A smart light bulb can be customized, scheduled and wirelessly-controlled. "LED lighting is evolving to provide greater value," according to the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, and the benefits of smart lighting range from convenience to security to health.
Many smart bulbs are dimmable, color-changing and support Alexa and Google Home.
How Much Do Smart Light Bulbs Cost?
A good smart bulb (with verified, above-average reviews) costs approximately $14, according to a 12-month analysis of price trends. Those same WiFi bulbs cost around $10 while on sale: an average discount of 29%.
Are Smart Lights Worth It?
Smart bulbs aren't worth it from a financial perspective: A "dumb" A19 (60-watt equivalent) LED bulb can be bought for around $1.00. However, smart lights may be valuable in other ways.
For example, smart lighting may help people sleep better.
Research conducted by circadian neurophysiologist Shadab A. Rahman, PhD, MPH suggests that using color-changing bulbs in a bedroom environment may counteract the negative effects of "blue light."
LED lights emphasize blue wavelengths more than incandescent bulbs; "blue light can affect your sleep and potentially cause disease," according to Harvard Medical School researchers. They advise: "Use dim red lights for night lights. Red light has the least power to shift circadian rhythm and suppress melatonin."
The National Sleep Foundation suggests using smart bulbs "that can switch from a warm, reddish light to a cool, blue-hued one, depending on whether it’s night or day." Of course, using a dimmable incandescent bulb is a less-ironic way to reduce blue light exposure (that LEDs cause in the first place).
The earliest smart bulbs required a hub to work, but today, there are many "no-hub smart lights" that work as standalone devices. Smart lights are generally for indoor use, but some bulbs like the Philips Hue Lily are explicitly made to work outdoors and have security features like motion detection.
There are also bulbs that are designed for recessed lighting fixtures. All LED bulbs, smart or not, will have a shorter life in an enclosed fixture. "LEDs dim faster when they are in a hot environment," according to the Illuminating Engineering Society. And when lighting engineers say "dim," they mean die.
"An LED lamp reaches the end of its useful life when the light output has depreciated 70 percent of its stated output," according to the American Lighting Association. "Don't expect the bulb to burn out."
Things to Know Before Buying a Smart Bulb
A dimmable bulb allows the intensity of the light to be controlled. A tunable bulb allows the "white light" color temperature to be controlled, ranging between soft white (i.e. warm) and daylight (i.e. cool).
Most WiFi light bulbs must be connected to a router using its 2.4 GHz band. When 5 GHz devices are used on the same WiFi network, it can complicate the installation process.
A color-changing bulb's light output (denoted in lumens) is not consistent: Colored light is darker.
Just because a manufacturer claims that a bulb is a “60W equivalent” doesn’t mean that it is. A true 60-watt equivalent bulb outputs 800 lumens of brightness; some smart bulbs only output 500 lumens.
Many smart bulbs will lose connectivity after a power outage. For this reason, some bulbs require the wall switch to be in the "on" position (the bulbs are turned on and off using an app or voice assistant).
Here are the best cheap smart lights that are at least 800 lumens or brighter (i.e. 60W equivalent or more):
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1. Geeni LUX Edison Wi-Fi LED Edison Smart Light Bulb (2-Pack)
Good Value: $30 | Great Deal: $18
Check Current Price on: Amazon | Home Depot | Best Buy
Hub Required: No
Works With: Alexa, Google Assistant, Cortana
Geeni's "antique" smart bulbs are easy to set up and the Geeni app is simple to use, according to several online customers. Many reviewers caution that these bulbs flicker at low intensity and dim in a stair-step way.
2. Energizer Connect Smart A19 LED Bulb
Good Value: $13 | Great Deal: $10
Check Current Price on: Amazon | Home Depot | Walmart
Hub Required: No
Works With: Alexa, Google Home
Energizer's smart bulb is fun, bright and easy to customize, according to several online customers. Some reviewers had a hard time connecting this bulb to WiFi; others caution that this bulb is 2.4 GHz only.
3. Geeni Prisma 1050 Wi-Fi Multicolor Light Bulbs (2700K), 4-Pack
Good Value: $50 | Great Deal: $40
Check Current Price on: Amazon | Walmart | Home Depot
Hub Required: No
Works With: Alexa, Google Home, Cortana
Geeni's inexpensive smart lights are easy to pair with Alexa and Google Home, according to several online customers. Many reviewers wish these bulbs had brighter colors; others say the bulbs lose WiFi connectivity.
4. Wyze LED Smart Home Light Bulb 2-Pack
Good Value: $20 | Great Deal: $15
Check Current Price on: Amazon
Hub Required: No
Works With: Alexa, Google Home
Wyze's inexpensive smart bulbs are easy to set up and pair quickly with Alexa, according to several online customers who say these bulbs integrate well with other Wyze smart home products. Some reviewers warn that the instructions are vague; others complain that these bulbs occasionally drop their WiFi connection.
5. Kasa Smart Light Bulb KL130
Good Value: $27 | Great Deal: $16
Check Current Price on: Amazon | Walmart | Best Buy
Hub Required: No
Works With: Alexa, Google Home, Cortana
This color-changing Kasa smart bulb is easy to install and pairs well with Alexa, according to several online customers. Many reviewers wish these bulbs supported automatic color transitions and smoother dimming.
6. Globe Electric Smart Collection WiFi 10-Watt LED (2-Pack)
Good Value: $28 | Great Deal: $20
Check Current Price on: Amazon | Home Depot | Walmart
Hub Required: No
Works With: Alexa, Google Assistant
Globe's inexpensive smart bulbs are easy to install and pair with a voice assistant, according to several customers. Some reviewers complain that their bulbs flicker or intermittently drop their WiFi connection.
7. Sengled Smart Light Bulb Daylight (5000K)
Good Value: $10 | Great Deal: $8
Check Current Price on: Amazon
Hub Required: Yes
Works With: Alexa, Google Home, SmartThings
This budget Zigbee smart bulb works well with Alexa and Samsung SmartThings, according to several Amazon customers. Many disappointed reviewers bought these bulbs without realizing that they need a separate hub; some customers caution that these bulbs don't dim well (e.g. 1% brightness is still very bright).
8. Lumiman (A19) Smart WiFi Light Bulb 2-Pack, No Hub Required
Good Value: $25 | Great Deal: $16
Check Current Price on: Amazon
Hub Required: No
Works With: Alexa, Google Home
These inexpensive smart lights are a good Philips Hue alternative, according to several online customers who praised their bright light and vivid colors. Many reviewers advise using Smart Life, a third-party app, to control these light bulbs (because the recommended app doesn't work well with Alexa or Google Home).
9. 3Stone Smart (A21) Warm White Bulb
Good Value: $16 | Great Deal: $10
Check Current Price on: Amazon
Hub Required: No
Works With: Alexa, Google Home
These smart bulbs are bright like a 100W incandescent bulb and have a pleasant warm white tone, according to several online customers. Even happy reviewers say these bulbs are a pain to install (and some share their own instructions). A few customers say that the Alexa color-changing options are limited.