The best smart light enables you to create the perfect atmosphere in your home at any moment without having to get up from your seat. Whether you want to brighten or dim the light, switch it on or off or change the color it illuminates, all you need in your smartphone.
The best smart light can also be a handy tool when it comes to saving energy (and money). Designed to replace your existing incandescent bulbs, most smart lights are LED models that burn less energy. Even better, while some smart light bulbs use Bluetooth so they can only be controlled when you’re nearby, many smart lighting options feature Wi-Fi so they can be switched on or off no matter where you are. This means if you’re forgetful you can turn the lights off remotely rather than leaving them running until you get home, wasting electricity.
One of the most affordable smart home devices on the market, smart lighting can also be controlled by your voice using one of the best smart speakers or smart displays, which can make it even simpler to use. Smart lights can also be set to work with other gadgets to automate your home; for example, they can be set to illuminate at the same time as the smart thermostat raises the temperature a few degrees and appliances connected to smart plugs spring into life, creating a warm, cozy ambiance in the evening.
Smart lights are often heavily discounted during Black Friday and Cyber Monday – in previous years we’ve seen savings of anywhere from 20% to 50% on an array of models from brands such as Philips Hue, LIFX, and Nanoleaf. Discounts can be found at retailers such as Amazon, as well as Best Buy and Walmart in the US, and Currys and AO.com in the UK.
If you’re keen to get your smart home kickstarted before the festive period, then we’d recommend snapping up a deal sooner rather than later, due to the ongoing supply chain issues. However, if you’re looking to get the best price possible, it’s worth hanging on for Black Friday and Cyber Monday itself.
There’s a wide range of brands offering smart lighting right now with price points to suit all budgets, which may leave you confused as to exactly which you should choose? To help you decide, we’ve bathed our homes in light to put a plethora of designs to the test, to discover just which is the best smart light you can buy right now.
The best smart light of 2021
The Nanoleaf Shapes take the concept of lighting and turn it base-over-apex. Using a collection of hexagonal and triangular panels, you create a dynamic shape on your wall (or ceiling, or both) that can shift through over 16 million different colors.
What’s more, the panels can glow solid colors or can transition at different speeds through colors to create a unique lighting effect in your home. On top of that, you can set the panels to react to touch or even music playing in your surroundings, putting you in the centre of your own music video.
The original set comes with nine panels, all of which are the same shape, but you have the option to add more and you can mix and match the different shapes. We admit these plastic panels don’t look particularly attractive when they’re not illuminated, so if you’re after a more stylish look at all times; Nanoleaf Elements in a version of the hexagonal panels that have a wood-like veneer on them. They’re also difficult to remove once mounted,
Don’t like the sound of hexagons and triangles? Nanoleaf Canvas are square-shaped light panels but they can’t be combined with Nanoleaf Shapes, unfortunately.
Read the full review: Nanoleaf Shapes
How we test smart lights
What to consider when buying a smart light
What to consider when buying a smart light
When it comes to selecting the right smart lights for you, there are a number of considerations you must make before choosing a particular model.
Start by checking the type of fitting the smart light bulb has and whether it’s compatible with your existing lighting or if you’ll need to buy adapters. Also decide whether you want lights that glow one static shade or offer different tones of white, or even a multitude of colors to ensure you create the lighting effects you want in your home.
Now consider how bright the smart light bulbs are. The brightness of LED bulbs is measured in lumens unlike incandescent bulbs, which are measured in watts. With incandescent bulbs, higher wattage means a brighter light but as LED bulbs are more power efficient that’s no longer the case. As a guide an 800 lumen LED bulb gives off the same amount of light as a 60w incandescent bulb, while to replace a 40w bulb with light of a similar brightness, look for an LED option that offers 450 lumens.
Some smart light bulbs connect to the internet via Wi-Fi and can be controlled when you’re at home, and when you’re not around. However, other models use Bluetooth and require extra kit if you want to switch them on and off remotely.
It’s also worth noting that not all smart lights integrate with all voice assistants, so if you already have Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri (through Apple Homekit) in your home consider whether the smart lights you’ve selected are compatible.
Also consider whether they will work with other smart home devices you have installed, such as home security cameras, video doorbells and smart lights.
Are smart lights worth the money?
Smart light bulbs are more expensive than traditional incandescent bulbs, which may leave you wondering if they are worth the money. However, we think they very much are worth it.
As we’ve already mentioned, the best smart light bulbs are LED, which have a longer lifespan than their incandescent counterparts. On top of that they also use less energy, which is not only good for the environment, but also has less of an impact on your wallet too. When you couple this with a longer lifespan, the investment in smart lights is most definitely worth it.
How do smart light bulbs work?
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