Smart Light Bulbs Make Me Feel Dumb

Smart light bulbs make me feel dumb. There are too many options, too many brands, too many ways to connect them. I just want to control my house lights with a computer like the sci-fi films of the 80's and 90's.

What bulbs do I need? A19 or BR30?

A19/E26 are closer to ‘Standard’ light bulbs.

BR30's are commonly called ‘Flood Lights’.

Figure out where you’re going to put your new smart lights and unscrew the old bulb. You’ll be able to tell the difference pretty quick. It’s possible that you have a different type of bulb and Philips Hue should have you covered.

What color temperature do I want?

Warm (2000K - 3000K), Cool (3100k - 4500K), Daylight (4600K - 6500K)

Color temperature is the shade of white the bulb is going to emit. Check out the picture.

Warm is best for Living room, bedrooms, kitchens

Cool is best for Basements, Garages, Work areas

Daylight is best for Security, Garages, Task Lighting

This is all personal preference, check out this link from Westinghouse Lighting: http://www.westinghouselighting.com/color-temperature.aspx

What about dimming? Tunable?

Almost all smart light bulbs are dimmable, that’s what makes them fun. Think, movie night:

Alexa, dim the living room lights.

These are the most common smart light bulbs, also they tend to be the cheapest.

What’s Tunable?

This is similar the multi-colored bulbs but only with Shades of White. Remember earlier when talked about color temperature, these bulbs allow you to tune the bulbs to a perfect shade of white for the perfect moment. Study or work in nice bright daylight and then turn them down to a nice warm white for relaxation time.

Do you want to change the color?

If having Orange lights during Halloween or Red and Green lights during Christmas gets you excited, than you’d want to check out the ‘multi-color’ options. These can be fun for parties or just to make your lights dance with the music.

How do I connect it to Amazon Alexa?

This is where it gets fun, being able to control the lights in your house with your voice is very cool. And, surprisingly, natural. All smart light bulbs featured can connect to your Alexa device for voice control.

You may need a separate hub to allow them to communicate. See Below.

Do I need a Hub?

Note, if you have an Echo Plus it has the Hub built-in. Not sure what Echo you have, Click Here to look at them all on Amazon.

Yes: Sengled, Philips HUE, Sylvania Smart+

No: Eufy Lumos, TP-Link, LIFX

Yes, there are other brands but we don’t have any experience with them.

Can I mix and match?

We recommend investing in one ecosystem.

Is this expensive?

Yes, these bulbs cost a lot more than ‘dumb’ LED Bulbs.

Check out our recommendations below.

No Hub Required, Dimmable White Lights:

Eufy Lumos Smart Bulb - White, Soft White (2700K)

TP-Link Smart LED Light Bulb, Wi-Fi, Dimmable White

LIFX Mini White (A19) Wi-Fi Smart LED Light Bulb, Dimmable, Warm White

No Hub Required, Tunable White Lights:

Eufy Lumos Smart Bulb - Tunable, Soft White To Daylight (2700K-6500K)

TP-Link Smart LED Light Bulb, Wi-Fi, Dimmable, Tunable White

No Hub Required, Multi-Color Lights:

LIFX (A19) Wi-Fi Smart LED Light Bulb, Adjustable, Multicolor

TP-Link Multicolour Smart LED Bulb, Wi-Fi, Dimmable

Hub Required, Dimmable White Lights

Philips Hue White A19 4-Pack

Sengled Element Classic A19 1 Pack

SYLVANIA SMART+ ZigBee Soft White Dimmable A19 LED Bulb

Hub Required, Tunable White Lights

Philips Hue White Ambiance A19 60W Equivalent Dimmable LED Smart Bulb

Sengled Mood A19 LED, Adjustable Warm White and Daylight

SYLVANIA SMART+ ZigBee Adjustable White A19 LED Bulb

Hub Required, Multi-Color Lights

Sengled Element Color Plus Smart Bulb Starter Kit

Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance 3rd Generation A19

If we missed anything, please let us know in the comments or on our Facebook Page.

Thanks!