In recent years, light bulbs have become exponentially more intelligent. With just a few taps of your tablet or smartphone, you can replace the standard incandescent bulbs with connected solutions. These bulbs can also be connected to smartwatches or virtual assistants so that they can all be controlled with your smartphone or tablet. There are so many choices in the smart house market. How do you choose? To help you make a decision, we've collected the top-rated smart bulbs and some tips to keep in mind while shopping.
What is the Average Cost of Smart Bulbs?
Smart bulbs are light-emitting bulbs (LEDs) that use a variety of techniques to work. They tend to be more expensive than traditional bulbs. This is important to remember, especially if your goal is to update your entire home. Smart bulbs are also more energy-efficient and last longer, which can help you save money over the long term. As you can see, the entry cost for most options is much lower than it was a few years ago. Even our top-rated picks can be found below $10.
Smart Bulb Colors & Luminance
While some bulbs are only white, others can take on any color in the rainbow. While color is a great way to create ambiance in your home, it can also lead to a more expensive bulb.
The majority of smart bulbs that we reviewed are equivalent to 60-watt incandescent bulbs. However, some bulbs are brighter than other bulbs. You can see how bright a light is by looking at its lumens (listed in the table below).
The brighter the light, the higher the lumens.
Keep in mind that different bulbs will disperse light differently. Read the reviews to learn how each bulb works. The $54.99 Wyze Floor lamp provides extra light for reading, writing, and taking selfies. The lamp emits a narrow, 23-degree beam of light for uniform illumination. It also supports Bluetooth so that you can control the brightness and turn it on/off from your smartphone.
Color temperature is another important factor to consider. Temperatures higher than 8,500K can look harsh, but this is okay for working or staying awake. Lower temperatures like 2,500K create a warm, cozy glow that is perfect for relaxing.
The Wyze Night Light may be the solution for you if you are tired of having to trip over dog toys and shoes on late-night toilet trips. Each $20 box contains three motion-triggered warm, white wall lights that can be used individually or in combination.
How do you control smart light bulbs?
You'll be controlling the lights mostly from your smartphone or tablet so it's important to make it easy. A companion app is needed to allow you to arrange multiple bulbs and control the brightness or color of all of them at once. Are you using a smart speaker or smart display? You should look for a bulb compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant. This will allow you to control the bulb with your voice.
You can turn any bulb that is plugged into a socket on and off by simply flipping the switch. Each app is reviewed in detail.
Smart Bulb Features
Smart bulbs provide a level of control and interactivity that traditional bulbs can't match, such as scheduled timers or remote control options. Smart bulbs are also easier to use; you can tap on your smartphone screen rather than having to climb up to the wall switch.
These bulbs can not only keep you safe from the dark but also allow you to schedule or control them remotely. This is great for those who want to cut down on energy bills or forget to turn the lights off before leaving the house. Geofencing bulbs can be programmed to automatically turn on the lights when you return home or leave the house.
They work in conjunction with your smartphone's GPS to locate your exact location. These bulbs can be used to create mood lighting and are compatible with certain TV and movie shows.
Some bulbs can be connected to Amazon's Alexa or Apple's HomeKit. You can also control your home lighting using your voice, as mentioned above. Some of these bulbs can be integrated with thermostats and security cameras. If It's Not That (IFTTT), compatibility allows you to create custom recipes that cause your lights to respond to certain triggers like weather changes or phone notifications.
We don't recommend any bulbs that can double as speakers at the moment, as we haven’t seen any really good ones.
Do Smart Bulbs need a Hub to work?
Another important thing to remember is: Some smart bulbs require that you connect to your smartphone via a home automation hub such as the Philips Hue bridge. Some bulbs connect directly to your smartphone or tablet via Wi-Fi. Others connect using Bluetooth. However, this means that you cannot control the lights while away from home. The installation of a hub can be more expensive and require an extra step.
We've collected the top smart bulbs that we tested and reviewed here. Any of these options will allow you to connect your home lighting with more than a wall switch, depending on your requirements.
The top Smart Light products available online
Philips Hue Color Ambiance and White - Our Choice
Philips Hue's White or Color Ambiance Starter Kit comes with a choice of four dimmable bulbs and a hub. The depth of the app is what makes Philips stand out among smart light bulbs. It has many features including routines, sunrise/sunset automation scenes, geofencing, vacation mode, and geofencing. Philips Hue can be used with almost every smart home system and device, including Alexa, Google Home (IFTTT), Nest, SmartThings, SmartThings, Nest, SmartThings, Nest, SmartThings, and many others. This white smart bulb is a great addition to your smart house.
Philips Hue systems are known for security flaws. To prevent malware from gaining access to your network's bridge, make sure to update your bulb firmware. Open the Philips Hue mobile application, click Settings, and then click Software Update to update your Philips Hue Bridge.
Wyze smart bulb
Smart light bulbs are expensive. Wyze's smart light bulb is ideal for budget-minded people. If you are looking for a smart bulb that can be controlled and connected to other smart devices, this is the one. You can adjust the brightness and color temperature (from 2,700k to 6,500k) from Wyze's mobile app. This can be done with Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT.
You can set Vacation modes that turn the lights on and off randomly. You can also create triggers that are based on motion sensors and home security cameras from Wyze. You won't find a cheaper option for this price at $8 per bulb.
