Pros: Setup is relatively simple with the bulb approach, and it's easy to move a bulb to a new fixture if needed. You can also incorporate many of these bulbs into a larger smart home setup by using a dedicated hub like the ones you'll find in systems like SmartThings and Staples Connect. You can also connect Osram Lightify LEDs with the WeMo plug-in bridge, then control them alongside Belkin's LEDs in the WeMo app. The Philips Hue bridge is probably the best example of a proprietary controller that works surprisingly well with third-party bulbs, including those $15 GE and Cree bulbs.
The good thing is that you've got a growing number of options on the low end, and, in many cases, you can mix and match between different brands under a single control device. The price per bulb varies, too, ranging from that $15 mark up to $50 or $60 for higher end models that change colors on demand. The price on these kits can vary - a two-bulb kit from TCP goes for about $50, while a three-bulb Philips Hue kit will set you back $200. Many options here offer some sort of starter kit with a bridge or hub included. Your phone doesn't speak ZigBee, so you'll need some sort of hub or bridge device to act as translator.Ĭlockwise from top left: The Osram Lightify, Belkin WeMo, Philips Hue and Connected by TCP starter kits. That's the signal transmitted by Philips Hue LEDs, Osram Lightify LEDs, Belkin WeMo LEDs and $15 bargain-priced bulbs like the GE Link LED and the Cree Connected LED. The more common wireless lighting protocol is ZigBee. On a small scale, that kind of plug-and-play simplicity is pretty appealing, but the price per bulb tends to fall on the high side, making it expensive to scale up.
#Smart timer switch Bluetooth#
A few, like the Lifx and Lifx White 800 LEDs, use built-in Wi-Fi radios or perhaps Bluetooth - this lets them communicate directly with your phone or tablet, eliminating the need for a hub or control device. Our first connected lighting option is to go right for the bulbs themselves and swap them out with smart versions that have wireless communication capabilities packed inside.
#Smart timer switch download#
The $40 Lifx White 800 LED - just screw it in, download the app, and start automating. To that end, let's take a look at our smart lighting options, and sort out the pros and cons of each.
For better or worse, we'll document the whole process, and hopefully help you with your own smart home upgrades and buying decisions along the way. It's a real-world setting where we can dive into these sorts of challenges in the same way you would if you were getting started with smart home tech. The bad news is that those options mean we have a lot to sort out in order to figure out what the best plan of attack is.īut that's sort of the whole point of the CNET Smart Home. The good news is that we have plenty of options at this point, from color-changing Philips Hue LED bulbs to automated switches and sockets from names like Lutron and Insteon. It's a 5,800-square-foot home with a huge variety of lighting fixtures and switches, and putting together a connected lighting system that'll service everything in the best and smartest way possible is a pretty daunting task. That's the challenge we're facing right now with the CNET Smart Home, the living lab where we'll be testing, exploring and building the connected home of the future. But what if you're looking to automate a whole home's worth of lights? Automating a single lamp isn't too tricky - just swap the bulb out for a smart light with built-in Wi-Fi like the Lifx White 800, or plug your lamp into a smart plug like the Belkin WeMo Switch.
Smart home lighting has plenty of appeal, from the convenience of lights that come on automatically when you arrive home after work, to the security of lights that cycle on and off to simulate occupancy while you're away on vacation.
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