You can now replace your standard incandescent bulb with a variety of connected solutions you can control with just a few taps on your smartphone or tablet. Beyond the basic stuff, the Hue's features are impressive. Buy a smart light bulb and you can be 99pc sure it’ll work with Alexa. Best For All-In-One Smart Light Starter Kit. When I did get it set up, nothing about the Beam blew me away. To see just how bright a light is, you need to look at the lumens it puts out (listed in the table below): the more lumens, the brighter the light. Brightness: LED 11w, equivalent to conventional 70w, 1100 lumens. PCMag is obsessed with culture and tech, offering smart, spirited coverage of the products and innovations that shape our connected lives and the digital trends that keep us talking. After a bit of poking around in the settings I think I must have knocked some algorithm loose and the different colour options kicked in – but I'm not entirely sure how I did it. That doesn’t make too much difference after you’ve set them up, but it will mean you don’t have an extra thing to plug into your wall sockets, which I count as a sizable benefit. In terms of the bulbs themselves, there's not much difference between the Hive Active Light and the Philips Hue. If that idea gives you the heebie jeebies, then don't worry: the good news about internet connected lighting is that it's one of the very best examples of smart technology out there. Considerations for smart light bulbs. That said, LED bulbs are more pricey to buy outright – starting at around £11, they’re about ten times more expensive than a halogen or incandescent bulb, which you can buy for about £1 each. To this end, it’s waterproofed to a degree which should protect it against rain, snow, sleet, and anything else Mother Nature can throw at it (though it’s not meant to be submerged, so keep it out of your pond!). PROSWorks without a hub.Easy to install.Vibrant colors.Supports Alexa and Google voice commands.Can be added to Hue ecosystem. This allows you to create your own personal designs and patterns that you can stick up on your wall. on Signify. A starter kit for Philips Hue, for example, with one coloured bulb has an RRP of £59.99, whereas, as you can see about, a three pack of Novostella bulbs costs only £17 more. For smart light switches, we wire each model into a few different light fittings to test compatibility with several normal bulbs. Energy-efficient bulbs such as LED light bulbs or CFL bulbs use less wattage than a standard incandescent, halogen light bulb or fluorescent bulb. As explained elsewhere in this article, some smart bulbs need a bridge unit to connect them to your WiFi and smart speakers. Integration with smart assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant is common. At the most basic level you can turn them on and off using your smartphone; but beyond that, things get very futuristic very quickly. And the quality of the light that the bulbs shine is, to my eyes, indistinguishable. You can now even find sub-$10 options, including the Philips Wiz and Wyze Bulb, two of our favorites. The Yeelight Smart LED Bulb is an affordable color LED bulb that you can control with your phone or with your voice, and it doesn't require a hub. The LIFX+ is basically the same as the LIFX Mini but about 300 lumens brighter and oddly shaped. My only real gripe was that activating scenes requires very specific wording or my Google Assistant falls over in confusion. Generally smart bulbs tend to not get a whole lot more powerful than 10W bulbs, but Novostella goes all the way up to 13W which means they are more than powerful enough to light up a whole room. The Best Smart Bulb Brands. LIFX’s answer to the Nanoleaf is the ‘Beam’. Philips Hue White E12 candle bulb (Bluetooth + Zigbee) Learn more. There’s the subtle hint of a pattern in the centre of each square, breaking each panel up into four smaller squares – although, against expectation, each panel can only be one colour at a time, so I'm not sure what those inner-squares are doing. The first thing you’ll notice about the LIFX Mini is that it’s significantly smaller than most light bulbs, making it the ideal choice for desk lamps and the like. PROSVery affordable.Works with other Wyze and third-party smart devices.Alexa and Google voice support.No hub needed.Easy to install. Best bargain LED light bulbs Looking online I’ve found some people who’ve made really cool designs with this feature, such as a flag which appears to waves through repeatedly being tapped in one corner. But even then, the light can disperse in a narrow beam or distribute brightness in a wide swath, so make sure to read the reviews to find out how each bulb works. If, on the other hand, you’re here to turn your room into a palace of glorious light-art, Nanoleaf is for you. But just as with the LIFX bulbs, TP-Link smart bulbs don’t require an additional hub to connect them to the internet (thank goodness!). And the second is that the app, while functional, is just a bit ugly. The stylish TP-Link Kasa Filament Smart Bulb KL50 supports voice control, works with third-party devices, and can tell you how much energy it's using. The LOHAS keeps your house bright and beautiful. The latest version of the Philips Hue Iris Table Lamp is brighter than ever and features Bluetooth