It seems like everyone is selling smart lighting products How to set smart lights so they don't bother everyone How to set smart lights so they don't bother everyone Sometimes all you want is a smart light bulb that does what it's supposed to do:turn on or off Sometimes it can be really hard to get your smart light to work properly! Learn More:From department stores and specialty stores to local food markets. And that doesn't say anything about the many online stores out there! With so many vendors selling these products, it should come as no surprise that more manufacturers are joining in on the fun. However, in doing so, it becomes increasingly difficult to tell the difference between one smart lighting solution and another.
Fortunately, we've done the research for you.
In this article, you'll learn the differences between the three most popular smart home lighting standards and see some examples of each. Then you'll have a better idea of which solutions are best for your home and lifestyle.
As I have written above, Philips Hue or LIFX? Choose the best smart light bulb for your home Philips Hue or LIFX? Choose the best smart light bulb for your home Are you overwhelmed by the number of smart lighting products available? Here you will find everything you need to know before choosing smart light bulbs for your home. Read More Unlike traditional LED bulbs, which are also energy efficient, smart lighting solutions offer automated controls that can make adjustments based on external conditions, such as the availability or availability of daylight.
To determine if a lighting product is smart, consider two simple gifts. First, the product will have "Smart" somewhere in its title. Second, look at the product description for the language that states it's controllable through an app.
Smart lighting products need to connect to your network and other devices wirelessly in some way. Increasingly, manufacturers have turned to one of three automation standards to make this happen:Bluetooth Smart, Wi-Fi, and ZigBee.
Bluetooth Smart (sometimes called Bluetooth Low Energy) was first introduced in 2011 as "Bluetooth 4.0." An extension of traditional Bluetooth, this standard is a wireless personal area network technology designed for applications in the home and in the health, fitness, and security industry.
As its name suggests, Bluetooth Smart uses very little power and operates on the 2.4GHz ISM band. As such, it has a short connection time with a high data rate. From there, it goes into "sleep mode" until a connection is reestablished, hence the reason it uses little power.
Pros: Unlike ZigBee, as you'll see below, you don't need to buy a separate hub to use Bluetooth Smart. Here's how Bluetooth will make your home artificially smart. Here's how Bluetooth will make your home artificially smart. , and its new geofencing-enabled plugs show some of the potential of what a smart home can really do. Read more light bulbs. Instead, you can use your smartphone or other controllers for communication. This solution makes sense if you don't care which brand of smart lighting products you buy or would like to mix and match. On average, the price of Bluetooth smart lights is lower than those using other protocols.
Cons: Bluetooth Smart does not allow you to control devices when it is out of range. In other words, you can't control your lights outside of your home. Instead, you need to program them to turn on/off at certain times BEFORE you leave the house.
Another limitation:Bluetooth Smart only allows 1-to-1 connections, which means a bulb can only connect to one phone at a time. So if you're in a house with multiple devices, only one of them can connect and control the bulbs at a time.
The Illumina lighting collection Includes various types of bulbs. Like other solutions highlighted here, Ilumi bulbs don't require a hub or bridge.
The Ilumi Smart Lighting app includes various presets and effects, boost and brightness features, and the ability to sync to music. Better yet, the app lets you set a default color and brightness level when you turn on the bulb with a light switch.
The Flow Bluetooth Smart LED Light Bulb It is a multi-color, Bluetooth-enabled smart LED light that can be controlled with a smartphone or tablet. The flow bulb is $35 (or $100 for three). This bulb features a sunrise mode that can gently wake you up every morning.
Looking for something a little different?? MagicLight Bluetooth bulbs are dimmable, energy efficient, and available in multiple bulb styles starting at just $28 per bulb.
When you think of home networks, you're almost certainly thinking of Wi-Fi. This protocol is how most of us connect our many devices to the outside world, including computers, mobile devices, smart TVs, game controllers, and much more.
Wi-Fi requires a lot of processing power, which isn't a problem for devices you can recharge overnight. However, it has not always been the ideal solution for smart home products. Future Smart Home Trends and the Products You'll Use Future Smart Home Trends and the Products You'll Use It's time to jump into your time machine. You are about to find out what could be the biggest trends in the smart home industry in 2021 and the products you could be using. Read More In recent years, however, Wi-Fi solutions have grown in popularity thanks to improved energy efficiency.
