Smart, camera-packing lightbulb could be used to catch home invaders

By Gannon Burgett January 4, 2017

Bell & Wyson Ampoule LED 9W WIFI avec appareil photo et micro intégrés

At one point in history, the sole purpose of a lightbulb was to brighten up an area that would otherwise be dark. Now, thanks to the internet of things, lightbulbs have not only evolved from their original purpose, they’ve also gained new capabilities.

First it was custom color lightbulbs. Then came along lightbulbs with built-in speakers. Soon, though, lightbulbs might also arrive packing an integrated camera and microphone.

French lighting company Bell & Wyson has unveiled Pix+, a completely new lightbulb with a built-in security camera capable of wirelessly streaming the feed to Android and iOS devices.

At the core of the Pix+ is an 11-watt LED bulb capable of outputting 600 lumen of light, the equivalent of a 60-watt incandescent bulb. Placed atop the center of the bulb — and suggesting the sort of tech shown in spy movies — is a dedicated camera module with an integrated two-way microphone and a MicroSD card slot.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

When screwed into its intended socket and connected to Wi-Fi, the lightbulb streams live video and audio to a proprietary smartphone app. Motion detection is built in, and if something moves when it shouldn’t, you’ll receive a notification on your smartphone. Video can be recorded locally on a MicroSD card and remotely using the smartphone app.

The exact specifications of the video quality are still unknown, but in a reply to a comment on the product page, Bell & Wyson says the video is streamed in HD quality and will work in the dark, even without the lightbulb on. Like other smart lightbulbs, the Pix+ can be turned on and off both locally and remotely.

The Pix+ is currently available through Bell & Wyson’s online store for approximately $105.

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