The Philips Hue LED lighting system is a pioneer in smart home products. When it was launched in 2012, the color-changing light bulbs were named the Best Product of the Year by Forbes. Four years later, there's no denying that Philips Hue is still one of the most popular smart home products available. They are also among the most expensive smart bulbs on the market.
In this article, you'll learn about some of the less expensive alternatives to Philips Hue and see how they compare.
Philips Hue is a selection of smart LED light bulbs that can be controlled via iOS devices and Apple Watch Apple Watch gadgets to control your smart home Apple Watch Gadgets to control your smart home Although primarily used for health, the Apple Watch is also You can extend control of your smart home devices beyond smartphones. In this article, we will take a look at the best smart home apps compatible with Apple Watch. Read more . With Philips Hue, you can choose from 16 million colors with the official Hue app.
In 2016, Philips Hue offered three types of smart lighting products that come in different shapes, sizes, and models. White and color tone lights provide a complete experience, offering unlimited colors and the ability to sync with your music, TV and games.
Philips Hue White Ambiance Smart Bulb Starter Kit (2 A19 bulbs 1 Hub and 1 Dimmer works with Alexa Apple HomeKit and Google Assistant) Philips Hue White Ambiance Smart Bulb Starter Kit (2 A19 bulbs 1 Hub and 1 Dimmer works with Alexa Apple HomeKit and Google Assistant) Buy Now On Amazon $122.55
Philips Hue white ambiance products offer a wide range of natural white light and are ideal for rooms where you want to focus, read and relax. How Smart Lighting Affects Your Health (According to Science) How Smart Lighting Affects Your Health (According to Science) Various scientific studies have indicated many influences of lighting on our mental and physical health. Fortunately, smart lighting can help you achieve all of these benefits in a few simple steps. Read more . Finally, Philips Hue White products offer comfortable dimming lighting for the least amount of money.
To get started with Philips Hue 6 ways to make Philips Hue Lights more useful 6 ways to make Philips Hue Lights more useful Read More The Philips Hue White A19 Starter Kit (UK) is priced at $70, while the Philips Hue White Ambiance A19 Starter Kit is available for $130. The Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance A19 Starter Kit is $180 .
You can add up to 50 Philips Hue lights to your setup, regardless of the type of bulbs in your starter pack. Individual bulbs range in price from $15 for a Philips Hue White A19 to $50 for a Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance A19.
The following products offer many of the same features found with Philips Hue, but at a lower price.
The most complete alternative to Philips Hue is the Belkin WeMo LED Lighting Starter Set. Priced at around $100, the kit includes two WeMo Smart LED Bulbs and a WeMo Link. With this kit, you can add up to 50 WeMo-compatible smart LED bulbs and control them individually or as a group using the WeMo app for iOS and Android.
Belkin WeMo doesn't just connect with WeMo bulbs. It also works with lighting products from companies like Osram and Sylvania, including the Osram Lightify Tunable White 60, the colorful Osram Lightify FLEX RGBW, and the general purpose Cree BA19.
LIFX offers a line of Wi-Fi enabled, multi-color, energy efficient light bulbs that don't need a separate bridge to work. Instead, each LIFX bulb has a built-in Wi-Fi microcontroller that connects remotely to your home router.
The price of these bulbs varies considerably, from $30 for the LIFX White Range bulb (UK) to $60 for the LIFX all-in-one bulb (UK). For $80, you can purchase a LIFX+ bulb, which helps illuminate your space, even in the dark using infrared.
Router company TP-Link offers a wide range of smart light bulbs that don't require a separate hub or bridge. These bulbs are compatible with iOS and Android devices through the free Kasa app.
TP-Link bulbs range in price from $25 for the Dimmable White Wi-Fi Smart LED Bulb to $50 for the High-End Hue-Changing Color Smart LED Bulb.
Flux (UK) is a Bluetooth-enabled, multicolored smart LED light that can be controlled with a smartphone or tablet. The flow bulb is $35 or $100 for three.
Flux Bluetooth Smart Light Bulb - Color Changing Light Bulb - Sunrise Wake Up Light - Dimmable LED Bulbs - App Controlled Wireless Sleep Light - No Hub Required Bluetooth Smart Light Bulb - Color Changing Light Bulb Color - Sunrise Wake Up Light - Dimmable LED Bulbs - App Controlled Wireless Sleep Light - No Hub Required Buy Now on Amazon
Like other products on this list, Flux doesn't require a separate hub to operate.
The Nyrius Smart Multicolor LED Light Bulb is one of the most affordable products on our list. The full-featured Bluetooth-enabled bulb is only $15.
To use a Nyrius bulb, simply screw it into any standard socket and download the free Nyrius app.
The $55 GE Link Starter Kit features two A19 LED bulbs and a Link hub. For now, these are only available in smooth white and bright white. You control GE Link bulbs using the Wink mobile app.
GE Link Starter Kit, 1 Socket &2 A19 Bulbs, Soft White (2700K), 65 Watt Equivalent, Works with Alexa. GE Link Starter Kit, 1 Socket &2 A19 Bulbs, Soft White (2700K), 65 Watt Equivalent, Works with Alexa Buy Now on Amazon
GE Link bulbs start around $16.
Lucero Smart Bulb can be customized through the Lucero Smart Bulb app. These affordable smart bulbs are available for around $30 each and offer a color palette of more than 16 million colors and a variety of shades of white.
When looking for smart light bulbs, you need to decide if you want lights that can change colors or only offer shades of white. With Philips Hue, the price difference How LED lighting can save you a lot of money How LED lighting can save you a lot of money Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) are now among the most energy efficient lighting technologies, but how much can you expect to save? And is it really worth changing? Read More With the others, it's less clear.
For example, at $35, the Flux Bulb is reasonably priced if you're looking for colorful lighting. 7 Creative Uses for Color LED Home Automation Lighting. 7 Creative Uses for Color LED Home Automation Lighting. Turning your lights on automatically is certainly cool, but it doesn't. Don't take advantage of the full spectrum of colors available with RGB lighting. For that, we need to be creative. Read more . However, if you just want to add white, less expensive options are available.
On pricing alone, the Nyrius bulb is the best option on this list. For just $15, you can select from millions of colors. The biggest drawback:you can only add seven Nyrius bulbs to your location.
The bottom line: Switching to smart lighting can be a relatively expensive process. To maximize your investment, decide ahead of time whether you plan to eventually replace all of your bulbs or just some of them. If you decide the former, Philips Hue is probably still the best way to go. Otherwise, look for less expensive solutions that are readily available.
What kind of smart light bulbs do you use in your home? Use the comments below to let us know.
