NOV 06

From my perspective, they very fact that this is possible is the news here. It's a "reading" lamp that can be powered by a phone jack. That's right, your phone jack has a tiny amount of power that comes through along with the phone signal to power things like ringers and speakers and microphones. I imagine that the light output of this thing is pretty pathetic, honestly. I haven't seen any in use, but just looking at the price (less than $6) and the LEDs the thing has got makes me think this isn't going to assist all that much with reading, unless it's very dark out and you REALLY want to find out whether Robert Langdon is really dead.

There are a couple of other advantages to the lamp. First, these phone jacks are the most standard plug in the world. While everybody has a different outlet for power, almost every country uses the same phone jack. Second, when the power is out, often, phone lines are not, meaning this could be a way to have some light during an emergency. And, finally, what could be the most appealing reason to uses this ugly, cheap, and insignificant source of light is that the power you pull from telecoms is free. They pay for it...you don't. Now that I think of it, it's probably against the TOS agreement you have with the phone company, but there are no meters, so they'll never know. You can use all of the (really insignificant amount) of electricity you want to power this lamp, and you'll never get charged for it.

Buy it Here

Comments (17)

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Free electricity, Low-rated comment [Show]

Unethical, Low-rated comment [Show]

Unethical...., Low-rated comment [Show]

...
written by Adam, November 06, 2009

FYI, the telephone company does monitor the amount of power you use on your line. When your current draw passes a certain threshold that is when your phone is seen as "off-hook" and anyone who calls you will get a busy signal. This is how the phone company knows when your actual phone goes off hook.

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ehh
written by some idiot, November 06, 2009

i figure it's not efficient. you buy it, throw away the packing, try it once, discover that the light it provides is useless, and throw it in a drawer or closet. then you either pitch it when you move, or wait for a neighborhood e-waste collection day.

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Nope.
written by Shawn Harmon, November 07, 2009

If you have internet based phones this does not work with FIOS Verizon or Comcast Cable if the power goes out as internet phones are powered by your household current as opposed to getting juice from the "phone company".

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.... Might be illegal; but great idea
written by BlackMacX, November 07, 2009

I like the idea; but at least in Canada, use of the phone line's power is likely illegal for anything but phones. So just be aware that this could be a legal issue. That said, it is a great idea, especially if we could create lights all around that were as energy light as this one appears to be (pardon the pun).

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And one more thing, Low-rated comment [Show]

Yes...
written by Fr. Peter, November 07, 2009

...it's illegal, but perhaps the best thing about this is that it shows just how lighting technology has moved on over the last few years.

I am with BlackMacX here. The light it produces may little, but the fact that it is efficient enough to produce any, with the (minimal) power from a phone jack-plug is what interests me.

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that's it, i'm gonna unsubscribe now, Low-rated comment [Show]

Complete Waste
written by Bill, November 08, 2009

1) It is illegal unless it has telecom approval
2) Your phone won't work anymore ( OFF HOOK )
3) Not very bright
4) Wouldn't a solar powered light like those garden ones but for indoor use, with switch instead of auto on do a better jib
5) During a power failure, your local telephone exchange is most likely running of Battery power, if everyone started using this then phones would go dead much sooner after a power failure.
6) Nothing is for free, if phone companies power bills go up then your connection will go up also.

Cheers.

Bill

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Just get creative with efficient lights.
written by Raum, November 08, 2009

This light does not qualify to be on this. If you want a cheap, low power, geeky DIY light try this:

Last year I picked up some white LED Christmas lights with little diffusion heads for about $10 bucks. I twistie tied the wire to form 4 separate bundles of 12-lights each. (Its too much wire for 1 cluster) Then I removed the old bulb from my nightstand lamp and attached the clustered lights to the inside of the lampshade. It uses 4 watts and is surprisingly bright.

Its cheap, legal and most importantly.. geeky!

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I think it's a good Idea
written by Richard, November 09, 2009

I think whatever contributions to conserve power and to make the world a better place is something worth looking at and admiring.

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...
written by David Foltz, November 13, 2009

I think it's a great ideal... I don't think the light coming from it would be pathetic, I recently purchased small round lights from my local dollar store, for $1 each, and find that their light is brighter than all of my older flashlights (gone to the recycling bin). Also, I've seen the exact same lights at my local hardware stores [for 10 times the cost]... It's amazing how much light these little LED's give off! By the way, most people pay too much for phone services and believe me, they have taken into account how much electricity is fed into your home and .. you pay for it ten fold... wether you think so or not!

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LEDs are already super-efficient!
written by Elemental LED staff, November 30, 2009

LEDs are already super-efficient! They use as little as half the electricity of a CFL, so why bother using a phone jack in the first place?

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Citations please
written by Chris, December 10, 2009

For those of you calling this illegal - prove it! There is nothing in any law, contract with TelCo's, legislation that I am aware that governs the use of these items. If you have any phone with call display, you are using this power. BTW I own one of these lights - and it is more than bright enough for night time reading.

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...
written by Sherwyn, December 14, 2009

lol I just finished reading The Lost Symbol, stupid book.


plus how much light do you really need. We waste so much of it anyway.

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