is cool!!! but still not available in Malaysia

Philips EasyScene

Call me a sluggard, but anything that removes one more reason to get off the couch wins brownie points with me. So hurrah to a lighting solution that can be turned on, off, even dimmed via remote, without the need for expensive rewiring of your home. The Philips EasyScene, developed in Asia for the region, launches officially in January next year, making Singapore and China the first countries to get it. This will be followed by other Asia-Pacific countries like Australia and Thailand.

According to Philips, EasyScene arose from research which found that almost 90 percent of those surveyed like to change the lighting around their house spaces to suite different activities & occasion, while 43 percent said that having easy control over their lighting was the most important attribute.

Close up, it's a nifty solution that operates on radio frequency which does not require line of sight. Each EasyScene light bulb is equipped with three components: Electronic ballasts to control the fluorescent tube; electronic dimming circuitry; and an RF receiver at the base. This "talks" to the remote (which requires two AA-sized batteries). Once fitted, the whole setup works like a plug-and-play solution. The remote's four buttons are scalable enough to let you choose your preset scenes, which can extend up to 100 whopping bulbs. These, in turn, can be switched on/off or dimmed either individually or in preset groups.

Price-wise, there's a S$109 (US$78.46) investment for the starter kit which comprises the remote and two EasyScene bulbs. Individual bulb replacements will cost S$30-$35 for 15W to 20W options in either warm or cool white. But considering EasyScene doesn't require any major rewiring works, this is one more option that should appeal to the thrifty Asian homeowner.