Before buying smart lights, make sure they’re designed for your intended use. Not all smart lights are designed to withstand water, extreme heat, debris or moisture. Even with indoor lights, be aware of the suggested temperatures as some indoor lights may not be best for bathrooms or other areas that retain moisture or heat. Most importantly, before placing smart lights outside make sure they’re weatherproof for the best use.
5 Best Smart Light Bulbs
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ADT Smart Light Bulb
Best Smart Light Bulb
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Philips Hue Smart Bulb Starter Kit
Best LED Smart Light Bulb
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Flux Bluetooth LED Smart Bulb
Best Multi-Color Smart Light Bulb
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Vivint SmartHome Philips Hue Smart Light
Safety.com Top Pick
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eufy Lumos Smart Bulb
Safety.com Top Pick
Factors to Consider Before Buying Smart Lights
Placement
Before buying a smart light bulb, make sure it fits the light fixture. Most traditional light fixtures use a standard A19 bulb. A19 is the most common shape of light bulbs for lamps. While most smart light bulbs are this size, you’ll want to double check. It’s also important to keep in mind that smart lights cannot be installed for every home light fixture. Most times, smart light bulbs are used on lamps. Before buying smart lights, review the ‘Compatibility’ or ‘Details’ section of the packaging to be sure.
Smart light bulb watts
Smart light bulbs are designed to give off the same amount of light using a fraction of the power. For example, some smart light bulbs use only 9 watts to shine light as powerful as a 60 watt light bulb. You’ll want to look check the wattage to see how much power you could save.
Hub connectivity
Some smart light bulbs must be connected to a smart home hub for the smart features to work. Oftentimes, the hub is sold separately. If you’re looking into a smart light that requires a hub, you’ll want to make sure the hub connects to other smart home gadgets to build your smarthome. For example, if you’re looking into the Philips Hue White Ambiance Smart Bulb Starter Kit, you can pair it to Samsung SmartThings hub to control security cameras, door locks and more using one system.
The 15 Best Smart Lights
Our take
This smart light bulb connects to a smart home Z-wave hub. It shines 750 lumens up to 150 feet of view. Connect this smart light to ADT home security systems and control it using the ADT mobile app. You’ll be able to dim, set an automatic schedule and turn off lights using the mobile app. Get a full ADT monitored system to connect your smart light bulb and other ADT home security gadgets for a smart, safe home.
Stand-out features include
- Create schedules to automatically turn lights on and off using the ADT mobile app
- Control the smart light bulb’s built-in dimmer to lower lights even if your lamp or fixture doesn’t have a dimmer
- Works in moist locations and in temperatures ranging from 32 to 104-degrees Fahrenheit
Our take
The popular smart light kit includes pre-set lighting options including reading, relaxing or energizing. The Philips Hue Smart Bulb system uses the Hue Bridge to pair with popular smart home gadgets including Nest, SmartThings and the Apple HomeKit. The kit includes two smart light bulbs and the ability to connect up to 50 more for a lighting system that can be controlled using your smartphone.
Stand-out features include
- Works with Amazon Alexa to conveniently control your home’s lighting hands-free using voice commands
- Includes a starter kit of four smart light bulbs and the Philips Hue Bridge to kickstart a smart home lighting system
- Illuminates over 50,000 shades of white to shine warmer or cooler toned light whether reading or resting to shine the perfect hue for your home
Our take
Flux’s smart light bulb can shine 16 million different colors to illuminate the color from your lamp that you choose when hosting guests using the Flux Bluetooth mobile app. This smart light can be used throughout the home for wake-up lighting or as a dim night light in any room. It can be controlled like a standard light bulb by using a switch, or by using your smartphone without connecting to a smart home hub.
