Smart lighting is one of the best, and easiest, ways to upgrade your home. Investing in just a handful of bulbs or a couple of light strips can transform the character of any space, add the convenience of automated lighting to any room – and, with some smart home automation magic, even help to improve your sleep.
Naturally, smart lights are more expensive than normal bulbs. But the beauty of a smart lighting system is that it can be built up gradually, from a single bulb or light strip, to illuminating a whole room or even your entire home – garden included.
In this guide we’ll cover everything you need to know about smart lighting, from how it works, to which products are available, and give you advice on how to pick the right system. We’ll also include a handful of easy smart lighting projects to get you started.
Which system should I use?
Before you buy a single bulb, you should work out which smart lighting system you’re going to build. Each has its strengths and weaknesses but, crucially, different smart lighting systems are not generally compatible with each other. So, once you’ve made your decision, you should stick with that one system for the best end result.
The obvious answer here is Philips Hue, since it is arguably the most well-known smart lighting system, and it has one of the broadest selection of bulbs, strips, switches and other accessories.
But that doesn’t mean you should ignore the competition. There are some great options available from Govee, Sengled, Wyze, Nanoleaf, LIFX, Ikea and both the Tapo and Kasa systems from TP-Link. Take a look at our roundup of the best smart lights for some great options we recommend.
Unlike Hue, some of these systems (like Govee and TP-Link Tapo) don’t require a hub to connect them to the internet and your phone. Nanoleaf produces decorative LED light panels – something that Philips Hue doesn’t offer – and some Govee lights offer music-syncing with a built-in microphone.
Are my existing sockets and switches compatible?
Probably, yes. Most smart lighting systems include bulbs with the common B22 (bayonet), E14/26/27 (Edison screw) and GU10 (spotlight) fitting types. These directly replace your existing bulbs and are powered by the same wiring and wall switch.
Many smart light systems also include LED strips with adhesive for sticking under furniture or to the back of your television or computer monitor. Other types of smart light include tall, floor-standing LED sticks, vintage filament bulbs, weatherproof outdoor lighting for external walls and the garden, table lamps, ceiling-mounted panels and even multicolored rope lights for your Christmas tree.
In almost all cases, these lights either use your existing wiring or plug into a wall outlet. Some, like Philips Hue’s portable Go range, have rechargeable batteries.
Smart bulbs that use your existing sockets can be controlled by your regular wall switches. However, switching the light off will disconnect it from the rest of your system, since it is no longer receiving any power at all. The simplest solution is to leave your wall switches on, then control the smart lights using their own wireless switches (or use the relevant smartphone app).
There are alternative solutions. For example, Philips Hue sells a wall switch module that installs in the cavity behind an existing light switch. This module effectively rewires the switch so that it still turns the bulb on and off, but even in the off position power is sent to the bulb to keep it connected to the rest of your Hue system. It’s then possible, via the Hue app, to configure the module to control a single bulb, or a whole room or zone.
What devices do I need?
A smart lighting system can begin with a single bulb. TP-Link’s Tapo and Kasa bulbs work on their own, with no hub or bridge required. So, too, do bulbs from Govee, LIFX, Wiz and Sengled. These all use either Wi-Fi or Bluetooth to connect to their corresponding smartphone app.
Many recent Philips Hue bulbs also have Bluetooth and can be controlled directly from your phone too, but there are limitations with this setup. To unlock all features of Hue’s smart lights (including Apple HomeKit support, remote access for when you’re away from home, and compatibility with accessories like switches and sensors) you’ll need to buy the Hue Bridge, which plugs into your Wi-Fi router and connects wirelessly to all Hue products.
All smart lighting systems can be controlled by a phone app, but many also offer physical switches to add convenience. These are wireless, but can often be wall-mounted. More advanced smart light switches include dimmers and buttons for quickly setting a bunch of lights to a pre-configured color, temperature and brightness.
Voice control is also possible, since many smart lighting systems are compatible with Amazon Alexa, Google Home and Apple’s HomeKit platform. With that set up, you can say things like “Alexa, turn on the kitchen light” or “Hey Google, turn down the living room lights”.
What can smart lighting do?
Broadly speaking, there are two types of smart lightbulb.
One can change brightness and color temperature (ranging from a cool blue light, through bright white and yellow, to a warm orange).
The other, more expensive, type of bulb can do all that, plus change to any other color you can imagine to set a particular mood. Our guide to the different types of Philips Hue bulbs explains the concept in more depth.
Beyond that, there are LED light strips that can be set to one or multiple colors at once, lights that respond to sound, and lights that react to whatever’s on your television. For the latter, Govee’s system uses a camera to see what colors are on the screen, and where; the Philips Hue equivalent uses a box that plugs into your TV and connects to input devices like games consoles and video streamers to create the same effect.
As well as creating fun lighting effects, smart lighting serves many useful purposes around the home. Motion sensors can be used to control specific lights – turning on a light strip fitted beneath a cabinet to temporarily illuminate the bathroom at night, for example, or lighting installed inside a wardrobe.
Some smart light systems, like Philips Hue, TP-Link, Wiz and Govee, have modes that make your home appear occupied, acting as a useful burglar deterrent while you’re away. Many also let you create your own custom lighting schedule, and can be controlled via an app while you’re away.
Smart lighting can also be configured to dim at night, creating a cozy atmosphere before you go to bed, then gradually brighten to simulate a sunrise the next morning.
When paired with blackout blinds this can work well as a gentler alternative to an alarm clock, and is especially useful during the winter months, since you can set a time for the lights to come on and how long they take to reach full brightness.
Can smart lighting be automated?
Yes. As well as the aforementioned mimic mode that acts as a burglar deterrent, smart lighting can be added to broader smart home automation systems. With platforms like IFTTT, SmartThings and Home Assistant (plus additional devices like smart plugs) you can have a light turn green when your washing machine has finished, or flash a light when someone rings your doorbell.
Another automation could see your office lights increase their brightness (or an extra light turn on) when you have a video meeting scheduled in your calendar.
But for most users, smart lighting unlocks the ability to change the brightness and temperature of bulbs to create beautiful ambient lighting throughout your home. It’s also an easy way to bring convenient app and voice control to your lights, mimic presence while you’re away, and add a new dimension to gaming sessions and movie night.
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