Ever wonder if it is possible to control your home lights through a mobile app? Or have you heard of smart bulbs or connected light bulbs? If you are already familiar with these terms, then chances are you want to know more about smart bulb brands and products that could be perfect for your home setup.
But if you are just wrapping your head around smart bulbs and home automation systems in general, let’s briefly furnish you with what smart light bulbs are and how they are phone-controlled. Up next, we’ll go over our top three app-controlled smart lights that may be suitable for you.
What is a Smart Bulb?
In simple terms, a smart bulb is a light bulb that can be wireless controlled. This means you don’t have to leave your bed or that cozy couch to turn on the light switch. Instead, you simply use a remote or phone app to control the light.
There is, however, more to how smart bulbs work than that. For example, they can be wireless networked to smart home assistants such as Google and Amazon Alexa voice control, Samsung SmartThings, and other compatible smart devices and appliances.
And with app-controlled lights, apart from light switching, you can adjust light brightness and warmness, create lighting schedules, monitor energy usage, and network with other smart home automation platforms.
Now let’s look at our round-up three best light bulbs controlled by phone.
Yeelight Smart LED Bulb
The Yeelight Smart LED bulb is dimmable, has a rating of 800-lumen brightness and lifespan of 25,000 hours. Also, the bulb can fit into any standard E26 standard socket.
It has a mobile app that is available on both iOS and Android devices. The app has an intuitive interface that allows you to control each Yeelight bulb installed in your home with a tap of buttons. Each bulb is also displayed on separate tabs in the app. This allows you to easily customize and manage individual bulbs.
Through the app, you can set the brightness level, choose white color temperature, and the bulb’s color from different options. Based on your room and daily pattern, you can create lighting scenes that help turn on and off the light based on the preset schedules and state of the environment. One feature that makes the Yeelight LED bulb adorable is it has its own WI-Fi radio. This makes it connect directly to your WI-Fi router without the need for a hub.
The smart LED bulb also responds fast to commands such as turning and dimming the lights, adjusting color and brightness settings, creating schedules, and more.
Apart from controlling the bulb with your smartphone, the Yeelight works with Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, and Apple Siri voice commands. This means that you can instruct your lights while relaxing on that chair or bed. When you are out of battery juice or can’t connect your mobile device with your home network, the bulb can work with compatible home automation platforms, so you don’t get cut off access to your lights.Â
Setting up the system is easy. You will first have to download the app and then create an account. From there, the on-screen instructions will guide you on how to finish the setup.
Ring Smart LightingÂ
The Ring Smart Lighting features a dimmable 400 lumen LED bulb and has a motion sensor that triggers the lights.
The LED bulb is a perfect option for outdoor lighting. This is one reason we included it as a light bulb controlled by phone. With this light system, you can keep areas of your home, such as driveways, backyard, stairways, and walkways, well lit and safe.
Through the Ring bridge, you can connect a series of WI-Fi enabled Ring products to your home network to make them smart. When connected, for example, you can create different groups whereby when one light in a group detects motion; it automatically turns on other lights in that group.
The Ring lighting option also supports Amazon Alexa voice commands but does not support Google assistant, Apple Siri, and other smartphone platforms like Home Kit.
One reason the smart lighting system catches our attention is that the smartphone control functionality lets you do more with the lighting system. For example, you can adjust motion alerts and sensitivity, set snooze alerts, set standby time after motion is detected, increase or decrease brightness, check battery status, and more.
The application is easy to install. You’ll first have to download the companion mobile app, create an account, and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the setup.Â
If what you need is a smart lighting system that works pretty well for outdoor security, then you might consider the Ring Smart Lighting.
Phillips Hue Bluetooth White and Color BulbÂ
The smart bulb is a dimmable bulb that has a light output of 800 lumens. Based on 3-hour per day usage, the bulb can last for about 22 years.
This hue smart bulb is the first in the Hue series to feature a built-in Bluetooth radio. This means you don’t have to install the Hue bridge. It, however, contains both Bluetooth and Zigbee radio. So if in future you decided to extend its capability with the Zigbee smart home automation, then you can purchase the Hue bridge.
Speaking of its limitations, the Bluetooth radio, coupled with the companion smartphone app, lets you control not more than ten bulbs at a time. But with the inclusion of the Hue bridge, you can control up to 50 bulbs. Also, Bluetooth connection means limited range.
With the Bluetooth only option, there are a couple of features you’ll miss. You can’t, for instance, control your light while away from home or integrate the light bulb with compatible smart home platforms such as Home Kit.
Installation is easy just as in the other brands we’ve reviewed. Install the Bluetooth Mobile app first, screw in the bulb into a light fixture, and follow the on-screen instructions on how to pair with Bluetooth and get complete the rest of the setup.Â
No doubt, the Phillips Hue Bluetooth Bulb is limited in features when not paired with the Hue hub. It’s overall a great option if you only want to light up a few rooms and need something easy to set up.
Conclusion
In the future, we expect light bulbs to become smarter than they are right now. Nevertheless, the wide variety of products available now are enough to meet the demands of the ever-evolving present generation. After all, it’s all about your needs and preferences.
Are you looking for more smart lights ideas? Visit our store for more smart light ideas and other smart home devices.Â