Stand-out features include
- Uses Bluetooth to sync to your smart speaker to sync lighting to your favorite tunes
- Customize the smart light’s color and illumination using the Flux Bluetooth mobile app for home lighting to match your mood
- Schedule lights to turn and off when you’re away to make it look like you’re home
4. Vivint SmartHome Philips Hue Smart Light
Our take
Vivint’s smart light bulb pairs with Philips Hue to control your home’s lights. Control these lights with voice commands to Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant to turn on the lights hands-free while cooking or cleaning. Set up lighting groups to coordinate your light’s actions using the mobile app.
Stand-out features include
- Use the Vivint SkyControl Panel or Vivint Smart Home mobile app to turn off lights and manage your monitored security system with ease
- Connect your smart light bulbs to your security system worry-free with professional installation from Vivint’s Smart Home Pros
- Set custom rules to adjust lights on or off when you’re away to deter burglars
5. eufy Lumos Smart Bulb
Our take
The eufy smart light bulb is designed to be energy-efficient by shining up to 60W, while using only 9 watts to illuminate. Controlling this smart light bulb is easy with the EufyHome mobile app, Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa. Simply use your smartphone to control brightness and program light schedules even when you’re away from home.
Stand-out features include
- Manage the smart light’s dimness and brightness using your smartphone or voice assistant commands
- Control the smart light bulb anywhere that has an Internet connection using the EufyHome mobile app
- Schedule up to ten smart light bulbs to turn on or off automatically
6. LIFX Wi-Fi Smart Led Light Bulb
Our take
This Energy STAR compliant smart light bulb only uses 8 watts to illuminate light as bright as 50 watts. This indoor smart light bulb’s compact design shines natural, warm light using 650 lumens. It can be dimmed using your voice command to Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant or the mobile app.
Stand-out features include
- Uses a smart lighting hub to control your home’s lighting from anywhere with a Wi-Fi connection
- Works with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant to control your home’s lighting using voice commands
- Lasts up to eight years at an average use of three hours per da
7. Hive LED Light Bulb
Our take
The Hive LED smart bulb is designed to automatically illuminate your home without flipping a light switch. Even when you’re away, Hive’s ‘Mimic Mode’ will turn lights on and off automatically to make it look like you’re home. With the Hive mobile app, you’ll be able to connect the smart light bulb and other Hive smart home gadgets for a connected home that can be controlled from your smartphone.
Stand-out features include
- Automatically turn lights on or off anytime, anywhere using the Hive mobile app
- Pairs with Amazon Alexa and the Hive Hub to control your lamps and light fixtures hands-free
- Create customizable actions that control all of your Hive smart home devices to automate lighting scenarios in your home
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Showing 7 of 7 products
Smart lights are the easiest way to save energy and money hassle-free. Don’t forget to consider your home’s factors, and the special features you’ll need to make the most of your smart light bulb for years to come. Want to browse all of the best options? Check out
Smart Light Bulb FAQs
What is a smart light bulb?
A smart light bulb is a CFL or LED light that uses less power while offering more customization and control. The smart light bulb uses Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or a Z-wave smart home hub to manage a few features including dimming, brightening and scheduling when lights turn off. Smart light bulbs can be controlled using the light bulb’s app and your smartphone for convenience.
What features should I look for in a smart light bulb?
Before buying a smart light bulb, you’ll want to make sure it has a few features. It should include automatic scheduling to turn lights on and off while you’re away. Also, look for a smart light that connects to smart home gadgets such as the Amazon Echo. The more connected your devices are, the better remote control of your home. Most importantly, your lights should be able to be managed using a mobile device for your convenience – not a traditional remote.
What’s the best lighting for a smart light bulb?
Look for a smart light bulb that illuminates both multi-color and white lights. Keep in mind that some smart light bulbs do not have both. The best smart lights include over 16 million colors and a variety of white shades. Look for a light bulb like the WiZ smart light which has 64,000 white lighting options and the popular 16 million color options for the best value and use of the bulb. With so many color options, you can use one bulb to illuminate the right light for the right moment. Set warm white light to have dinner or bright light to work. Or even better, host guests with red or pink lighting for a festive, colorful event.
