Happy New Year!
As 2022 draws to a close, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on the year! It's been a busy year for us, and we're excited to share some highlights with you. We did the same thing last year, so if you want to see what we got up to in 2021, you can check out our 2021 Happy New Year post.
It's been a jam-packed year, with everything from new customers, to new products, and a new warehouse. So let's get started!
A year in numbers
This year has certainly been a busy one. Especially since our November restock!
We've grown large enough to mandate registering for VAT in the UK, meaning we can actively look at improving the
experience for our Irish customers!
Additionally, we've started teaming up with commercial partners, to bring the joy of open source into the workplace.
But it wouldn't be a year in review without some numbers!
Throughout 2022 we have shipped:
- 2500+ orders
- 6000+ smart plugs
- 600+ zigbee sensors
- 200m of LED strips (that's 6000 individual LEDs!)
What's new?
New locations
We've been busy expanding our distribution network, and we're happy to announce that we now ship from two locations!
- South Wales, UK
- Bocholt, Germany
The addition of the German warehouse means we can now ship to the EU without any additional customs charges. This has been a long time coming, and we're excited to be able to offer our products to our European customers.
New products
2022 started off by adding some lighting to our product line!
We launched a new product, our RGB+CT light bulb. It's available in B22 and E27 variants at both
warehouses.
Another addition to the lineup is BTF-Lighting's 5m addressable LED strips, our own power supplies, and Athom's
WLED-based controllers.
As most of the products in the shop are Zigbee based, we've added Sonoff's new Zigbee controller with the external
antenna to boost range!
And then to round off the year, we added the EU version of our Smart Plugs!
You can see all our new products below:
- Smart Bulb (9W/RGB+CT) - Preflashed & Preconfigured
- BTF WS2812B | 5M | 30Pixels/M
- Power Supply - 5V 3A (UK)
- Athom WLED Strip Controller
- Sonoff ZBDongle E - Zigbee USB 3.0 Dongle Plus
What's next?
To kick things off, we're working towards making things better for our Irish and European customers. This includes ensuring everyone has a better experience, without the fear of any nasty charges.
Closely after, we'll be bulking out the EU product line to match the UK, notably with Zigbee products.
We're also exploring adding ESPHome to our lights and plugs. In the meantime, we'll be adding some detailed guides on how to switch firmware for yourself.
For one final byte of news, we're excited to share that we are working on a brand-new product!
It'll probably run ESPHome, with a Tasmota based variant soon after that.
We are working hard to make sure it'll be a great addition to your smart home.
That's all we can reveal for now, but we're sure you're as excited as we are!
Be sure to follow our socials to be the first to know when we've got news to share!
Honourable Mentions
Local Bytes would not be where it is today without the help of a few notable individuals and organizations, without whom, we would not be able to operate:
- The Tasmota Team! Tasmota is an amazing piece of software that allows anything running ESP-8266's (and similar) to operate in a highly customisable manner.
- All of our customers! Ultimately, as a customer-first business, you are all key to our survival!
- My Partner, Family, and Close Friends (especially James Sherlock)! You act as a sounding board for my ideas, and help me to keep my sanity!
- You, the reader! If you've got it this far
This has truly been a year to remember, and we're excited to see what 2023 has in store for us.
I cannot wait to see how we can improve our products, and how we can help you to improve your smart home!
Adam Allport,
Founder & CEO - Local Bytes