Sengled Smart WiFi LED
Sengled smart light bulbs start at $12 and are affordable and simple to install. Sengled can be used by those with less technical skills, as, unlike Philips bulbs, it connects directly to your home network. You don't need a bridge to lighten your space.
There are three options available to get you started: a $12 white bulb, a $15 daylight bulb, and a $25 multicolor bulb. You might consider buying the Sengled hub if you have multiple Sengled devices. It offers basic smart-bulb functions such as scenes, timers, and schedules but is not as sophisticated as Philips.
Sengled SmartLED with Motion sensor
Sengled's Smart LED With Motion Sensor is a great smart light bulb for anyone who needs an outdoor floodlight to illuminate their walkways. It produces more than 1,000 lumens and has a motion sensor in its center. This allows it to automatically turn on the light if there is motion within 25 feet. You won't have to stumble in the dark trying to get from your driveway to your front door.
The Sengled Smart LED works with Alexa and Google Assistant. When motion is detected by routines, you can trigger smart home actions and receive push notifications. To control the bulb, however, you will need to buy the Sengled Smart Hub or another compatible smart hub.
Ring solar path light
Ring Solar Pathlight fixtures are some of the most efficient smart light bulbs that you can use to illuminate your path from your driveway to your front door in dark conditions. While Sengled's product is brighter and more expensive, Ring's works seamlessly with other devices such as the Ring Video doorbell 3 Plus or the Ring alarm system.
The Solar Path lights, which are owned by Amazon, can also be used with the Alexa voice assistant and Google Assistant, IFTTT, and IFTTT.
You can configure the Solar Path lights using the Ring app. You can toggle on or off the lights and motion detection. You can also set the lights to not turn on when it is bright outside. There is also a slider to adjust the brightness threshold. You can also adjust the sensitivity of motion sensors.
Lifx Smart Lights
Lifx smart light bulbs are compact, making them one of the most popular. Lifx's mobile app is compatible with Alexa, Google Assistant, and HomeKit. It also has great features such as a candle flicker, strobe, and can sync to music and other sounds.
Lifx bulbs can also be connected directly to Wi-Fi so no hub is required. Lifx Lighstrip costs a little more, but they are still very affordable. You can choose the Lifx Color. It flickers the light when your Uber arrives! Lifx also makes full-sized smart bulbs. The Lifx candle color is another option. Lifx mini day and white lights require no hub. Simply connect it to Alexa, Google Assistant, or Cortana.
TP-LINK Kasa Filament WiFi Light Bulb
Filament or "Edison",-style lights are very popular as they create a warm, nostalgic glow that is great for setting the mood. They look better than traditional LED smart bulbs and can be used with exposed lighting fixtures. The TP-Link Kasa Filament WiFi Light Bulb KL50 is the best smart bulb for this purpose. They connect directly to your Wi-Fi (no hub required) and you can control them using the Kasa app.
This bulb is $15 more expensive than non-smart bulbs, but still reasonable for this market. TP-Link also offers a warm amber version for the same price. All of these bulbs work with Alexa and Google Assistant. You can also take advantage of advanced automation features if your smart router is TP-Link.
Philips Hue White & Color Ambiance Lightstrip
They all use LEDs so the best smart bulbs don't have to be traditional light bulb shapes. Example: The Philips Hue Lightstrip. The strip measures 80 inches long and can be used to display millions of colors. It is great for accentuating cabinets, TVs, and other furniture pieces.
The Philips Hue Lightstrip can be cut to your specifications and extended up to 40 inches. It also has an adhesive backing that makes it easy to stick to any surface or wall. The LightStrip is compatible with Alexa and other Philips Hue light sources, including Google Assistant, Nest, Nest, HomeKit, and Google Assistant. To get these lights to work, however, you will need to have the Hue bridge.
Nanoleaf Shapes
Although they are not bulbs, the Nanoleaf Shapes smart light bulb is one of the most impressive. The $199 Nanoleaf shapes light panels are modular hexagon tile tiles that can be connected like puzzle pieces. They pair with Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri and add a little chaos to any bedroom or work-from-home setup.
These mountable panels are unlike any other product on the list, with all their brightness settings, color patterns, and pulsing musical modes. They're better. They're also more fun. Nanoleaf Shapes are a great way to instantly upgrade your smart home, even though they can be quite expensive, especially for something ornamental.
Conclusion
Before you can choose the smartest light bulb for your home, it is important to have an idea of the place it will be placed and how much it will illuminate. It is important to consider how many bulbs are needed and whether a bridge is necessary to power them. You might not need as many bulbs as you think. However, if you have a lot of them, you may be able to skip the bridge. The more you have, the more strain your home network will experience. Bridge bulbs are smaller and more affordable than Wi-Fi-enabled bulbs based on the price per bulb.
Smart lights are generally more expensive than traditional LED light bulbs due to the technology they use. They are now more affordable, however, as they have fallen in cost recently. Good quality smart bulbs can be purchased for between $10 and $40. The price of a smart light bulb with a fixture such as an outdoor floodlight or wall panel can reach $100. Smart light switches are a great investment if you frequently replace lights in one area.
Check out our Smart Home Guide – Top Gadgets For 2022 to explore more ways of making your home smart.
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