Bathroom exhaust fans are an often neglected fixture in the home. They’re in the ceiling and out of reach, so out of sight, out of mind. Finding bathroom fans with built-in LED lighting is an exercise in determining how much you’re willing to compromise. I researched 30 or so different fans trying to find a solution with a low Sones rating (the rating system for bathroom fan noise levels) and reasonable light output while maintaining a visually pleasing design. Check out my list of the best exhaust fans below.
2018 Apple HomeKit Compatible Devices List
In 2015, the first HomeKit products with Apple’s MFi (“Made for iPhone”) certification went on sale or up for pre-order. The MFi certification ensures that these smart home devices have an authentication chip and have undergone rigorous testing to get Apple’s official seal of approval. At the Worldwide Developers Conference on June 13, the company announced its app, called Home, which debuted with iOS 10. Home lets you control all your HomeKit-compatible devices through the app or by using your iPhone’s Control Center.
At WWDC two years ago, Apple announced major partners for its smart-home platform, including Philips, Haier, and Honeywell. Devices from these manufacturers have slowly trickled out since then. Now, you can ask Siri to turn on your Philips Hue lights or check to see if your August door lock is secure. However, if you want to control these remotely, you’ll need an Apple TV or an iPad to server as an external bridge.
At Apple’s September event this year, Tim Cook said Apple is expecting 100 more compatible devices to be released this year, with more to come in the future. Could we finally see a HomeKit-enabled security camera? You’ll find our comprehensive list of all HomeKit-certified devices below — we’ll update it as more products come to market.
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HomeKit Compatible Yale Real Living Locks Are Here
Yale announced the Yale Real Living Assure lock with HomeKit at CES 2107. The lock is currently compatible with iOS and Android via Bluetooth LE, and will receive HomeKit integration later in March. This upgrade will be made possible via a slide in module.
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All Geography Answers for Bully: Anniversary Edition
Update (1/3/17): I’ve added every map from the Geography classes below. Hopefully this saves you some headache.
I’m playing back through Bully: Anniversary Edition and they’ve added many new countries into the iPhone/Android game. These maps were far easier to complete ten years ago on the PS2. I couldn’t find the completed Geography 1 map anywhere, so here it is with all but the last flag placed on it. If the other maps are equally complicated I’ll upload those as well. Enjoy!





The Ultimate Guide to LED Garage Lighting (from Lowes)
If you’re anything like me you spend a lot of time in your garage, in fact, most of it. The garage has a TV, in-wall speakers, it’s own home theater receiver, HVAC, and most importantly lighting. You can never have enough of it. Working on engines, detailing cars, fixing small electronics… These things all require plenty of light to do and do well. The best LED garage lighting based on my testing can be found below.
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Recessed LED Retrofit For My Shower
After completing the Ultimate 6 Inch Recessed Lighting LED Shootout, I decided to replace the recessed light in my shower. The Halo was the most expensive of the bunch, but it fared well on brightness, energy usage, and turn-on time. The box the Halo shipped in mentioned it was Shower Ready, rated for wet and damp installation, and generally had the best design for a wet location.
In it went, and what a difference, going from a CFL behind a frosted glass lens to the Halo LED made! It’s almost too bright, I won’t complain though, it helps me wake up in the morning.
GE Helical 13 Watt CFL with Shower Lens
Halo 6 in White LED Recessed Light – 28.73 at Amazon
Ultimate 6 Inch Recessed Lighting LED Shootout
Blah
Brand | Commercial Electric | Halo | Ecosmart | Sylvania | Utilitech |
Model | CER6741-X | RL560WH-R | ECO-575L | LED RT6 | DLS02-61327D1E-WF1 |
Price as Tested | $39.96 | $49.97 | $34.97 | $39.98 | $25.98 |
Brightness | 695 Lumens | 600 Lumens | 575 Lumens | 700 Lumens | 800 Lumens |
Color Temperature | 3000 K | 3039 K | 2700 K | 3000 K | 2700 K |
Color Accuracy | 83 CRI | 83 CRI | 90 CRI | 82 CRI | 82 CRI |
Wattage | 11 Watts | 9.4 Watts | 9.5 Watts | 11 Watts | 13 Watts |
Warranty | 3 Yr | 3 Yr | 3 Yr | 5 Yr | 5 Yr |
Dimmable | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
AirTight Rated | Y | Y | N | N | Has Gasket |
Wet Location Rated | Y | Y | Y | Y | Damp Only |
Turn On Time | Very Long | Near Instant | Instant | Long | Instant |
Mounting Depth | Shallow | Medium | Deepest | Deep | Shallow |
Trim Ring Size | Large | Small | Medium | Large | Large |
Blah Blah
Teaser: Picked Up A Few LED Fixtures To Test
Garage Exterior Lighting
Update (12/29/16): Cree has changed the standard bulb to the plastic FlowForm version. This does not have the weather resistance offered by the original bulb. You can find the older 75w (13.5w) version here:
One of the very first lighting changes I made to my house was to replace the 13 Watt GE Helical CFLs on the front of my garage with the new Cree 9 Watt Daylight LED Light Bulbs. When I moved into the house I left these lights on 24/7, and there was concern about the power draw from leaving the lights on all time, causing me to look into LED replacements. I quickly searched the web for “best LED light bulb” and stumbled upon the Cree’s. I found one review that said they were the best, and I already knew they were selling for the lowest price at roughly $10 per bulb.
The name Cree is synonymous with high quality LED lighting, they build the diodes found in most high-end flashlights, and light engines for most professional stage lighting. Now with their foray into consumer lighting they’ve proven themselves again. These bulbs turn on instantly, are dimmable, a have very high CRI (90 or greater) ratings powered by the Cree TrueWhite® technology.
Long story short, I stopped by Home Depot, who happens to be the exclusive retailer of Cree bulbs, and picked some up. I installed them and the change blew me away. I use to be able to make out the driveway at night, now the driveway is fully illuminated and part of the street is too. No holds barred, I think these are the best screw in LED bulb money can buy right now. If you’re looking for a screw in replacement you can stop, just buy these.
GE Helical CFL on the Left vs Cree 9 Watt Daylight LED Bulb
After Replacing Both Bulbs with the Cree Daylight LED Bulb, Garage Lights On For Color Temperature Comparison