Things to consider before buying new smart bulbs – Times of India

Smart light bulbs can help you find your way around the living space without injuring yourself in the dark looking for the switch. If you arrive home late at night or if you require some extra assistance around the house, smart light bulbs can turn out to be very useful in such cases. These bulbs are just like any other regular light bulbs, but can be monitored remotely by voice, mobile apps or Bluetooth.
If you intend to set up your house with smart home products, smart light bulbs can be a great place to start. Smart light bulbs are easy to use and install, that makes them an ideal starting point into the arena of home automation. However, before you decide to buy new smart light bulbs, these are the things that you need to consider before getting one.
Setting up a smart bulb is not difficult
It is usually easy to install a smart light bulb, as you just have to remove the traditional bulbs and fit in the new smart light bulbs in place of them. It doesn’t need any wireless connection to access the bulb’s smart home capabilities as it can connect directly to your home Wi-Fi. Some bulbs don’t even need a bridge or hub to reach your Wi-Fi network, all you have to do is plug it into your old bulb socket and the integrated app guides you through the rest of the set-up.
There are other smart light bulbs that need a corresponding hub to set up. A smart hub works as the mediator between the bulb and the wireless router. In this case, you have to connect the bridge to the Wi-Fi router and when the indicated lights appear on the bridge you can complete the setup process by downloading the corresponding app. Although, it is important to note that this exact setup process may vary among brands.
The third way to set up the smart light bulb is by connecting it with Bluetooth. Again, the exact setup process in this method also varies among brands and always make sure to read the manual before trying to connect the bulbs.
Know how a smart bulb works
There are some smart light bulbs that can be monitored through an app that is available to install on your mobile devices. Other smart light bulbs can connect to smart speakers that are enabled with an assistive voice such as Amazon Echo, Google Home and Apple’s HomePod. Nevertheless, most smart light bulbs can be monitored both via voice and app. So, make sure you read the instructions that come with your smart light bulbs thoroughly and there you will find brand-specific information about which app to download and how to set them up with your smart speaker.
It is also important to note that you can use your smart light bulbs the traditional way by using a normal switch. This helps when the Wi-Fi network is down or if it is your habit to flip the switch whenever you enter the house. However, if the physical light switch is off, the bulb won’t work remotely. There are some smart bulbs that can use your phone’s GPS to turn on the lights as you approach your door.
How durable are smart bulbs
All the smart light bulbs are LEDs (light-emitting diode) and can be expected to last way longer than the traditional tungsten bulbs. LED bulbs also consume 90 per cent less energy compared to the tungsten ones and might also help you to reduce the energy bill if you replace all your traditional bulbs with the new smart ones.
Worth the cost?
Upgrading to smart light bulbs might look like having a hefty initial cost but it doesn’t have to be like that always. You can buy a single smart light bulb which will cost you a lot less than buying an entire smart home light fixture. Before making any big investments in them there are some important factors to consider which include — the number of smart light bulbs you want to start with, where do you want to place them and if you want to start with a couple of bulbs before buying a bigger set-up.
There are some brands that sell smart lighting starter kits that include– bulbs, hubs, switches, and other accessories important for set up. You can also save some money by buying this package and they are also easy to set up, offer a list of features and are usually compatible with an app that helps you to control the whole system. Moreover, all smart home bulbs are LED, so it will decrease your overall cost of electricity bill eventually.
How useful are smart bulbs
Smart light bulbs can do much more than just turn the lights on and off, especially if it is connected to a smart speaker with voice assistants like — Alexa, Siri or Google Home. You can create a lighting scene, dim the lights or even set your lights on a schedule, with just a tap of a button or a simple command.
You can schedule your lights if you’re going away for a long time and want others to know that you’re actually at home. Some smart bulbs come with a vacation mode that helps them to learn and mimic your behaviour when you’re away.
Different colours
Smart light bulbs can also help you to add more colours to your space. In some smart bulbs, you can set the bulbs to a specific colour that will help you wake up in the morning, go to bed at night and will also be compatible with Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant.
Colourful smart home bulbs also allow you to change the colour tone according to your mood or an event like a birthday party. You can also set some smart light bulbs to change colour at specific times through a compatible app.
The convenience factor
You can use smart light bulbs to make your daily life more convenient and it doesn’t matter if your house is 100 years old or is a newly constructed one. These smart bulbs can be used in lamps, installed in pre-existing light fixtures and anywhere you can install a traditional bulb.
User friendliness
Smart light bulbs are also available in a number of shapes and sizes that can be used both indoors and outdoors. The various types of smart light bulbs include Edison lights, floodlights, recessed lights and others. These bulbs also come in different wattages like 40W, 60W and 100W. Smart light bulbs can be the perfect way to start making your home smarter and more convenient.