Smart lights are an essential part of your smart home setup, and yes, they are fun to look at too. It helps set the mood, whether it’s for a house party or a movie night. If you would like to have some, we can help you. We found all the best smart lights out there!
The great thing about smart lights is that you have millions of colors and temperatures at your fingertips. With voice commands or a mobile app, you can go from cool white during the day to deep pink, purple and orange at night. You can use a voice command to turn on the lights as you walk through a door loaded with groceries and set the lights to turn on on a set schedule (which is useful when you’re away on vacation). Overall, buying one (or a few) smart bulbs is fun, convenient, and can enhance the security of your home.
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What to look for with smart bulbs
whether you just To get started with smart lighting or looking to see what additional options and styles are available, there are a few things you should consider first:
- Styles: As you’ve probably guessed, there are many different types of smart lights, from color bulbs and bulbs to photovoltaic panels and streaming strips, that you can mount behind a TV or computer monitor. There’s no rule about which type you should buy first – it’s all about what you want (although a single bulb is a great starting point, as it’s easy to install and use).
- environmental system: Some smart lights work with any ecosystem (the most common being Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, or Apple HomeKit), while others are locked to just one or two. If you already have products from a particular ecosystem, it will be easier for you to purchase products that are compatible with it.
- Axes: Another thing to consider is whether the smart light requires a hub to connect and work. The hub acts as the brain for your smart home setup. Not all smart bulbs require one to operate (brands like Wyze and LIFX), while some are (Philips Hue).
- The field of color: Do you just want simple white bulbs that allow you to adjust between warm and cool temperatures, or do you want every color option available to you? Most homes can benefit from a combination of the two depending on the room (for example, colored lights in the living room for movie nights). Using universal color lights for your entire home gives you the most flexibility for any scenario, but it’s overkill for most people.
- Pricing: Smart lights are much more expensive than the various “dumb” lights in gardens; However, they usually last longer and provide a lot of additional functionality that makes them worth the extra cost. For this reason, we recommend starting with just one or two and building slowly from there for your budget.
Best Hubless Bulb: Wyze Bulb Color
Positives
- ✓ can buy it
- ✓ easy to use
- ✓ Wide range of white temperatures
- ✓ There is no axis
cons
- ✗ Connects only to the 2.4GHz Wi-Fi band
Wyze is an excellent choice for pretty much anything smart home, but we especially love it smart color bulb. It does not require a hub to operate and easily connects to 2.4GHz Wi-Fi. You can control the lamp either via the voice assistant (such as Alexa and Google Assistant) or the companion app, available at Android And iOS.
This color lamp offers 16 million vibrant colors (and white light) up to 110 lumens and features a color rendering index of over 90 degrees, which means you’ll be able to see more realistic colors (and never go wrong between black and dark blue again). You’ll also have the ability to create custom lamp presets and actions, and group multiples together by areas you name (such as a specific room or floor in your home).
Best bulb without hub
Wyze bulb color
Start your smart lighting journey on the right foot with a powerful and easy-to-use color lamp.
Best Bulb With Hub Option: Philips Hue
Positives
- ✓ The Hub option is great for heavy-duty setups
- ✓ Strong compatibility with voice assistant
cons
- ✗ expensive
- ✗ Needs the hub to unlock all the features
The Philips Hue Does not require Bluetooth smart bulbs Axis to work, but you will be limited to 10 lamps in one room without one. While the hub is an extra cost, it’s totally worth considering as it unlocks full home controls, scheduled automation, smart control both in and out of the home, and syncing with music and movies. It’s also not a bad thing if you plan to add a lot of smart lights to your setup (it can support up to 50 light points).
The Philips Hue lights alone are compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant devices, but with the hub they also gain compatibility with Apple HomeKit. Again, hubs are the way to go if you want a lot of smart lights, as they centralize all your connected lights and give you a more stable connection. You can choose either the basic bore bulb, which goes up to 60 watts, or the spring for the medium bore bulb if you need something much brighter (75 watts).
Best bulb with hub option
Philips Hue
Are you planning to get a lot of smart lights? It would be wise to choose a brand that allows you to connect it to a powerful hub for easy management.
