#Smart switch vs smart bulb full
For the full experience, you need to buy a Hue Hub, which expands the level of control you can get from wireless remotes, and adds Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple HomeKit control. More recent bulbs can be controlled via Bluetooth, but this limits your options. The quality of the lights is exceptional, with bright bulbs that can easily replace standard dumb ones, excellent color temperatures and spot-on color production. And, there’s even a huge outdoor range, too. Philips also has a massive range of dedicated light fittings, lamps and LED strips that you can stick around furniture. Its bulbs come as standard dimmable models (White), adjustable temperature (White Ambience) and color changing (White and Color Ambiance), and there are models to fit every major type of bulb socket. First, it’s got a huge range of lighting options. The oldest and original smart lighting system, Philips Hue is still the best for many reasons. Philips Hue Best overall smart light systemīuy now: Amazon, | From $14.99 up to $200+ With all that in mind, here's our guide to the best smart lights for your smart home right now. With the likes of Nanoleaf panels, you can add a color-filled wall to your home more like a work of art than lighting. With Zigbee systems, you might need to use a native bridge or hub - brands usually sell these as part of a starter pack - or you can use a dedicated smart home hub such as a SmartThings hub, or even a latest-gen Amazon Echo smart speaker.įinally, don’t just think about replacing your standard bulbs. Use a Zigbee based system, such as for Hue, and you’ll be able to use more bulbs, won’t suffer from range problems and wireless controls still work even if your internet is down. Plus, if your Wi-Fi goes down, you can’t control your lights.
Cheaper systems tend to use Wi-Fi, which is fine for the occasional bulb, but range isn’t always that good and interference can cause problems.
The type of connection used is important, too. You should also consider how you might want to expand your system in the future: does the system you’ve chosen contain all of the bulbs that you might want? If you’re going to have multiple rooms, then this level of control is very important. With Philips Hue, for example, you don’t just get a range of smart lights, but smart wireless controllers that replace your light switches. If you want to do more, then you might want a different system. And they're not the ugly bulbs they once were, you can even get some great looking filament smart bulbs now too.īefore you rush out and buy one, it’s important to think about how you’ll use your system.Ī single bulb might be good enough if you just want to automate part of your home, say having the hall light turn on when you get home, or for being able to control the mood of your living room. Smart lights used to be very expensive, but you can pick up a single bulb for less than $10 nowadays. Some will even mimic your patterns using AI or flicker like someone's watching TV, to give the impression someone's in the house (and ward off any chancing burglars). You can have your smart bulbs turn on at set times, or when you're not home. Or, you can have your porch light turn on when you open the front door (with a sensor).Īnother great reason to choose one of the best smart light systems is scheduling. And you can set up routines - so for example, announcing "movie time" will turn off the main lights and dim the others. You can group bulbs together to have your whole downstairs, living room or home under a single control. Smart bulbs have tonnes of features, letting you do things like dim them and turn them on and off with your voice (when paired with Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri). With color-changing or temperature-changing bulbs (the latter can change between a warm glow and a cold light), you can go beyond simple utility, moving to light that changes to match your mood.Ĭolor, in particular, can drastically change the way that you perceive a room. Smart lights should be about more than simple convenience. With the right choice of smart light bulbs, lamps or even lightstrips, you can use a voice-controlled Amazon Alexa, HomeKit or Google Home system to remotely control your lighting.
For many, and for good reason, smart lighting is often the first step into setting up a smart home.
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