Smart lighting lets you create a mood with your voice or via a smartphone app. Many of these bulbs replace standard light fixtures and offer millions of colors or white based on your preferences.
Most of the best smart lights are compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, enabling grouping and voice commands. Others work with HomeKit and can respond to motion sensors or sync with music, movies and games.
- LIFX Color
One of the most popular smart bulbs around, LIFX is a solid choice for anyone who wants their home lighting to do more than just illuminate the room. Its color-changing bulb lineup is among the best in the industry, and its app is intuitive enough for novices to use while offering power users a robust selection of options. Its Day & Dusk system automates lights to switch on to an energizing cool white at dawn and gradually fade to a warm relaxing light before bed.
It’s also worth noting that unlike the Philips Hue line, which requires a hub to operate, LIFX bulbs work directly with your WiFi, making setup and maintenance a breeze. Plus, it supports both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
- TP-Link Kasa
TP-Link’s Kasa brand makes solid, affordable smart light bulbs, as well as switches and other gear that can help you build out a larger, more complicated smart home ecosystem. You can use the company’s mobile app or voice assistants to control them.
You can find Kasa bulbs that work with Alexa, Google Assistant or both. Some also support Zigbee, which is a low-power wireless standard that can reduce your energy bill by working with a hub to connect and control multiple devices.
Unlike other multicolor smart bulbs, Kasa’s app includes one-touch shortcuts to specific color or temperature presets. You can also set up lighting scenes that turn on and off at scheduled times or when other TP-Link products detect motion, such as a Kasa security camera or a plugged-in lamp. This feature isn’t available on any other smart lights we’ve tested. One downside: The Kasa app’s usage tab doesn’t show daily, weekly or monthly energy consumption, like some other apps do.
- Philips Hue
If you want a smart lighting solution that genuinely makes your house feel like home and integrates tightly with other platforms such as HomeKit, IFTTT or Alexa, then Philips Hue is the clear choice. It has a wide range of bulbs and accessories to choose from as well as excellent third-party integrations and a great app.
If that’s not enough, you can add a Philips Hue Bridge to the mix to enable Zigbee control (this is required for multi-color bulbs) and get access to the full selection of bulbs, accessories and features. The bridge itself is quite pricey but you can find starter kits that include it for a more affordable experience.
Philips also offers a smart hub alternative, the Hue Wireless Dimmer Module, which you wire in behind your light switch to turn it into a smart home device. You can then use your existing smartphone to control the lights as long as you’re within range of the hub.
- Cree Smart Lights
The Cree Connected LED bulbs (view product ) look like any ordinary bulb but offer automated, advanced smart features. Use the app or voice commands to control your lights, set programmable schedules, and change settings. These smart bulbs are compatible with Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit, Samsung SmartThings, and IFTTT automations.
They can be controlled individually or as part of a multicolor lighting system. With a maximum brightness of 800 lumens, they deliver vibrant and accurate colors with solid RGB options. They also work with the Wyze app for out-of-home controls and other customizations.
Unlike Philips Hue devices, which require a hub, these bulbs connect directly to Wi-Fi without one. They also operate independently from the Hue ecosystem, so you can use them with other devices that run on different systems. This makes them a good choice for people who aren’t looking to build an entire lighting ecosystem. They do, however, lack some features such as out-of-home control and saved scenes.best smart lighting