In the past few years, LED technology has become increasingly popular due to its many benefits. LED lights are not only more energy-efficient, but they also last longer than traditional light bulbs. In this article, we will be discussing the best LED smart light bulbs of 2022 and their respective benefits. One of the most popular reasons to switch to LEDs is their energy efficiency. A single LED bulb uses 80% less energy than a traditional incandescent bulb and lasts up to 10 times longer. Additionally, LEDs emit no heat, which makes them ideal for areas such as kitchens and bathrooms where heat is a concern. Another benefit of LEDs is that they are versatile. They can be used in a variety of applications, from lighting up a room to providing illumination for tasks such as reading or working on a computer. In addition, LEDs can be controlled using apps or devices such as smartphones or tablets, making them perfect for use in homes and offices. Finally, one of the biggest benefits of switching to LEDs is their price tag. Compared to traditional light bulbs, LEDs are much cheaper and tend to last longer too. This means that you will save money in the long run by making the switch to LEDs. ..
There are three primary considerations when shopping for smart bulbs. The first is whether the bulb produces colored or white light—or both. In general, white-only lights will be a bit cheaper than colored lights, but both styles are generally tuneable through a range of light temperatures and brightness levels.
The second consideration has to do with the receptivity built into the bulb. All of the bulbs on our list connect via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, a hub, or some combination of all three. If a bulb connects only via Bluetooth, it’s important to remember that you’ll only be able to control it when you are within a specific range. On the other hand, with Wi-Fi-connected or hub bulbs, you can access your lighting no matter where you are through your smartphone.
You should also be aware that smart bulbs can give you a great degree of control over your room’s ambiance. If you want the ability to turn lamps on and off either when you want or according to a particular schedule, you could consider purchasing a smart plug.
Best Smart Bulb Overall: Philips Hue
One of the first entrants to the smart bulb arena, Philips has consistently led in the space with a wide range of lighting products that are reliable, easy to set up, bright, and vivid. So it’s no surprise that our pick for the top smart light bulb is the Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance.
✗ Bulbs are among the most expensive✗ Hub is required to take full advantage of ecosystem
Hue bulbs used to require a special Hue hub, but Philips is now building their bulbs with Bluetooth accessibility, so you can control and link up to 10 bulbs without needing the hub via a smartphone app. The bulbs also integrate with Google and Alexa for voice control, and adding them to a hub lets you link up to 50 lights and get even deeper control of your home’s lighting.
Adding the Philips hub lets you group your lights by rooms or zones, a handy feature as you get deeper into a smart lighting ecosystem. It also allows you to sync your lights to movies, gaming, or music, and it can simulate your presence when you are away by turning lights on and off across your home. While the hub is an additional cost, you can often buy it in a package with bulbs that pretty much zeros out the expense.
Philips Hue bulbs are one of the most expensive on the market, but there is no better option for creating an entire smart lighting system. That said, if you want to dabble with smart lighting—rather than bathing your home in it—our budget pick might suit you better.
Best Budget Smart Bulb: Wyze Bulb
While you might be able to save a few more dollars on an even cheaper smart bulb, the Wyze Bulb wins our pick as the best budget bulb because it comes from a reliable brand with a history of making quality, affordable smart products. A single white bulb costs just $12, and a color-changing bulb will run you just under $16.
✓ Affordable and reliable✓ Easy, intuitive app makes setup simple✓ Can integrate with Wyze’s larger smart home ecosystem
✗ Separate bulbs required for white and color✗ Doesn’t integrate with Apple HomeKit
For that bargain price, you can control the colors, temperatures, and brightness of your lights using a smartphone app, and you can assign different lights into different groups. You can also choose to set your lights on “Vacation Mode,” which will cause them to turn on and off using a variable schedule that mimics someone’s presence in your home when you are away.
Additionally, Wyze will be releasing a door sensor called “Sense” that will make your lights come on or go off when a door is opened or closed, plus all the bulbs integrate with Alexa and Google for voice control. Because Wyze is moving into the smart home security market, starting with a few of its smart bulbs is a great way to begin to assemble the gear you’d need to make your entire home smarter and safer.
Best Outdoor Smart Bulb: Ring Wired Floodlight
Although the Wired Floodlight will cost a bit more to install than the solar versions, the latter has issues running out of power and not being as programmable as the wired models. It’s better to pay a little extra for the reliability.
Best Smart Bulb for Google Assistant: “C” by GE
“C” bulbs by lighting icon GE are available in three varieties. There are soft white lights that can be dimmed and brightened, tunable white bulbs that let you change the temperature of the lights, and color-changing bulbs that provide millions of color options.
✓ Affordable✓ Turns Google Assistant and Nest devices into hub✓ Offers Bluetooth option as well with no hub required
✗ Requires Google Nest or Home device for offsite control✗ Rebranding causing some confusion in product line✗ Not part of a larger smart home ecosystem
The C by GE bulbs also come in two styles of connectivity. You can choose from standard Smart Bulbs, which connect via Bluetooth and therefore don’t need a hub, or Direct Connect Smart Bulbs, which are Wi-Fi-based and can use Google Assistant or Nest devices as a hub.
You can set your lighting to a schedule with either bulb type, and lighting scenes can be chosen from a roster of preset picks or saved from user-generated mixes. Accessing the bulbs outside the home requires the Google hub, which will allow voice control of either the Bluetooth- or Wi-Fi-enabled bulbs.
