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Smart lights, otherwise known as smart bulbs or smart lighting systems, offer an easy and affordable gateway to smart home technology. They are easy to deploy, they are affordable, and they are simple enough to use.
Smart lights also bring a lot of value to the smart home table. They help you conserve energy, they can be used to ward off intruders, and they offer an easy way to automate your home and make life more convenient.
There are so many things you can do with just simple smart lights, and in this guide, we’ll help you set up your first smart home system centered on smart bulbs.
How many people does it take to screw in a smart bulb? One. This is not an opening to a joke, we just want to show you how easy it is to use smart lights. On the outside, smart bulbs are just like regular bulbs. You screw them into the light socket, turn on your light switch, and voila! You have a smart lighting system.
The “smart” part, however, comes from their being connected to your smartphone or tablet. This connection can be either through Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or some other wireless technology like Zigbee or Z-Wave. Some smart light bulbs can also have a hub that bridges its connection to your Wi-Fi router and other smart home products.
From there, the functionality of smart bulbs branches out. If you can access them with your phone, you’d be able to turn them on and off remotely, change the color of their lights (in the case of color-changing smart bulbs), or schedule their cycles. If they connect with other smart home products, you’d be able to create rules that trigger the lights to turn on based on certain instances, like your door opening or a security sensor being triggered.
The truth is, smart bulbs are a versatile piece of smart home tech, so having one in your smart home opens up a lot of possibilities.
Pro Tip: Smart bulbs are best suited for socket-powered table lamps or power sources that lack manual wall switches. Although you can plug a smart bulb into a ceiling-mounted light fixture with a wall switch, you’d have to keep the switch on for the smart features to work.
How Do I Set Up a Smart Light Bulb?
Setting up a smart light bulb is simple, because it doesn’t require any heavy-duty installation like drilling or rewiring. Instructions for each bulb may differ, but generally speaking, to set up a smart light bulb:
Plug in the hub. If your smart bulb came with a hub, plug the hub into your router.
Get rid of incandescent bulbs. Remove your old bulb and screw the smart bulb into the desired light fixture.
Visit the app store. Download the mobile application affiliated with the brand of the bulb you purchased.
Connect the bulb to the app. Pair the bulb with the mobile application.
Name your bulbs. Label the bulbs intuitively, like “bedroom night table lamp,” so it’s clear what bulb you’re controlling in the likely event that you pair several.
FYI: Smart light hubs act as a bridge between your smart bulbs and your Wi-Fi router, as connecting dozens of smart bulbs directly to your router isn’t ideal; it could overload your network.
Technically speaking, you can screw in a smart bulb into any socket where it fits and it will work just fine. However, smart bulbs are best suited for fixtures that are not connected to a wall switch, like table or floor lamps. That’s because in order to work, a smart bulb needs constant power even if the light itself is turned off.
If you want a smart lighting solution for a ceiling-mounted fixture, a smart light switch could be a better solution, although a bit harder to set up.
Additionally, we don’t advise using smart bulbs for ceiling fan light fixtures, as some smart bulbs are bulky and the constant movement could cause the bulbs to malfunction.
Smart light bulbs are lighting devices that you can control wirelessly via a remote.1 That way, you can control them from different rooms, or even set up different combinations of lights that differ based on the time of day.
Smart light bulbs last longer than regular light bulbs2 and are more energy-efficient, too. We’ll go into more detail on that soon.
Ease of installation isn’t the only thing smart light bulbs have going for them. Other benefits of smart light bulbs include:
incandescents.
3
Energy Saver: Scheduling when lights turn on and off can also lower energy consumption, since you’ll never accidentally leave the lights on.
There is a range of smart light bulbs with varying bulb shapes and base sizes. Each bulb has a code consisting of a letter and a number like A19,4 so you’ll want to pay attention to what type of bulb is listed as compatible with your fixture, whether that’s a table lamp or ceiling fan.
The most commonly used household bulbs are the A19 and the E26.
Smart light bulb costs vary based on the brand, if it’s for indoor or outdoor, wired or wireless, has a hub or not, and if it’s a lamp. The cheapest smart bulb on the market that we found is the Cree 60W bulb, which costs $2.24, while the most expensive option, the LIFX Mini Light Bulb can cost just over $60. In our analysis, we found the average cost was about $29.
Though there is an upfront cost associated with making the switch from regular bulbs to smart bulbs, smart light bulbs are a money-saver in the long run. Since the smart bulbs are LED, they are highly efficient and don’t use as much energy as incandescent bulbs. Further, scheduling your smart bulbs means that the lights are never on when no one is home. And, if by chance you leave them on accidentally, you can turn them off remotely, making saving energy super easy.
There is one caveat, though. Smart bulbs consume energy even when the lights are off because they are always connected to Wi-Fi.5 Also, if you choose a model that requires a hub, the hub also needs to be plugged in. When used correctly, however, the energy savings you get from switching to LED smart bulbs will offset their consumption cost.
If you want to experiment with smart home appliances, smart bulbs could be a good introduction to see how you like smart living. And a couple of more affordable bulbs won’t break the bank. If you want to lean into the smart home world, we compiled our picks for the best smart home devices.
