Experts Explain Why You Should Be Using Smart Light Bulbs (2024)

If this is your first experience with smart light bulbs, this starter kit comes with everything you need: three A19 60W LED smart bulbs, a Philips Hue hub that can control up to 50 Hue lights, and a Smart Button with mounting plates that makes it easy to dim or switch between light scenes, even if you don't have your smartphone handy. The system, which operates over Zigbee and Bluetooth as opposed to Wi-Fi, offers a wide variety of customized light settings, with more than 16 million color variations and 50,000 shades of white. Our engineers found that these bulbs were simple to set up in just three steps, and they loved the ease of being able to schedule routines to ease you to sleep, wake you up, or for when you're away on vacation.

Leave it to Ikea to create one of the most affordable and reliable smart bulbs on the market. For under ten bucks, you can dim this A19 bulb to suit your mood and save money on electricity, since this LED light claims to consume up to 85% less energy and last 20 times longer than incandescent bulbs. In our tests, we found setup to be simple and straightforward. Note that you do need to buy a hub or separate gateway (remote control, wireless dimmer, or wireless motion sensor) to connect to for advanced features like room control and easy integration with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple HomeKit — or you can buy Ikea's remote control kit for under $20.

Another great affordable option, Wyze offers big features for little money. With no hub required (the bulbs connect directly to your Wi-Fi network), simply screw in this A19 smart bulb and download the Wyze app to use. In our tests, we were up and running in just a few minutes. You can integrate voice control with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant compatible devices, and set schedules and routines for when you want to turn the lights on and off (or use "vacation mode" for random lighting to deter burglars). These bulbs offer dimmable white color temperatures and you can create triggers when used with other Wyze products, like the brand's home security cameras and motion sensors.

Stylish, affordable and easy to use, the TP-Link Kasa Smart Bulb is ideal for those seeking smart home capabilities with vintage appeal. The filament, or Edison-style, bulbs cast a warm glow that's great for setting the mood. With a simple set-up, these bulbs connect directly to your Wi-Fi and you can control them via the Kasa app. But what our engineers loved the most about this system is that it features energy-consumption tracking, so you can easily see your total power consumption and energy savings. The bulbs can be controlled with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands, and they support IFTTT applets that allow interaction with third-party smart devices such as motion sensors, security cameras and video doorbells.

When it comes to quick and easy setup, this smart light bulb shines. With no hub needed, this inexpensive A19 smart bulb connects directly to your home WiFi network making setup super simple, according to our engineers. It comes with two dimmable white color options, soft white or daylight. Use the Sengled Home app to integrate with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant for voice control and to set timers, schedules, routines or triggers with an IFTTT applet. You can also mix and match Sengled's other smart LED light bulbs together to create a smart lighting system that's customized specifically for you. (For those looking for a pop of color, Sengled also offers a color bulb for a few dollars more.)

For a fun way to add smart lighting to your space, try these LED color-changing smart light strips. The starter kit comes with a 6.6-foot-long LED strip light, plus a controller, power supply and plug. You can trim the strip or add extensions to fit your needs, before applying with its adhesive backing as an accent to cabinets, ceilings and more. With no hub needed, simply plug the LIFX strips in, download the app, connect to Wi-Fi and you're ready to go. The lights are adjustable and dimmable, with a full range of warm to cool whites and over 16 million colors to choose from — you can let your creativity run wild by creating custom zones, patterns, gradients and waves to personalize your space. These smart strips come with the same built-in features as many smart bulbs, including seamless integration with Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, IFTTT and Nest.

The Yeelight Smart LED Bulb adds a splash of color to your space at a reasonable price. With no hub required, you can wirelessly control this A19 bulb with your phone or voice, as it's compatible with compatible with Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, Samsung SmartThings and IFTTT. Online reviewers find the app to be particularly user-friendly, letting you configure lighting effects, create schedules and set timers, plus play with fun features like music sync modes and a "Color Picker" that lets you tweak any bulb's color using your smartphone's camera as a scanner. This Yeelight bulb also comes with preset "scenes" that can recreate the flicker of a candle, tune the bulbs to ideal brightness for reading, or dim for movie night.

For added peace of mind when it comes to home security, leave it to Ring to offer a smart light starter kit that comes with everything you need to automate your outdoor lighting. For an affordable price, you'll get a motion-activated floodlight with three smart bulbs that will shine whenever motion is detected, with up to a 180º field of view (we recommend installing over driveways and walkways). The kit also includes a USB power supply and cable, mounting bracket, screws and a Ring Bridge, so you can get notifications via the Ring app. The weather-resistant, battery-operated lights also connect to standard electrical boxes with hardwired installation to provide a steady stream of power. In our road test, we found it to be easy to install, particularly if you already have a Bridge set up and other Ring products installed.