Best Starter Kit: LIFX Starter Kit
Positives
- ✓ easy step
- ✓ Huge white temperature range
- ✓ Compatible with popular voice assistants
cons
- ✗ Bulb shape means less light spread
One smart bulb is good, so more has to be better! Get on the ground with this twin pack LIFX Starter Kit, or spring for Four Pack Option If you’re feeling bold, place bulbs in your living room, home office, or bedroom. It’s super bright, up to 1100 lumens, but is also dimmable via the accompanying mobile app (Android/iOS) or voice command.
You can even create custom scenes on top of the colors; Choose orange and purple with a Spooky or Flicker effect for a fun Halloween vibe, for example. While the lamps have a unique modern design and are visually attractive, they direct the lighting in a limited direction, unlike traditional lamps.
These RGBW LEDs give you 550 billion potential color steps, including an enormous white temperature range, from 1,500 to 9,000 Kelvin. And of course, it features the signature LIFX flat-top design that looks especially cool when not hidden under a lampshade. It only works on the 2.4GHz Wi-Fi band, but is compatible with all the most popular voice assistants: Google Assistant, Alexa, and Apple HomeKit. Interested in a hub-centred startup toolkit? We also recommend Philips Hue Starter Set.
Best starter kit
LIFX Starter Kit
Love the idea of smart lights? Why not buy a starter kit that will give you some lights for multiple rooms in your home.
Best Outdoor Lighting: LIFX BR30 E26
Positives
- ✓ Great IP rating
- ✓ Can withstand low temperatures
- ✓ beautiful and bright
Smart lights aren’t limited to the inside of your home – show your neighbors how cool you are with BR30 E26 bulb From LIFX! It puts 550 billion color step possibilities at your fingertips and lets you have a little fun while lighting up your outdoor home or patio. With a wide range of white temperatures – from 1500 to 9000K – you can keep things neutral all year long and then switch to one of the color options for different seasons. The brilliant color RGBW LED bulb does not require a hub to operate and uses a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi connection.
LIFX’s BR30 E26 bulb has an IP65 weatherproof rating, so it can withstand dust, dirt and low pressure water jets. This means that you can use it in a covered place, such as under the front door canopy, as well as outside. It can also handle temperatures as low as -22 degrees Fahrenheit, so you’ll get through (most) winters without a problem.
The best outdoor light
Livex BR30 E26
Why not have cool colors on your front porch or backyard? The LIFX weatherproof bulb is a great choice for those who want that luxurious look.
The most creative option: Nanoleaf shape
Positives
- ✓ Endless customization possibilities
- ✓ Music Sync
- ✓ Touch feedback
cons
- ✗ The cost of board expansions can increase rapidly
Intelligent Nanoleaf Light Panel Shapes These are some of our all-time favorite smart lighting options. Their clever design and nearly endless configuration possibilities mean you’ll end up with unique lighting fixtures that no one else has. with options hexagramAnd triangles, And small trianglesNanoleaf shapes are great additions to living rooms, reading nooks, bedrooms, and especially gaming consoles. And yes, you can combine different shapes to create a larger design.
You can connect up to 21 modular panels together on a single plug, then select the colors you want to highlight on them via the accompanying mobile app (Android/iOS). LayoutDetect enables intelligent color animation based on how you plan your panels. There is even an option to use it as a music visualizer for a more immersive experience. They also interact with touch and have interactive touch games like Whack-A-Mole, which are a lot of fun for kids and adults alike.
The most creative option
Nanoleaf shapes
Lighting can be more than simple lamps and lamps. Get creative with these amazing light panels from Nanoleaf.
Best Ambient Lighting: Govee’s Immersion
Positives
- ✓ a little latency
- ✓ good price
- ✓ Easy to install
cons
- ✗ The camera is subject to light interference
We are also fans of ambient lighting, such as Govee immersion light strip. This gadget uses a camera to detect colors on your TV and then applies it to the LED light strip installed on the back of your TV to create an even more immersive viewing experience, as the name suggests. The bar is also split, allowing you to try on more than one color at a time (and making it easier to match what you’re watching).
You can manage the RGBIC lights either using voice commands with Google Assistant or Alexa, or via the accompanying phone app (Android/iOS). It has many colors as well as a plethora of features, such as a timer and modes to put music, video, scenes, and a DIY creator. The camera can be attached to the top or bottom of the screen, and the backlight bar measures 12.5 feet, which is enough for all four sides of a 55-65-inch TV.
Best ambient lighting
goofy immersion
Make movie nights more fun with this camera and the dual LED light that expands the colors on your TV.