LED smart light bulbs can last for up to 50,000 hours, while compact CFL bulbs can last for up to 20,000 hours.6 Both LED and CFL bulbs last far longer than incandescent bulbs, which last a maximum of 2,000 hours.
Light bulb technology is evolving rapidly, and Americans are getting on board. It’s unlikely that smart light bulbs will be obsolete anytime soon,7 especially because incandescent bulbs are being phased out of households.8 However, as incandescent bulbs become a thing of the past,9 now could be a good time to think about switching to smart light bulbs, if you haven’t already.
There are quite a few features and settings to consider when choosing a smart light bulb. We’ve highlighted the most important ones below:
While we’re big fans of smart light bulbs, there are some alternatives we wanted you to know about as well:
Smart home technology is the way of the future, and smart light bulbs are a great place to start if you’ve been curious about upgrading some of your appliances. If you find they’re not for you, no worries, since starter kits are a low-stakes purchase and don’t require complicated installation.
If you find you’ve discovered a new world of smart devices you want to double down on, we can help you to learn about those, too. Read about how home automation works and how to install a smart lock on your door.
Here are the most common questions we get about smart light bulbs.
Yes, most smart light bulbs need Wi-Fi, but many have backup Bluetooth technology features so the lights can still operate in the event that Wi-Fi is down.
Yes, smart light bulbs come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and configurations, so it is possible to find bulbs that fit in most lamps.
Smart light bulbs enable users to minimize unnecessary light and energy usage in their households, control lighting by a remote or voice, and schedule lights to turn on or off. Some smart light bulbs offer different color options and the ability to create scenes of multiple bulbs, as well.
Yes, you can use a smart bulb with a normal switch.
From light bulbs and plugs to light switches and wall panels, smart lights are a popular smart home entry point. And, with lots of new options on the market -- including smart LEDs that don't cost a whole lot -- you might be tempted to fill your whole house with the things.
And maybe you should! There's a lot to be said for a whole-home connected lighting setup, including benefits like automated vacation-mode lighting that helps make it look like you're home when you're not, the fun novelty of color-changing bulbs, and the convenience of turning off all of the lights your kids left on with a single voice command as you go to bed.
Read: Best cheap smart LED bulbs of 2019: Does it matter which bulb you buy?
But before you fill that shopping cart, you'll want to understand the ins and outs of smart lighting to make sure you're getting the best bulbs and switches for your smart home. To that end, here's a rundown of what you'll want to know before buying in.
Voice platforms from Google, Apple and Amazon all make particularly good foundations for a smart lighting setup.
The first question worth thinking about before you buy smart lights: Which platform do you want to use to control them? Most options offer their own control apps that let you group lights together and schedule them to turn on and off at specific times -- but there's a pretty decent chance that you'll want to smarten up more than just your lights.
If that's the case, then you'll want to consider a wider smart home platform that can handle all of the different devices you might end up using.
Pairing smart lights with voice assistants is one of the most popular ways to do it. Whether it's the Google Assistant, Apple's Siri, or Amazon's Alexa, each makes for a capable connected home control point, particularly if you're willing to put a smart speaker or a smart display somewhere central in your home. If you've got one of those, adding in lights that your assistant of choice can control is almost a no-brainer, and you'll be able to use them alongside things like cameras, thermostats, and smart security systems.
Read more: The best LED floodlights you can buy in 2020
Smart lights use wireless transmissions to send and receive their signals, and different bulbs use different methods to get the job done. Some use built-in Wi-Fi radios to connect directly with your router, which lets you control them remotely wherever you have an internet connection. Others use Bluetooth radios to connect directly with your phone when you're within 50 feet or so. To control bulbs like that from further away, you'll need a Wi-Fi hub to relay their signals to your router and on to you via the cloud.
And then there's Zigbee, which you can think of as a local wireless network for your smart home gadgets. Lots of smart lighting products use Zigbee to send their signals -- if so, then you'll need a Zigbee hub plugged into your router in order to translate those signals for your home network. Most Zigbee bulbs offer their own version of a hub, and setting them up typically isn't complicated at all, but it does add a little extra expense into the equation.
All of that said, things are getting easier. The most notable Zigbee brand, Philips Hue, recently started putting secondary Bluetooth radios into its products, which lets you skip the hub and connect direct with your phone for basic controls. You'll also find a number of smart home gadgets that double as a Zigbee hub -- most notably the Amazon Echo Plus and the second-gen Amazon Echo Show. Both of those can translate those Zigbee smart bulb signals into something your Wi-Fi router can understand.
It wasn't that long ago that some people were paying $20 or even $50 per bulb just to get regular, nonconnected LED lights into their home. The math made sense -- your average LED will add about a buck to your energy bill each year, compared to about $7 per year for a comparable incandescent. That means a single LED will save you about $6 per year over an old-fashioned bulb like that -- and since LEDs are designed to shine for decades, paying dozens of dollars for one upfront was a sensible long-term investment.
