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The best smart lights bulbs not only make it easy to light up your home, but they can also change the look and feel of any room and set the right mood for any event. In fact, the best smart lights bulbs are high-quality, simple to use, and smart.
Smart light bulbs are cheaper to run, and they can save you money in the long run because they use LEDs instead of more expensive incandescent and halogen bulbs. The best Smart lights bulbs are one of the best places to start when building a smart home ecosystem.
You can go from dull and manual to colorful and automated in a matter of minutes, and there are countless ways to use smart light bulbs to make cool light scenes, set schedules, and do other things.
Best Smart Lights
Sengled Smart Wi-Fi LED
Specifications
| Brightness | 1500 lumens (100W equivalent) |
| Color Temperature | 2000–6000K |
| Minimum requirements | Compatible Zigbee hub |
| Battery | 25000 hours |
Sengled makes one of the best smart lights bulbs for people who want a cheap and easy-to-install option. Sengled is great for people because, unlike Philips Hue bulbs, Sengled smart Wi-Fi bulbs connect directly to your home network.
You can start with one of three options: a soft white bulb for $12, a daylight bulb for $15, or a multicolor bulb for $25. If you plan to buy more than one Sengled device, you might want to buy the Sengled hub. The Sengled app works with Alexa and Google Assistant.
Pros
- Super easy setup
- No hub required
Cons
- Missing automation features
Philips Wiz Smart
Specifications
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi |
| Base Type | E26 |
| Light Color | White |
| Wattage | 8.8 watts |
| Watt Equivalence | 60 watts |
The Philips Wiz Smart Wi-Fi LED Color Bulb is a great choice if you want to change the colour of your light for the holidays, a dinner party, or just for fun. It gives off bright white light and colours that look great.
It also keeps to its schedule and has some special effects. This bulb has several presets, the ability to save favourite colours and Scenes, and a Vacation Mode that turns the bulb on and off randomly to make it look like you’re home when you’re not.
Pros
- Affordable
- No hub required
Cons
- Finicky Wi-Fi setup and app control in testing
Wyze Bulb Color
Specifications
| Connectivity | Bluetooth, Wi-Fi |
| Light Color | Color, White |
| Wattage | 12 watts |
| Watt Equivalence | 75 watts |
| Base Type | E26 |
The Wyze Bulb Color is the smart colour bulb we’ve tested that costs the least. It can shine in 16 million different colours, and Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant let you control it with your voice or your phone.
It has a lot of smart features for the price, like the ability to support custom scenes, automations that are triggered by devices, and scheduling. You won’t find the best smart lights bulb that is better than this one for less money.
Pros
- Long lifespan
- Lots of smart features
Cons
- Lacks support for Apple HomeKit
Cree Lighting Smart LED
Specifications
| Usage | Indoor, outdoor |
| Wattage | 9 watts – equivalent to 60 |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth & 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi |
| White temperature | 2700K-6500K |
| Color range | Millions of colors |
We had some trouble sending commands to this cheap smart bulb, but you can’t beat the price when you consider that it can change between white and full colour.
Cree Lighting’s Connected Max family also comes in many different shapes, such as BR30, PAR38, vintage filament, tape lighting, and even retrofit downlights. It’s not compatible with HomeKit, but Siri Shortcuts do work with it.
Pros
- No hub required
- Bluetooth and Wi-Fi enabled
Cons
- Setup can be complicated
LIFX Color smart bulb
Specifications
| Connectivity | Connects to WiFi |
| Compatibility | Works with Alexa, Apple HomeKit and Google Assistant |
| Brightness | 1,100 lumens |
| Wattage | 11 watts |
| Light Type | LED |
This best smart lights bulb stands out because it is both cheap and easy to use. At 800 lumens, it’s a great choice for living rooms or as a bedside lamp. You can turn it down with your phone so you can read a book in bed with just the right amount of light.
The LIFX Color can be controlled with its app, which is easy to set up and use. This means you don’t need to buy a separate hub to control this bulb wirelessly. But it can also be easily added to other home automation systems, such as Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple HomeKit, without much trouble.
Pros
- 550 billion possible color configurations
- Simple set up
Cons
- Some people might not like the shape.
Govee Smart Light Bulbs
Specifications
| Model | H6005 |
| Group Control | 6 |
| Connection | Bluetooth |
| Power | 9W |
| Color Temperature | 2700K-6500K |
These LED bulbs from Govee that connect to Wi-Fi may not be as smart as the Nanoleaf Essential bulbs above. But they do a great job in one area: integrating Alexa. They are also a little cheaper than what Nanoleaf has to offer.
Which makes them perfect for anyone on a budget who wants an Alexa-compatible bulb. When we tested it, the app worked well to control the bulb, and it was easy to use. But there are some trade-offs at this price.
Pros
- Affordable
- Responsive app
Cons
- Colors lack brightness
What is Smart Lighting?
A smart bulb is an LED light bulb that can connect to the internet and can be programmed and controlled remotely. Smart bulbs are one of the most popular home automation and Internet of Things (IoT) products that are selling well right now.
With Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ZigBee, or a home automation system’s own connection, smart bulbs can be controlled by a mobile app or a home/building automation hub, and each bulb can be programmed to change its output in a certain way.
Because the bulb is connected to the internet, vendors can use edge computing to give smart bulbs extra features like built-in cameras, built-in speakers, and the ability to sense when someone is in the room.
How does smart light work?
Smart lights are Wi-Fi devices that use wireless networks to connect to the internet. Some smart light bulbs can only connect to each other wirelessly through a smart hub. The hub then plugs into an internet router. The hub also lets the smart light connect to your phone or tablet.
FAQs
How does a smart light work?
Smart lights are Wi-Fi devices that use wireless networks to connect to the internet. Some smart light bulbs can only connect to each other wirelessly through a smart hub. The hub then plugs into an internet router. The hub also lets the smart light connect to your phone or tablet.
Why do people use smart lights?
Smart bulbs are easy to set up and don’t cost as much as some other smart home upgrades. These LEDs can save up to six times as much energy as incandescent lights. Since these bulbs can last for more than 25,000 hours, switching to them will save you money in the long run.
What does a smart light do?
The most modern way to light your home is with smart lighting. Smart LED bulbs have software that connects to an app, smart home assistant, or other smart device. This lets you automate your lights or control them from afar, getting rid of the need for traditional wall switches.