Smart home bulbs
Consider your smart bulb as the new way of bringing light into your home, whether automatically turning on when it gets dark or making it look like you are home when you are not.
Do you want to impress your visitors? Walking into your home and saying “ hey Google, lights on” will certainly do that.
Your smart home bulb is not a gimmick, controlled by voice and app. You no longer need to be stumbling around in the dark to find the light switch, and smart bulbs are an excellent aid for those who struggle with tasks around the home.
Smart bulb information
Smart bulbs are highly efficient as they are LED rather than the historic incandescent bulb. Some smart bulbs can save up to 60% more energy than standard filament bulbs, making them a great energy saving option.
Many of us are suspicious about smart technology listening to what we are talking about, and smart bulbs are no different.
One day you’re talking about something and then the next day you get an ad on your phone.
Though it may seem like your smart bulb is listening to you, it’s actually only listening for the ‘wake word’, whatever word(s) you use to ask your smart speaker something – ‘Hey Google’ or ‘Alexa’.
It may seem that the upfront cost can negate any savings, but most pay for themselves in the space of a year. A smart bulb’s typical lifespan is 23,000 hours (approximately ten years) which will help reduce your energy bills compared to a traditional incandescent bulb.
In general, you can connect most smart devices to a smart bulb. Using the same brand is always beneficial as they will work together and saves the need for multiple apps and set ups. Smart bulbs will typically be associated with a partnered app, allowing complete control over the bulb/s. Most brands of smart bulbs are compatible with Google and Amazon products, but it is always worth double checking.
Even if you can’t natively connect two different smart home devices, you can use technology to bridge the gap between them by using something like IFTTT (If This Then That). To program how you want the two products to connect.