Everything is becoming more innovative, including water bottles, vacuums, and light bulbs. The most straightforward place to start with your smart home modifications is smart lamps. You only need to install an app and plug some systems into your outlets. When compared to conventional lighting, smart lighting is a more sophisticated way to fully regulate your electricity use and consumption, with some further benefits that are only possible with smart bulbs or smart light switches.
Since there are many options for smart lighting floating in the market, this blog post will suggest some of the best options for users. Before that, let us understand what smart bulbs are, how they work, and their advantages.
Evvr is a leading brand for smart software and hardware solutions for both domestic and commercial customers. With a wide range of products, including energy monitoring smart plug, smart hubs, and interfaces, users are always in for a treat.
- What Are Smart Bulbs?
- How Smart Lighting Works
- Advantages of Smart Lighting
- Best Smart Light Bulbs In 2023
- Evvr In-Wall Relay Switch - A Companion For Smart Living
What Are Smart Bulbs?
Have you ever wanted to use your phone to manage your lighting? It is feasible to physically turn the lamp on and off by standing up, but doing so in the dead of winter when you are trying to go home from work is impractical. All technology sectors are developing, and now our lights are reaping the rewards of these developments.
With intelligent lighting, you can use Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Z-Wave, and even wireless radio to remotely turn off and on all the lights in your house from your smartphone. You can do more than change the illumination; doing so is also beneficial, particularly if you want to reduce the lights at night or turn them off entirely while cuddling up for a movie. Nevertheless, you can also change the color of your light if you use colored LED bulbs. It only takes a few quick taps on your phone.
How Smart Lighting Works
A smart hub, simply a collection of hardware, is where most smart lights are connected. It's simpler to relate it to a computer wireless router. Once the bulbs are installed, you hardly ever need to touch them again. Thanks to the hub and the associated software (which controls the bulbs), you can choose from various illumination options when the installation is complete.
Although most people only need bulbs, you should be aware of additional elements of bright lightings, such as intelligent switches. Depending on the type, pricing, and arrangement of light you're searching for, both have advantages and disadvantages.
Smart Bulbs
Compared to other smart home modifications, smart lights are cheaper and easier to install. Compared to incandescent lamps, these LEDs can save up to six times as much energy. The long-term cost of switching to these bulbs is low because they can operate for over 25,000 hours. Not to mention, since they don't contain mercury like compact fluorescent bulbs, they may be less harmful to the environment.
Due to smart bulbs' wide range of sizes, light temps, and brightness, you won't need to replace or modify any current fixtures in your home. You have options if one room requires larger lights while another requires smaller ones. After installation, you must download the necessary software to connect to and utilize the bulbs; however, remember that the bulbs won't function if the light switch is not turned on.
Using a smart plug is a good idea to control wirelessly your dumb appliances like lamps, led lights, etc. We highly recommend you Evvr Energy Monitoring Smart Plug and Relay.
Smart Switches
For the switches to function in your house, some rewiring will be necessary. You would swap out the standard buttons for their intelligent equivalents. The switches utilize a hub or Wi-Fi. The controllers often cost $50 or more, which makes them more expensive than smart bulbs.
Yet, an intelligent switch allows you to utilize any light bulb you like for lighting. Switches rather than bulbs may be a better option for you if you place a high value on the lighting quality in your home. But remember that installation will take more time and work than installing a bulb. Also, you might not be permitted to tamper with the electrical wiring if you're renting an apartment. And unlike bulbs, you cannot instantly move them to a different spot and set them up.
Evvr In-Wall Relay Switch offers reliability and affordability in one package. It is a no-neutral smart switch that can turn any dumb appliance into a smarter one in a few minutes. More on that at the end of the blog!