for hub-free control. Why on earth would a tech company release a product with specs this high for a price this low? Color is a fun way to add atmosphere to your home, but often results in a pricier bulb. Look for a bulb that works with Alexa or Google Assistant so you can control it with your voice. And because it’s all modular, you can change the designs as often as you like, provided you’ve got more sticky wall strips at the ready. Some of the best brands include Philips Hue, Lifx, Hive Active, Xiaomi and IKEA. The TP-Link Kasa Smart Multicolor Light Strip lets you easily spruce up your home with accent lighting that you can control with your phone, your voice, and other smart devices. I would like to be kept up to date with TP-Link news, product updates and promotions. Rather than tiles, the Beam is a series of rectangular bars that clip together magnetically. Paired with a Google Home or an Amazon Echo smart speaker, our devices can be easily set-up for voice control. The LOHAS A21 LED Light Bul b is rated at 2500 lumens, making it the brightest standard sized (A21) LED light bulb on the market. Energy reduction. We pay close attention to how each app works, and provide a detailed overview in each review. I’m sure you’re sick of reading about colour wheels and scenes, so just trust me when I say all that is present and correct here, with a few interesting wrinkles. Right now we don't recommend bulbs that do double-duty as a speaker, as we haven't found any particularly good ones in testing. Sporting 16 million colours and adjustable brightness and temperature settings which can adjust the light output from 80 to 800 lumens, the Xiaomi Mi bulb is, simply, very good. Depending on your needs, any of these options can help you connect your home lighting to more than just a wall switch. Here are my reviews of the best smart bulbs, starting with my favourite…, What we like about it: Simple to use, easy to understand, and work just as you'd expect them to, Starter kit with two coloured bulbs and a hub costs £115.84, Amazon. Of course, any bulb plugged into a socket can always be turned on or off by just flipping the switch. Higher temperatures, like 8,500K, look like harsh office lighting, which is fine for staying awake or working. Philips 433557 23W 100-watt T2 Twister 6500K CFL Light Bulb, 4-Pack. I’d say purely for controlling the lights, Hue has the edge; but for those wanting to build a smart home with smart plugs, smart security cameras, smart thermostats and all the rest, Hive is the way to go. I managed to knock out my entire flat’s WiFi while doing it. Hue’s bulbs can be paired with a wide selection of other Hue lighting devices, all of which communicate wirelessly with one another to prevent range issues. Overall, I’d say TP-Link have the best smart lighting app as it's the easiest to use, and comes with a range of helpful features. Cool, warm and natural light options let you set the tone in work areas and conference rooms. TP Link - Smart Bulbs. These days you’d be hard-pressed to find a smart light which doesn’t work with Alexa. 9. Use the app on your smart device to set any shade of white light, from cool energising daylight (6500 K) to relaxing warm white light (2200 K). It's a bit fiddly and annoying to work with, and setup was a bit of a pain. For starters, they tend to be dimmable and the vast majority are energy saving bulbs. The Philips Hue Bluetooth White and Color Ambiance is a smart LED bulb that you can control with your phone and voice without the need for a hub—that is, unless you want to control it from a remote location or make it work with other smart devices. (AD) LE GU10 LED Light Bulbs, Warm White 2700K, 50W Halogen Bulb Equivalent, 4W 350lm, Pack of 10, for £14.99 on Amazon - buy here 5. In general, I was really impressed with this smart light. They're also more convenient; it's easier to tap on a smartphone screen than to get up and trudge over to a wall switch. To look at, they're similar to standard bulbs, and have standard fittings. Some bulbs use geofencing, which means they work with the GPS in your smartphone to pinpoint your exact location, and can automatically turn the lights on or off when you get home or leave the house. Total Expert Score: 82/100 | Consumer Score: 73% gave it … This is one bulb for any home wanting some light actions. We rely on advertising to help fund our award-winning journalism. You can pick dimmable bulbs or even smart bulbs that change color! All the major brands; Hue, Hive, TP-Link, LIFX, Nanoleaf; all work with Alexa. In terms of the light these bulbs produce, they are one of the brightest and whitest on this list. Novostella, however, gets confused when it encounters the mixed signal and decides it can’t  only connect at all. Texsens Smart Bulb. Mini by name, mini by nature. The first is that it’s very cheap compared to its rivals. CONSDoesn't support as many smart home platforms as Philips Hue. The third-generation Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance A19 Starter Kit is costly, but remains the ultimate way to get started with smart lighting in your home. Light bulbs have grown exponentially smarter in recent years. It's hardly the biggest issue, but I can see the experience frustrating people. While that works for incandescent bulbs (although, even then, it is an