Alexa-enabled devices can also be used as a hub, but only for the Wi-Fi version of the bulbs. If you use an Alexa hub, there’s another option that’s better for you.
✓ Very affordable✓ Impressive range of bulbs with dual functions✓ Forms its own mesh network without a hub
What’s more, Sengled makes a dizzying array of smart bulbs for any function you may need. This includes bulbs with built-in speakers, those that will work in a blackout thanks to a battery backup, and ones that have built-in timers—just to name a few.
On top of that, Sengled bulbs are highly affordable, as it’s possible to find an impressive range of high-quality smart bulbs for under $10, even when purchasing them individually. Sengled makes it easy to deck out your home in smart bulbs!
Best Smart Bulb For Apple HomeKit: WiZ Connected Color
When looking for smart bulbs, it will quickly become apparent that Apple HomeKit is not as widely supported as Alexa or Google Assistant. The WiZ Connected Color is one of the few reasonably-priced smart bulbs that will work equally well with all three.
✓ Color changing and dimmable✓ Energy efficient✓ Programmable and preset lighting modes✓ Very reasonably priced
✗ Not suitable for outdoor use
After connecting the bulb to your Wi-Fi, it can be controlled through the Home app for iOS and iPadOS or the WiZ app. You can also use voice to manage the bulb via a HomePod speaker or Siri on your Apple device. If you ever decide to move away from an Apple smart home setup, the WiZ bulb can easily be added to the Alexa (Android, iPhone) or Google Home (Android, iPhone) apps.
The WiZ bulb is multi-color and dimmable, with 16 million colors available. The color and brightness can be controlled manually through the app, or with pre-set lighting patterns that change automatically based on the time of day. There is also a vacation mode, so you can make your home look lived in even when you’re away.
The 8.8W bulb, equivalent to a 60W traditional lightbulb, is energy efficient and long-lasting. The rated lifespan is an impressive 25,000 hours, or 25 years if used for a couple of hours a day. It is only suitable for indoor use, but that isn’t unusual for a smart bulb, especially one that costs just $13.
Best Color Smart Bulb: Lifx Color
Many smart bulbs say they have millions of colors, but Lifx goes one step further with billions of colors. It’s a pretty hard claim to verify, but the fact is that these bulbs do indeed have a brilliant range of colors that fill your room with sharp, vivid light.
✓ Extremely vivid and impressive range of colors✓ One bulb provides both tunable white and colored light✓ Works with all major voice assistants
✗ Bulbs can get hot on brightest setting✗ Unusual shape may not be appropriate for all lampshades
Our top pick for this category is the 1100 lumen bulb—which means it can get impressively bright—but you can save yourself some money and still enjoy vivid, colorful light by choosing the company’s 800-lumen bulb instead.
Lifx bulbs deliver all you’d expect from smart bulbs, including the ability to tune, schedule, group, use different presets to set the mood. Plus, they can be controlled with Siri, Alexa, or Google Assistant. No hub needed!
Lifx also offers smart bulbs that will beam out invisible infrared light to provide any smart cameras in the room the ability to pick up video clips more clearly. So, stepping into the Lifx ecosystem can be a wise move if you’re filming a lot of video content. Just make sure that the smart light can fit in your lampshade, as the wider bulb may not work in slimmer lamps.
Best Wi-Fi Smart Bulb: Sengled Smart Wi-Fi LED Light Bulb
✓ Affordable✓ No hub needed✓ 25,000 working hours
✗ Only supports 2. 4GHz Wi-Fi
Many users simply like the ability to power on smart bulbs remotely, but these are also dimmable from 1 to 100%, making it easy to find a setting that fits your needs regardless of the time of day. And if you prefer something a bit more festive, you can spring for the color-changing model that offers all the same functionality as the white bulb.
The biggest drawback to Sengled’s Smart Wi-Fi LED Light Bulb is the lack of 5GHz support. That means you’ll need to ensure you’re running a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network, although most households shouldn’t stumble upon any issues with this requirement.
Sengled says you can expect up to 25,000 working hours out of a single bulb, positioning them as one of the longest-lasting smart bulbs on the market. Considering they’re not too pricey (and can often be found on sale), these Wi-Fi compatible bulbs are a surprisingly good deal.
Best Bluetooth Smart Bulb: Govee Smart Bulb
Govee is one of the major players in the smart bulb scene, and it has a reputation for putting out affordable, reliable, and high-quality smart gadgets. The company’s smart bulbs are no exception.
✓ No hub or router needed✓ Can sync to music✓ Light color can be selected from photos
✗ Can’t control once beyond Bluetooth range✗ No voice control available
Thanks to the Govee Home app, these Bluetooth-enabled bulbs can be set up in a flash, and you can link up to six into individual groups. They also have built-in microphones that let the colors flash to the beat of your music have sunrise/sunset options that make the bulbs dim and brighten with the pattern of the sun.
One exciting feature of the Govee bulbs is that, using the app, you can pick any color from any photo on your phone and the bulb will beam out matching light. Plus, because these bulbs all work over Bluetooth, there is no hub needed.
Combine these features with a price point under $15, and it becomes clear why we chose these as our best Bluetooth pick. These bulbs also make a stronger runner-up in our best budget category.
