Last Updated on April 25, 2023
As lighting systems become increasingly advanced, you might be wondering whether it’s worth getting smart lights.
If you have the time to do a bit of research into the right product for your home, smart lights are definitely worth it. They are relatively cheap and easy to set up, look fun, and are simple to use once you get the hang of them.
It’s also worth getting smart lights considering the ways you can program them to boost your routine. Why not have your lights turn on automatically to wake you up in the morning? Or dim as it comes towards bedtime?
Most smart lights use smart bulbs, which utilise LED tech and are thus more energy-efficient. This will save you both money and environmental guilt. You can also usually control smart lights with apps or link them to voice assistants like Siri or Alexa, for complete ease of use. In short, smart lights are a great introduction into smart home tech – with an accessible price range.
Smart lights start at a very affordable price, with these LIFX A19 650 lumens Smart LED bulbs currently going for just $10.99 at Best Buy. This means you can make a big difference to your home and energy bill for just a few bucks. Treat yourself!
At the top end of the smart lights available on the market, Philips Hue boasts an incredible range of color gradient lighting which syncs up with both the content on your TV screen and the music you’re playing on Spotify to deliver a truly immersive experience. The Hue collection is also a great option if you love entertaining, with over 16 million colors enabling you to create a multitude of perfect atmospheres.
If you’re looking to dip your toe into smart home technology, it’s definitely worth getting some smart lights. They’ll elevate your living space, improve your routine and generally bring some fun into your life! With a low starting price point, smart lights are great value for money, and there are endlessly customisable options for every home.
After a new round of testing, we think the WiZ 60W A19 Color LED is the best smart bulb. It delivered strong lux readings at a variety of light levels during testing (more on this later) and has a wide color temperature range, and its app offers the best set of built-in Scenes and smart-home integrations—all at a great price.
They also excel at making life more convenient. You can easily create Schedules so that bulbs inside and outside your home go off as needed. Or have them light automatically when someone arrives home and turn off when everyone leaves.
Smart LED bulbs provide a near-instant way to transform the feel of a room. Screw in a smart bulb (or several) and pair it with an app, and suddenly your TV room can feel more like a home theater, your dining room lit with candle-like warmth. And you can do that without ever having to buy and install a dimmer switch.
This dependable smart bulb has a great app and was the top performer at low light levels, but it doesn’t offer as many third-party integrations as WiZ or Meross.
While this bulb works with all of the major smart-home platforms, its solid Apple Home support will be particularly appealing to Apple users.
This affordable bulb was a standout in testing and easy to set up, and includes a collection of fun and useful modes and Scenes.
Most bulbs connect to Wi-Fi, so they only work if in range of your home’s router. Some models use Zigbee wireless, which may have a better range.
In addition to changing colors, you can tweak the tone—the temperature—of whites from warm and cozy light to cooler and more energizing.
LED bulb brightness is measured in lumens. For 40-, 60-, 75-, or 100-watt incandescent lights, look for a bulb that outputs 450, 800, 1,100, and 1,600 lumens, respectively.
LEDs come in a variety of base sizes and bulb shapes. Many may not be suitable outdoors, in humid locations, or in enclosed fixtures.
Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri Shortcuts, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings
The WiZ 60W A19 Color LED Smart Bulb impressed us with its easy setup, wide array of Scenes, and affordable price. It also scored a notably high lux rating—a measure of how effectively a bulb’s light spreads—especially at full brightness. This model also has a wider color temperature range than most of the other smart bulbs we tested. And in addition to standard options like on/off control and scheduling, this clever LED bulb offers a circadian-rhythm mode that automatically switches the white light color temperature throughout the day based on your sleep and wake schedule.
Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Apple Home, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings
The Meross MSL120 Smart Wi-Fi LED Bulb delivered especially consistent lux measurements between the top and side of the bulb, while other bulbs tend to have notably worse light performance on the sides compared with the top. This means its light performance doesn’t suffer at any angle and, as a result, should suit pretty much any light fixture design. It responded quickly when testing it with smart-home automations as well. The Meross is also the only pick that directly supports Apple Home control. That lets you skip the Meross app entirely to control your lights using the Home app, or with a Siri command on your phone or HomePod Mini.
Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home
The RCA Smart Wi-Fi A19 LED Bulb stands out for its exceptional light output, especially at the lowest light levels. All LEDs lose illuminance, or lux, as they dim, but this connected bulb outdid our other picks by maintaining strong results even at just 10% brightness. Its app was pleasantly uncluttered, making it easy to turn the bulb on and off, change the brightness—or handle any other adjustments without having to search around for the right screen. It also has a nice selection of features, ranging from basic scheduling and a timer to Scenes and music syncing.