The Best Smart Bulbs to Light Up Your Life (2024)

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Nena Farrell

Gear

An internet-connected light bulb is one of the easiest ways to start building a smarter home. Here are the best we’ve tested.

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The Best Smart Bulbs to Light Up Your Life (3)

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Cync Full Color Direct Connect Smart Bulb

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The Best Smart Bulbs to Light Up Your Life (4)

A Great White-Only Bulb

Wyze Bulb White

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The Best Smart Bulbs to Light Up Your Life (5)

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Remember the allure of the Clapper? No more getting out of bed to hit the light switch! It seemed cutting edge on ’80s late-night infomercials, but thankfully technology has come a long way since then (though you can still buy it). You can now control the lights, set timers and schedules, and change colors with your smartphone or your voice if you have a voice assistant—no clapping required.

Smart bulbs are a great place to start when creating a smart home. Most options are relatively cheap, they’re easy to install, and they're something you use every day already. Plus, there are no cameras or door locks for someone to hack into and no wiring to mess with. Do you want to try voice controls? Consider getting a smart speaker or smart display, but you can always use the smart bulb’s app.

I test each model of bulb for one to five days on two small Ikea lamps in my living room, with the tests lasting longer when the bulbs perform well in earlier tests. My tests start with color tests for vibrancy, color range, and brightness, paying special attention to how easy the app controls are. I then connect each bulb to my full smarthome setup and smart speakers (depending on compatibility). Of the dozens of bulbs I've tested over the years, these are the best smart bulbs.

Updated June 2024: We've added Lifx A19 bulbs as our pick for Apple Home users and Philips Hue Soft Warm White bulbs as our recommendation for smart filament bulbs.

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  • The Best Smart Bulbs to Light Up Your Life (7)

Nena Farrell covers consumer tech at WIRED and specializes in smart home products and parenting gear. She previously wrote for Wirecutter and Sunset. She lives in San Diego, where she can be found pushing her child around in various strollers.

Writer and Reviewer

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    The Best Smart Bulbs to Light Up Your Life (2024)

    FAQs

    The Best Smart Bulbs to Light Up Your Life? ›

    Best smart home wake-up light: Philips Hue White Smart Bulb

    Another showing on this list from Philips, the Hue line of lightbulbs are amongst the most popular smart home-enabled bulbs on Amazon.

    What is the best light bulb to wake you up to? ›

    Best smart home wake-up light: Philips Hue White Smart Bulb

    Another showing on this list from Philips, the Hue line of lightbulbs are amongst the most popular smart home-enabled bulbs on Amazon.

    What light bulb gives the most light? ›

    LED Versus Incandescent Bulbs

    These high-efficiency bulbs emit more lumens per watt and last 20 times longer than incandescent bulbs. A 10W LED bulb produces as much light as a 60W incandescent bulb. LED bulbs are suitable for hard-to-reach areas, since they don't need to be changed very often.

    What are the best light bulbs to make your house brighter? ›

    Fluorescent bulbs are good for locations where you prefer bright, continuous light, such as in offices and kitchens. Incandescent bulbs provide a warm light, so people often use them in bedrooms and desk lamps. LED bulbs are bright and long lasting, and some use less energy than incandescent bulbs.

    What is the best light bulb for human eyes? ›

    Traditional incandescent bulbs are fine, but many people are looking for a more energy efficient option. Luckily, “warm light” CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lights) are okay for your eyes, as well as being much more efficient. They do emit UV rays, but a much smaller amount. You can also use LED bulbs or halogens.

    What LED Colour is best for waking up? ›

    Blue light and bright lights promote alertness, wakefulness, and inhibit the secretion of melatonin.

    Which bulb will glow most? ›

    The bulb which draws maximum power will glow more as compared to other and current is inversely proportional to resistance. Hence, the dim bulb will have higher resistance, and one which glows brighter than the other will have less resistance.

    What light bulb is most like sunlight? ›

    For vibrant light to work in, choose daylight bulbs. These bulbs emit a bright, cool light that is close to the sun's natural light.

    What is the world's most energy-efficient light bulb? ›

    LED bulbs are the most energy-efficient option, followed by CFLs, halogen bulbs, and incandescent bulbs.

    What are the disadvantages of smart lights? ›

    The biggest disadvantage of smart light bulbs is that they're much more expensive than regular lightbulbs. As of this writing, a standard incandescent bulb costs about a dollar, while a non-smart LED light bulb costs around $5. A smart bulb costs around $15 each, and that's not counting additional hub expenses.

    What is the best use of smart bulbs? ›

    5 Ways to Use Smart Lighting
    • Protect your home while on vacation. Almost every smart plug, switch, and lightbulb on the market can be automated with an app. ...
    • Track your power consumption. ...
    • Set up alerts around the house. ...
    • Tailor lighting to how you use the room. ...
    • Create a DIY Motion Sensor.

    What smart bulb to get? ›

    Our top pick, the AiDot Linkind Matter Smart Light Bulb, costs $20, displays 16 million colors and a range of white tones, and works with multiple smart home automation platforms.

    What are the best light bulbs for health? ›

    We suggest using incandescent or halogen bulbs throughout the day + night if you're after a greater sense of well-being. Also - unlike most harshly flickering LED or fluorescent bulbs - incandescents (and color-correct halogens like Chromalux®) will also be the healthiest type of light for your eyes!

    Which light bulb will shine the brightest? ›

    • An LED bulb is about 6 times brighter than an incandescent bulb at the same wattage.
    • A CFL bulb is about 4 times brighter than an incandescent bulb at the same wattage.
    Aug 5, 2021

    What type of bulb gives the best light? ›

    Light-emitting diode bulbs—LEDs—are the most energy-efficient choice, and the primary type of light bulb available now. These bulbs do not get hot to the touch and contain no mercury (unlike fluorescent bulbs and CFLs).

    What is the best kind of light to wake up to? ›

    What is the best color light to wake up to? To simulate the sun's brightness, most wake-up lights are yellow. This energizing color is one that your body is naturally inclined to associate with morning. Colors like purple and red are often used for simulating the sunset, and may be more conducive to falling asleep.

    What lights are best to keep you awake? ›

    Bright and cool-colored light can make it harder for the body to transition to a sleepy state. In contrast to warm colors that may help with sleep, cooler colors signal to the body that it is time to wake up. View Source . Since cool light encourages attention and alertness, it may prevent sleep if viewed at night.

    What light makes you the most sleepy? ›

    Research studies discovered red to be the best color light to help you sleep, because it increases production of melatonin as well as full darkness.

    What is the lamp that wakes you up naturally? ›

    Lumie wake-up lights are like a personal sunrise, a gradually brightening light that gently rouses you from sleep so that you feel naturally wide awake, more energised and ready for the day ahead.At bedtime, a fading sunset creates an environment where sleep comes easily, leaving you rested and refreshed when you next ...

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