If you thought there were a lot of smart speakers to choose from, the smart light market is that times a bazillion.
It’s totally normal if you have a lot of questions. You might be asking which smart bulbs require extra equipment, or which ones are easy to set up, or which ones change color? There are a lot of details that we need to know before making a purchase, and it can be pretty stressful to feel so clueless.
There is no need to panic because everything is totally fine. No, seriously — we probed Amazon and its massive selection of smart light bulbs to find ones with the highest ratings, best customer reviews, and best prices. So you can stop asking so many questions, and relax. We’ll guide you through everything you need to know along with some insight on what to look for. It might be a good idea to consider investing in the smart plugs too while you’re at it, and if you’re keen to use Alexa support, learn all about the differences between the Echo and Echo Dot.
Whatever your intentions, we’ll help you figure out the best smart home light bulbs in 2021.
Also Check:Apple’s best Night mode photos of 2019
What is a smart bulb?
A smart bulb is a clever light bulb, basically. Rather than just being something you plug into a light socket and turn on via a regular light switch, you can set up a smart lighting system allowing you to control your lighting via your voice or an app. With voice commands and voice control systems, you can do things like dim the lighting, set schedules, or even have your lighting system start at the same time as other smart gadgets in your home. In conjunction with a smart plug, smart lock, or smart light switch, you’ll be impressed by what can be accomplished here.
Why do I want smart bulbs?
Convenience is the main reason why a lighting system like this is so useful. Whether your home already has Amazon Alexa, Google Home, or Apple HomeKit as part of its arrangement, you can easily use smart bulbs to make your home more automated. Add on a light strip or motion sensor, and you can get a ton more functionality but simply with a basic smart bulb or Bluetooth bulb, you can still reap the benefits of bright white lights, setting mood lighting with your voice, or ensuring your lights switch on even when you’re not home. Being able to set color temperature for different times of day is a particular joy as you can get your aesthetic just right for when you’re working or relaxing.
Do I need a hub for smart lighting?
Not always. Many smart light bulbs simply require you to connect it to your home network although this can involve some limitations such as network compatibility issues (like needing a 2.4Ghz wireless network) or restrict what you can do with them. Ultimately though, there’s a fair amount of flexibility here. While a smart hub can be useful, it introduces more bulk to your home and often, something like the Google Home app or your smart speakers can pick up the slack instead. We’ll highlight which smart light bulbs require hubs.
Are smart bulbs easy to set up and install?
For the most part, yes. Set up is usually via an app so it doesn’t take long to set up your smart bulbs. Where things get a little trickier is arranging schedules and automation features, but that still only takes about 30 minutes at the most. Actually pairing a light bulb with your home network often only takes seconds, with the vast majority of smart light bulbs being intuitive to use. Adding on features such as a smart switch can take a little longer, but it’s worth getting things set up just how you want them to reap the full benefits.
Also Check:Apple’s best Night mode photos of 2019
Cree Connected LED Bulb(opens in a new tab)
- Hub needed?: No
- Colors: Available but optional
- Assistant support: Google Home and Alexa
If you’re not in the smart lights game for anything flashy and just want a standard-looking bulb, Cree Connected LED Bulbs(Opens in a new tab) have your name written all over them. According to reviews, customers love these bulbs because, well, they look like lightbulbs. They aren’t a unique, futuristic shape, they don’t have a silver exterior, and they don’t shine that super white, almost blue hue that many LEDs do — which is perfect for homes without a super modern aesthetic.
Cree keeps things cheap, and don’t even need a hub to work. Automation is fairly simple to set up and 1,600 lumens means everything is going to look surprisingly bright for the price.
Also Check:Apple’s best Night mode photos of 2019
Philips Hue(opens in a new tab)
- Hub needed?: Yes
- Colors: Available but optional
- Assistant support: Alexa, Apple HomeKit, and Google Assistant
If you’re just dipping your toes into the smart home waters and want to make sure you’re purchasing something you can count on, the Philips Hue Smart Bulbs(Opens in a new tab) will be your life raft.
A big hit at Amazon, customer reviews rave about the Amazon Echo and Alexa compatibility and about how insanely easy set up is. They are compatible with Apple HomeKit and Google Home as well so you have plenty of options.
Once you set up the included Hue Bridge hub, the smartphone app can be used to communicate with the Bridge. Never come home to a dark house again by creating a recurring schedule or, if you come home later or earlier than expected, just manually flip lights on through the app.
Name your lights for easy recognition, and control or dim single lights specifically or an entire room simultaneously.
Also Check:Apple’s best Night mode photos of 2019
Each starter kit comes with a Hue Bridge which bumps up the price but means you have plenty of flexibility with what you can accomplish.
Sengled Smart WiFi LED Smart Bulb(opens in a new tab)
- Hub needed?: No
- Colors: Available but optional
- Assistant support: Alexa
Yet another highly-rated product, the Sengled Element Smart LED Bulbs(Opens in a new tab) are the route to take if you’re smart home-ing on a budget and only need Alexa voice support. At about $15 per bulb, the price of these puppies is relatively low compared to the rest of the market.
The smartphone app allows you to monitor energy use, set light schedules or times, and turn off any lights you may have forgotten when you left the house. The bulbs also claim to last for 20 years, so constantly having to change dead bulbs is old news. With 800 lumens of light at your disposal, they look good too and there’s the option of white light as well as colors too depending on your mood.
Also Check:Apple’s best Night mode photos of 2019
While the bulb only supports Alexa, there are other options from Sengled if you’re willing to pay more, but this one should be ideal for many homes.
Texsens Smart Bulb(opens in a new tab)
- Hub needed?: No
- Colors: Yes
- Assistant support: None
These smart lights don’t just give off LED light and change colors. The Texsens Smart Bulbs also double as Bluetooth speakers, and they’re awesome, even if they lack regular smart light bulb features.
Note: While one controller can operate multiple bulbs, only one Bluetooth device (like a smartphone) can be paired with one speaker at a time, so one person is going to have to be the designated DJ.
While the Texsens Smart Bulbs may not be the loudest Bluetooth speakers you’ll ever come across or the brightest lights either, the fact they achieve both is pretty good going.
TP-Link Kasa Smart Bulb(opens in a new tab)
- Hub needed?: No
- Colors: Yes
- Assistant support: Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, and Google Assistant
TP-Link Kasa Smart Bulbs(Opens in a new tab) are one of the popular no-hub smart bulb choices.
Choose from dimmable, white light, and multicolor options with individual bulbs and multipacks possible to purchase. This could be a good or a bad thing, depending on whether you’re powering an entire house or just one room in an apartment. An equivalent of 60W means they’re good for the environment and still emit plenty of light. The TP-link bulbs use the Kasa app and are also compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
The main draw of these bulbs is that they’re seriously a steal with individual bulbs well priced as well as bundle deals working out well. Not needing a hub makes it even cheaper.
LIFX Color(opens in a new tab)
- Hub needed?: No
- Colors: Yes
- Assistant support: Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, and Google Assistant
These futuristic-looking bad boys are the LIFX Smart LED Light Bulbs.
Similar to other multi-color bulbs, the listing claims that your choices of color exceed 16 million, with the LIFX app or voice commands allowing you to choose colors and set schedules and timers. These bulbs are compatible with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple HomeKit with Siri.
Because the LIFX Smart Bulbs are such a unique shape, they would make the coolest hanging, shadeless lights in a living space with super modern decor, but may prove challenging when pairing with a standard lamp, as they can be pretty bulky.