GE Puts Alexa, Hey Google, and Siri in the Ceiling in One Device

CLEVELAND–(BUSINESS WIRE)–No two people are created equal, which means experiences at home shouldn’t be either. Recognizing every household revolves around a different set of people and routines, GE is focusing its connected home strategy around outcome-driven, smart home lighting designed to light the way you live.

Using two things you use every day – your voice and your lighting – and drawing on rich consumer insights, GE’s growing portfolio of C by GE connected lighting solutions is designed around real-world challenges and needs with opportunities for customization by user. The portfolio, powered in part by a growing partner ecosystem, taps into new potential through easy-to-use, voice-centric lighting products for every room of the home.

“Imagine you have a hard time falling asleep, but also a hard time waking up. Your bedroom is a space for reading before bed and folding clothes, and it’s always cold. Imagine if lighting could optimize that environment and solve for those challenges and needs,” says Jeff Patton, General Manager Connected Home Products, GE Lighting. “We will get you there through lighting solutions paired with voice, sensors and other technology that you can use on their own or in combination across the home,” says Jeff Patton.

2018 C by GE Portfolio Additions

In 2018, the C by GE vision accelerates with several industry-first, all-in-one lighting solutions designed to evolve and grow with consumers over time:

  • Smart Ceiling Fixtures: The industry’s first voice-integrated ceiling fixtures allow you to extend the reach of smart lighting and voice experiences throughout the home, whether that’s listening to music, completing voice-driven tasks or changing your white light based on needs or tasks in a room. No need for a separate stand-alone voice device from your favorite provider, these ceiling fixtures build that all right in and hide it perfectly right into your room’s aesthetic. A flush mount and recessed can option will be available as part of the initial offering.
  • Smart Wall Switch: This voice-compatible smart switch allows you to control your connected lights (on/off, dim, warmer/cooler white light changes) with your voice and your favorite voice assistant, no separate GE hub required. A built-in antenna ensures electricity can always be accessed – eliminating an existing challenge of kids or visitors accidentally flipping off a wall switch and disabling control of smart lighting.Advanced occupancy, humidity and temperature sensors, and other sensors in the future, help you monitor your rooms in real time to create the optimal environment. The solution also can be used to dim any non-connected bulbs a homeowner may have today without the need for a separate dimmer system or costly home rewire.
  • Sol Lamp Extensions: The industry’s first lighting product to integrate Amazon Alexa inside receives ongoing updates, including turning on Spotify and SiriusXM connectivity and Amazon’s Echo Spatial Perception (ESP) feature, allowing syncing with other Alexa devices throughout the home. Availability also grows to include Canada.
  • C by GE Lamps: Already compatible with Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant, C by GE adds Apple HomeKit compatibility in the first quarter to its C-Life and C-Sleep bulbs in conjunction with its recently released C-Reach bridge, allowing control of C by GE bulbs with Siri from using the Apple Home app on iPhone or iPad, and away from home. Create scenes, set up automation and more.

Partner Ecosystem Grows

To best serve consumers’ personal preferences, the C by GE portfolio will be compatible with Amazon Alexa, the Google Assistant and Apple HomeKit.

The company also will partner with trusted, outcome-specific partners to drive additional value and enable homes where lighting is much more than light.

Affordable and Easy to Shop

Drawing on its deep consumer insights and its work in real-world homes across the country, the company’s marketing and commercialization strategy will reduce the complexity of both the lighting and smart home categories. C by GE solutions will be merchandised and marketed by outcomes and rooms to help consumers imagine the opportunities and eliminating complexity found across the smart home category today.

About C by GE

GE’s C by GE brand Lights the Way You Live with outcome-driven, all-in-one lighting solutions to solve real-world challenges and tap into new potential at home, enabling homeowners to do more and be better. Part of the GE Lighting portfolio, C by GE products build on the company’s century of innovation, invention and imagination at work. Our deep understanding of the home and our expertise in the connectivity of things results in simple, connected designs to help people thrive.

About GE

GE (NYSE: GE) is the world’s Digital Industrial Company, transforming industry with software-defined machines and solutions that are connected, responsive and predictive. GE is organized around a global exchange of knowledge, the “GE Store,” through which each business shares and accesses the same technology, markets, structure and intellect. Each invention further fuels innovation and application across our industrial sectors. With people, services, technology and scale, GE delivers better outcomes for customers by speaking the language of industry. www.ge.com