Then, in 2014, rising efficiency standards and market-moving government subsidies spurred the industry into action, which led to lots of new options in the lighting aisle. The new competition helped to bring prices down, while the demand from consumers incentivized the industry to keep innovating.
The result: LED light bulbs that kept getting better and cheaper. And no, recent efforts to roll those efficiency standards back shouldn't change that reality -- the lighting industry has already moved us into the LED age, and there's no sign that it's interested in reversing course.
That same buyer's market extends to smart lights, including great picks from names like Wyze, Sengled and Philips Hue that you can get for less than $15 per bulb. Meanwhile, a decent smart light switch doesn't need to set you back any more than $30 or so. Even fancy color-changing bulbs aren't that hard to afford these days, with well-tested options from reputable brands like GE available for less than $30 apiece.
Setting your smart lights to fade you to sleep at night or fade you awake in the morning is a great way to put the things to use.
Your brain is pretty sensitive to light, which plays a huge role in our sleep cycles. When it's dark for a while, our brain tells us we're tired and that we should go to bed. When the sun comes up and it gets bright again, our brain senses it and tells us it's time to wake up.
Smart lights can help you hack that biological clockwork by simulating a nice, slow sunrise to help ease you out of bed on an early morning. Personally, I also have an easier time falling asleep when I set my bedroom's smart lights to a low setting, then tell them to fade out slowly over 20 minutes.
Lifx bulbs are a good bet for use cases like this, because their best-in-class integration with IFTTT allows you to trigger a customized fade with something like a voice command. Philips Hue is a good pick, too, since its bulbs can automatically sync with your Google Assistant alarms in the morning. Just turn the feature on, set an alarm with the Assistant, and your bulbs of choice will slowly begin to fade up 30 minutes before it goes off.
You'll need to leave the light switch up if you're using smart bulbs -- otherwise, your voice controls and automations won't work. That's not a problem if you go with a smart switch, instead,
If you're shopping for smart lights, you'll find the most options (and, for the most part, the lowest prices) by sticking with smart bulbs. That said, you should definitely consider adding smart plugs and smart light switches into the mix, too.
On the plug front, you'll find plenty of options for about $20 or less that can automate anything you plug in behind them. Use one with a lamp, and you'll be able to automate it to turn on and off whenever you want or by using voice commands, all while using whatever bulb you like. Smart plugs are also a great fit for alternatives like decorative string lights.
As for smart light switches, they're easier to install than you might think, and can save you money if you have a whole bunch of light bulbs wired to a single switch. Another smart switch benefit -- your automations and voice controls will continue to work even when the light is turned off at the switch.
And hey, speaking of switches...
Smart bulbs are great at dimming, but if you use one with a dimmer switch, the two dimming mechanisms can clash and cause the bulb to flicker.
At least not with old-fashioned ones. Smart bulbs come with their own, built-in dimming mechanisms, so when you use one in a fixture that's wired to a dimmer switch, the dual dimming mechanisms can clash, often causing the bulb to strobe unexpectedly as you dim it up and down.
The good news is that those built-in dimming capabilities are typically excellent, with smooth, precise brightness controls that won't flicker or buzz like you often see with dumb bulbs and traditional dimming controls. Just don't use them in a light fixture that already has its own dimmer and you'll be fine.
One other note -- we're seeing a growing number of smart dimmer switches that are designed to pair nicely with smart bulbs. Switches like those will give you old-fashioned, physical dimming controls at the wall that won't screw with your bulbs (or render them unreachable when you flip the switch off). An extra investment, for sure, but potentially worthwhile.
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The top row in each shot is a Lifx Mini White LED, which uses a logarithmic dimming curve. The bottom row is a TP-Link Kasa KB100 LED, which uses a linear approach. With the linear Kasa LED, you barely get any perceptible difference in brightness across the upper half of the bulb's dimmable range. With the logarithmic Lifx LED, you get less differentiation at the bottom of the bulb's range.
While we're on the subject of dimming, it's worth noting that different smart bulbs might dim a little differently. That's because the human eye perceives brightness changes logarithmically, which is to say that you need a bigger drop in lumens when things are really bright in order to notice an actual change.
Some bulbs, like ones from Philips Hue and Lifx, account for this by using a logarithmic dimming curve that drops the light a little faster in the top half of the bulb's dimmable range (the 70% setting might actually give you 50% of the total lumen output, for instance). Other bulbs, like TP-Link Kasa LEDs, skip that approach and instead use a linear dimming curve that sticks to the specific percentage you're setting things to as you dim up and down. Dim a bulb like that to the 70% setting, and you'll get 70% of the bulb's total lumen output.
The noticeable difference between the two approaches is that you'll see more differentiation from setting to setting in the top half of the bulb's dimmable range if you're using a logarithmic bulb. Then, things flatten out in the bottom 20% or so.
With a bulb that dims in linear fashion, you won't see as much of a difference between settings in the top half of the bulb's dimmable range because the light isn't dropping fast enough to account for the way our eyes work. That said, you'll definitely see more of a difference between those low-light settings. Neither approach is perfect, but if you're a stickler for dimming, both are worth understanding.
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