Advantages of Smart Lighting
Energy Efficiency
It's even simpler to conserve electricity now that you can quickly dim your lights. You have two options: manually using the app on your device or installing motion sensors. Any room with either a smart light switch or smart light bulb installed allows for the use of motion sensors. You may tell the lights to turn out when a room is empty and turn back on when motion is detected. Use LED lamps to save even more electricity. They consume less electricity than the typical bulb while maintaining the familiar brightness and warmth.
Convenience
It's easy to operate your smart lighting. You can use your illumination while sitting at your desk at work, lying in bed, or even using your phone on a remote island. Smart lighting is especially beneficial for people with mobility problems, those who live in houses with noisy stairs, and light sleepers. If you fail to turn out the lights, you won't need to move from one area to another physically. With some bulbs, you can use your device to change the brightness, intensity, and hue (in the case of colored LED smart bulbs).
Mood Setting With Color
Although it wasn't previously possible to change the hue, LED bulbs today make it possible. It's not just a publicity stunt. Changing the colors can be helpful when you're reading, taking a nap, or watching a movie. Some hues help ease eye strain and enhance the quality of sleep. That's not all, either. Blue illumination may lift your spirits, particularly in the winter when there is little sunlight and thick cloud cover.
Best Smart Light Bulbs for 2023
Philips Hue White & Color
In 2012, the Philips Hue debuted as an Apple HomeKit-only product and was first sold as part of a starter package that cost $199 and included three bulbs and a hub. Extra bulbs are $59 each. The Philips Hue line of lights was the first fully customized and controlled through a wireless lighting system.
Philips Hue continues to dominate the roost as the top choice for individuals looking for a smart light bulb, even though many other companies have introduced intelligent lights since 2012.
Cree Connected Max
If you prefer to stick to a stringent budget, this bright light bulb costs just $10 per and is a fantastic choice. Also, since no hub is needed to utilize these, you can save even more money than other solutions. All you need is your smartphone and a 2.4GHz network connection. These Cree smart lights can be controlled by Alexa or Google voice assistants and come in millions of colors and white light temperatures ranging from 2200K to 6500K.
We've enjoyed this feature every day since we installed these bulbs. It enables many smart features within the Cree Lighting app, such as scenes, routines, and automation, to follow the daylight pattern, changing from a more relaxed daylight tone earlier in the day to a warmer white in the evenings.
Kasa Smart LED Light Strip
Like adding sprinkles to ice cream, adding an intelligent capability to a color LED light strip improves everything. Use these Kasa smart LED light strips to adjust your lighting according to your mood. You can establish up to 50 color zones at once and have a selection of 16 million colors.
TP-Link offers this intelligent LED light strip as a no-hub-needed alternative. The brand of your router, indeed. It may be managed using a smartphone app that allows you to set up custom automation based on the time of day.
LIFX Color Smart Bulb
This smart light bulb stands out from the competition in terms of price and compatibility. You can lower it from your phone to enjoy the proper light as you curl up with a book before night. Eight hundred lumens are a terrific option for anything from living spaces to bedside lamps.
The LIFX Color can be managed remotely without needing a separate hub thanks to its user-friendly app, which is simple to set up and use. Yet it can be easily integrated with other home automation programs like Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, and Alexa.
Feit Electric Recessed Kit
Feit Electric sells smart bulbs of excellent quality for a reasonable price. An illustration of a recessed light kit that can easily replace your current recessed lights is given. I do mean seamless. Its built-in LED brilliant light does not require a bulb, so you can use it to replace most existing 5- to 6-inch recessed lighting fixtures and benefit from the 25,000 hours, or around 22 years, of illumination it provides.
With a color temperature range of 2700K to 6500K and more than a million colors, this light, which is 75 watts in size, may help you create the ambiance you want.
Evvr In-Wall Relay Switch - A Companion For Smart Living
Evvr In-Wall Relay Switch is an excellent device that can turn any dumb power outlet into a smart one. It is a no-neutral, easy-to-set switch with a complete remote control option and accessibility. If you are starting your journey toward a smart home and testing the waters before going all in, this is the perfect place to start!