imprecise way of measuring brightness), with the development of low-energy LED light bulbs, the wattage alone will not necessarily indicate how bright a bulb is. Why we like it: LIFX's bulbs are the brightest in the business and don't need a hub, £44.99 for one coloured bulb (no hub necessary), Amazon. If This Then That (IFTTT) compatibility lets you create recipes that automatically cause your lights to react to certain triggers, like phone notifications or changes in weather. He wrote that God looked down from his celestial perch, said “let there be light”, and then there was light. All this is customisable and should ensure that whenever you turn on the light in your room it is automatically at the right 'temperature'. If you’re here for a basic bulb to screw into your light fittings, keep scrolling. At the brightest level, its extremely bright light support itself a primary light source. Yes, the app gets a bit 'busy' at times, but it's still the best in terms of operating an entire home eco-system. Of the smart bulbs I tried, not a single one can be described as "bad", although a few stood out above the rest. As touched on, some bulbs hook up with Amazon's Alexa, Apple's HomeKit, or Google Assistant, so you can control your home lighting with your voice. PROSAffordable.Supports IFTTT.Works with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands.Power usage reporting.No hub required.Easy to install. The vast majority of smart bulbs will work with at least one of these smart assistants but the favoured one is Amazon Echo, as that has the biggest market penetration. The only minor downside I could find was the Xiaomi Mi app which controls the whole setup. You can create scenes that remember your favourite colours; get the bulbs to replicate the hue of a favourite photograph or painting; and create routines so that lights turn on slowly when you wake up or turn off automatically at 9am when everyone’s out of the house. Bluetooth technology allows you to pair these GE full-color smart light bulbs with compatible iOS and Android devices for voice-activated operation and setting on and off schedules. As for the control of the lights, there's two things to say. Seriously, the shape is really strange. The Sengled Smart Wi-Fi LED is a reasonably priced color light bulb that connects directly to your Wi-Fi network and can be controlled with your phone or voice, without the need for a hub. Though he does the majority of his reading and writing on various digital displays, Alex still loves to sit down and read a good, old-fashioned, paper and ink book in his free time. Hue supports the most … Considering it’s such an obvious feature, I’m baffled as to why only LIFX have managed it. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/recommended/tech/best-smart-bulbs-light-life It's simple to operate, easy to understand, and infinitely fun to play with – whether you're using it at the most basic level or going for the full speaking-out-loud-to-inanimate-objects experience. Some do, some don’t. And there's an 'effects' mode that can, for example, make your lights flicker like candles. PROSWide color and white temperature rangeStylish designFeatures Bluetooth for hub-free app controlSupports Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands, CONSSome features require a Hue Bridge hub. However, in general, smart light bulbs tend to come with a few extra features to justify the significant price increase compared to standard light bulbs. Even better, unlike Philips and Hive's efforts, the bulb doesn't require a bridge between your WiFi router and the bulb, so there's no fiddling around with any extra boxes or wires. This is a bridge unit: a little box (shown left in the picture above) that plugs into the back of your internet router to connect your bulbs to WiFi. The only difference is that they're coloured, with the opportunity to change between a rainbow of... hues (see what they did there?). One of the key selling points of the Novostella Floodlight is that it’s one of the few smartbulbs designed for use outside the home. Philips Hue require a ‘bridge’ and Hive bulbs need a Hive Hub. It’s all incredibly intuitive (I didn’t look at the instruction manual once) and there’s a sort of LEGO-like fun to piecing it all together. This can be done remotely too – as I sit in the Telegraph office writing this, I’m turning my bedroom light on and off. £54.99 for one coloured bulb (no hub necessary), Amazon. +Simple … Smart lights with your furniture, and one of the best smart bulb ranges going. That's important to keep in mind, especially if you want to upgrade your entire house. Sure you can control them with a mobile app as well as the wall switch, but they’re not that different to your standard bulbs. If you’re set against buying a hub with your smart light bulbs then I’d go with TP-Link or LIFX’s offerings, which don’t require a hub. Ultimately, the glitch I had with my light to begin with gave me pause in recommending it as a top pick. Ninieo states that these bulbs will function for over 50000 hours meaning that these bulbs are potentially a good investment. You plug a connector into the slot, then you can add another light. For that reason and that reason alone, it is edged out for top spot in this list - but don't be deterred. PROSEasy to installAlexa and Google voice controlWorks with third-party devicesCan be extended up to 33 feetCool lighting effectsEnergy usage reports, CONSPricey extension stripsLacks HomeKit support. 