Does My Smart Lighting System Need a Hub?
The latest lighting trend is smart lighting systems. Voice-controlled in most cases, you can use your phone like an ingenious combination of a light switch, remote, and timer. Sometimes you don’t even have to be inside your home, much less the country, to turn your smart lighting on, off, or anywhere in between. However, there’s more to smart lighting than just picking up a pair of Philips Hue bulbs. Before you invest in a smart lighting control system, let us give you some knowledge about which type of smart light bulbs is right for your home so you can make a truly smart buy.
With smart lighting solutions, you can usually skip the occasionally confusing and possibly costly hardware installation of wall switches since the software in the LED bulbs allows you to control them directly. It’s a fairly easy and simple setup but you will want to make sure you have one of these items below:
Control hubs like Samsung SmartThings, Amazon Echo Plus, and Wink
A WiFi network
A Bluetooth enabled smart phone or tablet
A app for your smartphone or tablet like Apple HomeKit
A voice control system like Alexa or Google Home
Connection #1: Wifi => Smart Bulbs (hub optional)
Connection #2: Device => Bluetooth => Smart Bulbs
Connection #3: Wifi => Device => Hub => Smart Bulbs
Which Type of Smart Lighting Do I Need?
Wifi Light Bulbs – Do you have wireless internet in your home? Nine out of ten times, the answer is yes. Then this type of smart light bulb is easy to use. You can screw in the bulb and download an app like the Life in Sync app for Euri Lighting’s wifi-enabled RGB color changing smart bulbs. Once you create your account and sync your bulbs, you can also use voice commands from Amazon Alexa and Google Home Assistant.
Bluetooth Light Bulbs – If you’re a tech lover who loves to say “Hey Siri”, then Sylvania’s Bluetooth smart light bulbs are the way to go. Sylvania’s RGB LED bulbs work best with devices like AppleTV, iPads, or even the Apple HomePod. Just turn on the Bluetooth for your device and make sure the Apple HomeKit app is installed. A quick “Siri, find device.” will take it from there.
Zigbee Compatible Light Bulbs – Zigbee is a software protocol designed to remotely control devices. It is found in many smart devices throughout the home. To create a well-rounded smart home, you need smart home light bulbs. A Zigbee-enabled hub like the Amazon Echo Plus, Apple HomePod, or Google Home will allow you to control not just Cree Connected LED A19 bulbs, but you can also close your motorized blinds or turn up your Nest thermostat all at the same time. This setup requires you to invest a little more time and money but with the right digital know-how, you could transform your space with the touch of a button. You will be interested to know that Philips Hue smart light bulbs fall in the Zigbee category since they require a separate Hue bridge device to operate properly.
For more help finding the right smart lighting solution for your home, make the smart decision and call our team of lighting experts at 1-800-624-4488 for helpful advice or your next bright idea.