Pros: Wi-Fi bulbs will work as long as there is a Wi-Fi connection. Plus, because Wi-Fi connects to the Internet, you can control these lights from anywhere on the planet.
Cons: If your Wi-Fi goes down for whatever reason, you can't control these bulbs. And it's important to note that Wi-Fi lights are generally more expensive than other solutions.
LIFX offers a complete line of smart lighting solutions, including A19 and BR30. In addition to offering 16 million color options, the new LIFX+ lineup includes infrared capabilities, which enhance the view of your home security camera.
With the Flux WiFi Smart LED Light Bulb Second Edition, you can connect up to 50 bulbs from your Flux Wifi Pro app. You can control these bulbs individually or when they are grouped together.
Would you rather have an all-in-one solution? TP-LINK offers a complete line of Wi-Fi smart lighting solutions, including white, color changing and dimming bulbs. These start at as little as $35 each.
Perhaps the most common smart home wireless standard is Zigbee. Like Bluetooth Smart, it requires little power consumption. Also, because the standard works like a mesh network, are mesh networks the future of the Internet? Are mesh networks the future of the internet? Mesh networks are powerful decentralized networks that can change the way we use the Internet. This is how they work. Read More
Unlike Wi-Fi, which requires a router, mesh networks allow each device to have a wireless signal. By doing so, the devices can communicate with each other more directly. When a device goes offline, alternate paths remain that allow the entire system to remain online.
Pros: You can use ZigBee Light Link to connect hundreds of smart home devices at the same time, while Bluetooth Smart has limits, at least for now.
Cons: The biggest criticism leveled at ZigBee is that it requires an intelligent hub for communication. These hubs typically add about $50 to the cost of your smart lighting solution. But for many users, $50 is a small price to pay for alleviating connection difficulties.
The Cree Connected LED Bulb It produces a soft white light and is one of the least expensive bulbs on the market. Once installed, these bulbs are easily dimmed or brightened via an app.
The new line of lighting products from IKEA., TRÅDFRI , Includes LED bulbs, dimming kits, remote controls and more. Each is reasonably priced compared to other solutions.
Finally, there is the granddaddy of them all, the Philips Hue smart lighting system.
First introduced in 2012, the lineup now includes three types of smart lighting products in various shapes, sizes and models.
White and color tone lights provide the most complete experience, offering unlimited colors and the ability to sync with music, TV and games.
Philips Hue white ambience products offer a range of natural white light and are ideal for rooms where you want to focus, read and relax. Philips Hue White products provide convenience, dimming lighting for the least amount of money.
There are two other important points worth mentioning, and each has to do with compatibility.
First, it is important to know that some lighting systems offer more than one standard. The most obvious example of this is Philips Hue, which, in addition to being Zigbee compatible, also works with Wi-Fi.
Second, thanks to IFTTT, even smart lighting products that use different standards can work together. In other words, even if they're not compatible, your smart lighting solutions could come together using this free web and app-based service.
When it comes to selecting a smart lighting solution for your home, I think it ultimately comes down to answering two questions. First, do you want the ability to control your lights outside of your home? And second, what are you willing to spend? How to turn your lights on or off cheaply with your phone How to turn your lights on or off cheaply with your phone In this article, you'll learn about the many ways to control your lights. at home with your phone You'll also see how each solution compares in terms of price. Read more ?
If you like the convenience of turning lights on/off with your smartphone but don't see the need to do this outside your home, take a look at Bluetooth Smart solutions. You will find that these are the least expensive on the market.
If you're more into being cutting-edge, you can't go wrong with Wi-Fi or Zigbee, though remember that the latter requires you to purchase a separate hub.
In my house, you will find a mixture of smart lighting products that use different protocols. No, this is not a perfect solution, but it grew slowly over time, both for convenience and because of changing technology.
Smart lighting products, like the smart home market in general, continue to evolve and there is no telling what the future holds. In five years, for example, we may be left with only one standard, rather than many. Or maybe things will go the other way, and we'll deal with more standards.
The bottom line? Take your time, compare and find the most suitable solution for your situation.
Which smart lighting solution do you use and why? Use the comments below and let us know.