99 Best For The Most Affordable Color Smart Bulb, PROSAffordableGood color qualityWorks with Alexa and Google voice commandsDoesn't require a hubSyncs to change in time with music, CONSNo HomeKit or IFTTT supportDoesn't integrate with third-party smart devices. Once you're up and running, each room and bulb is shown individually on the app, so it's a simple tap to turn them on/off. The Brightest e12 LED Bulb In-Depth Review My top pick for the best of all candelabra bulbs LED is none other than the CRLight 6W 700 LM Dimmable LED Candelabra bulb. Terms of use. We urge you to turn off your ad blocker for The Telegraph website so that you can continue to access our quality content in the future. It feels like a design afterthought, as though LIFX made these cool lights but only realised the night before they went to market that they’d have to create an app as well. You can even create ‘scenes’ to have it shift between those colours or turn on at certain times of day. This works fine for the white light, but for the coloured bulb it feels imprecise and just that bit more difficult to select find the colour you need. Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance A19 Starter Kit, Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance Lily Outdoor Spot Light Kit, TP-Link Kasa Smart Multicolor Light Strip (KL430), Philips Dimmable A19 Smart Wi-Fi WiZ Light Bulb, Best Hosted Endpoint Protection and Security Software, The Best Smart Plugs and Power Strips for 2021, Read Sengled Smart Wi-Fi LED Multicolor Review, Read Yeelight Smart LED Bulb (Color) Review, Read Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance A19 Starter Kit Review, Read TP-Link Kasa Smart Multicolor Light Strip (KL430) Review, Read Philips Dimmable A19 Smart Wi-Fi Wiz Light Bulb Review, Read TP-Link Kasa Filament Smart Bulb KL50 Review, Philips Hue Bluetooth White and Color Ambiance Bulb, Read Treatlife Smart Wi-Fi Color LED Bulb Review, Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, IFTTT, Amazon Alexa, Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, IFTTT, Nest, Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant. In fact, if LIFX are known for anything in this space, it’s the brightness of their bulbs. The other 'added' element to the LIFX+ is that it’s designed to work with night vision security cameras. If you want something really powerful to light up the room, these are a good choice. The latest offers and discount codes from popular brands on Telegraph Voucher Codes, Smart light bulbs give you supreme control over your home environment, Obviously it's quite difficult to show all the colours of a smart bulb but don't worry, you don't need three differently coloured bulbs to get the full spectrum of colour, Hive Active Lights are basically exactly the same as Philips Hue bulbs but the app is ever so slightly more complex, LIFX might have an ugly app, but it doesn't need a hub, which is a huge bonus, Nanoleaf isn't the best smart lighting for brightening a whole room, but it is a lot of fun as a decoration, Nanoleaf Canvas is an updated version of the other Nanoleaf set, only with square panels, The LIFX Beam is incredible bright and will instantly draw attention to itself, The best electric toothbrushes - tried and tested, The best weighted blankets for a soothing night's sleep, Best sports headphones for running, weight-lifting, and even swimming, The best yoga mats of 2021 - tested by our experts, The best cordless phone for your home landline, The best frying pans you can buy, from cast iron to non-stick and stainless steel, The best home security cameras to keep your home safe both inside and out, The best electric heaters for portable use around the house, The best sofa beds for sitting and sleeping, The best pillows for a luxurious night's sleep, Best budget smartphones that prove you don't have to spend a fortune for quality, The best TV streaming devices for watching Netflix, Amazon, and iPlayer. PROSEasy to install.Reasonably priced components.Works with Alexa voice commands.Integrates with other Ring devices. My new top pick among cheap smart bulbs for 2020 is the $13 Philips Wiz Connected LED. Without getting two technical, most modern routers spit out two kinds of signal at once: 2.4GHz and 5.1GHz. For Business. Use it to control your smart home from the palm of your hand, anywhere in the world. Hizashi 6W 850 Lumen Candelabra LED Bulbs 60W-80W Equivalent Dimmable E12 LED Filament Bulb 2700K Warm White Chandelier Light Bulbs, High Brightness LED Lights for Room, UL Listed - 8 Pack I feel like there should have been more than one of these, but that's by the by. Smart bulbs offer a degree of control and interactivity you just can't get with traditional bulbs, like scheduled timers and remote control options. Available in E27, B22, GU10 and E14 fitting types. Philips Hue is the defacto standard in smart lighting. Most smart bulb brands are compatible with Alexa but they might require a hub that also supports Alexa. The starter kit comes with nine panels, but if you want a bigger design, just get an expansion kit. Just make sure you check the box before buying. It is suitable for outdoors area and garages. CONSLacks Apple HomeKit support.Limited third-party integrations. Unfortunately, the floodlight shares the same WiFi issues explained above in my description of the Novostella bulbs, which does make it somewhat difficult to recommend. The app also prompts you to name each individual light, so that you can turn each of them on/off individually. No hub required. With the former, you can choose any colour visible to the human eye; with the latter you can slide between warmer and colder whites to find the one that works for you. Your kettle might start to boil when you switch on your smart lights in the morning; or, that evening, a sensor on your door might detect when you return home and turn on the lights. Ikea Trådfri. Thus, smart lighting was born. Buy now from Amazon. If you have multiple bulbs, for instance, you'll want a companion app that lets you easily arrange them in groups, and adjust the brightness and/or color of an entire group at one time. This bulb also supports up to 16 million different color combinations, covering just about any color that you can dream up. Aside from keeping you out of the dark, most of the bulbs listed here can be scheduled or controlled remotely, which is great if you want to save on energy costs or often forget to turn off the lights before leaving the house. You have to connect one of the panels to a power cable, which is thankfully relatively sleek, so you should be able to tuck it behind a skirting board to avoid having a wire stretching across your wall. You’ll need to be a bit more careful if you’re a Google Assistant or Siri home though, so do check the providers’ individual websites. For non-celestial beings, smart bulbs are a fairly recent trend, dating roughly to the introduction of the Philips Hue in 2012. Here's what you need to know to get started, … They are marketed as a solution for drivers who want an upgrade with the style and appearance of a Xenon HID bulb, but who have vehicles which use halogen technology in the headlights. Still, I suspect this is more an issue with the assistant than the smart bulbs themselves. Alex Colon is the managing editor of PCMag's consumer electronics team. The connected is usually 15… Novostella doesn’t require this, which is an advantage. Sync the bulbs to your home assistant like Amazon’s Alexa and you can control your surroundings simply by saying "Alexa, turn on the bedroom lights". The Yeelight Smart LED Bulb is an affordable color LED bulb that you can control with your phone or with your voice, and it doesn't require a hub. As long as the sides are touching, the power flows and the triangles light up. There are only eight effects, but that’s still eight more than any of the other manufacturers have managed. For Smart Home. Each triangle of the Nanoleaf is a modular light with a slot on each edge. Our E27 light bulbs are easy to fit and, depending on the type you choose, can last up to … In the box you get six bars and one square connector which has magnets on each side so you can put a corner in your design. I really struggled to connect the Beam to WiFi. “OK Google, turn on the purple skies in the bedroom” works fine; "activate purple skies”, “turn on purple skies”, “purple skies in the bedroom, please” do not. And for a simple, affordable way to bring smart features to your existing light bulbs, see our story on the best smart plugs. It supports HomeKit, Alexa, and Google platforms and works with other smart devices via IFTTT. I have honestly never had as much fun putting up lights as I did with Nanoleaf. The answer is in the app. Smart light bulbs offer numerous benefits for residential and commercial users. You can ‘try’ them out by getting the basic dumb bulb for like 4 bucks I think. Some also connect some with smartwatches and fitness trackers as well as virtual assistants, so they can be controlled from your wrist or with just the sound of your voice. ... We name the best and brightest... iLumi Small A21 Smartbulb review: Easy to set up, but pricey. Diodes ( LEDs ) and a variety of technologies to work, so they very! Of Hue bulbs – colour and white university halls in particular check our... Ifttt.Works with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant falls over in confusion be dimmable and the process for your... Fluorescent bulb thermostats, and provide a detailed overview in each review LED. 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Fiddly and annoying to work with night vision security cameras, thermostats, and one of the Philips Hue,. Bulbs come with a Google home or an Amazon Echo smart speaker, our can. Find was the Xiaomi Mi app which controls the whole setup function to a! No problems with it ( aside from my own impatience ) they might require a ‘ bridge ’ Hive! Bulbs we 've tested here Wi-Fi LED is a third ‘ advantage ’,! Lights for the control of the Philips Hue your voice things to.! Right for you but even though an LED bulb uses less wattage, it ’ ll explain reservations! Buy a smart light switches, we 've rounded up our highest-rated smart bulbs is the ‘ ’! Each model into a few different light fittings to test compatibility with several normal bulbs than! Much fun putting up lights as I did have one Small annoyance at start! 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