Smart Home Lighting Systems are trending right now, and it isn’t hard to see why. With a Smart Home Lighting System, you have more direct and immediate control of your lights, and these lights use less electricity.
In this buying guide, you’re going to learn about the best Smart Home Lighting Systems. And then, you’re going to learn everything you need to know about how to find the right system for you, and answers to the most frequently asked questions.
What Are The Best Smart Home Lighting Systems?
Lutron Caseta Smart Lighting System
To start, we have the Lutron Caseta Smart Lighting System. Part of the reason why this is one of the best systems available is that it supports all of the major Smart Home products. Smart Home products such as Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, among many others.
Using this system, you can take any of the bulbs that you have, and you can make them dimmable. If a light is too bright, dim it. If a light isn’t bright enough, you can brighten it. And, all of this can be accomplished using a Smart Home device, or your smartphone.
If you create a schedule for these lights to follow, they will adjust themselves when you want them to. And, when Daylight Savings Time begins – or ends – they adjust themselves automatically to adapt to the new sunlight patterns.
What is, arguably, the best aspect of this system, though, is the fact that it’s extremely easy to set up. Setting it up takes around fifteen-minutes, and there’s a manual that walks you through the entire process.
Philips Hue White Smart Bulb Starter Kit
The Philips Hue White Smart Bulb Starter Kit is, well, a starter kit. It contains four bulbs and a hub, each bulb connects to the hub, and then you can connect your smartphone – or Amazon Alexa – to the hub. When you do that, you have access to a couple of different settings, all of which are related to the bulbs that are being used.
On your smartphone, or Alexa, you can connect to the hub and then dim the lights. If they are too dim, you can brighten them. And, you can do this for every light that is plugged in. With a single hub, you can install fifty-lights and access all of them. But, if you have more than fifty of these lights, you will need a second hub.
Not only can you dim the lights, you can also create a schedule for when they should be on, and when they should be off. These are simple features, but they give you control over the lights.
What Do You Need To Consider?
Are You Buying New Bulbs, Or Setting Up An Entire System?
In this guide, we looked at a fully-fledged Smart Home Lighting System, and we also looked at bulbs that offer Smart Features and a hub. These are both very useful, but they serve different purposes.
With a Smart Lighting System that consists of setting up new electric switches, you have a lot more control over the lights, how bright/dim they are, where they go, and how they work. But, it takes more time to set this kind of system up, and it’s a lot easier for certain things to go wrong or to just not work.
If you want to control, then you should buy a system that entails doing a little bit of wiring and electrical work.
With bulbs and a hub, you have control over the bulbs, and when they turn on and off. You don’t have as much control, but each bulb works well, and it’s much easier to set this kind of system up.
How Many Bulbs Do You Need?
If you are buying new bulbs, make sure that you know how many you need and where they are going to go. But, even if you aren’t buying Smart Bulbs, you will need good bulbs for the Smart Home Lighting System that you’re setting up.
When you do look at bulbs, it’s always wise to purchase LEDs, because they are far more energy-efficient than the incandescent bulbs that many people still use.
What Smart Device Are You Going To Be Using?
Most people use their smartphones to access their Smart Home Lighting System. It’s easy to use your smartphone to access those settings, and it’s probably one of the most reliable devices that you can use for that purpose.
However, smartphones aren’t always as convenient as Smart Home devices such as Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. With those devices, you can access the same settings and features that you can on your smartphone, but with your voice. It’s, quite literally, completely hands-off.
If you intend to use one of those Smart Home devices, make sure that you know if the system you’re buying supports that device. Most do, but some don’t.
What Features Does The Smart Home Lighting System Offer?
Every Smart Home Lighting System offers two very important features. One of these features has to do with adjusting the brightness of the lights, and the other feature is being able to schedule when these lights turn on, and when they turn off.
You will find those two features in just about every system. But, there are other features that some systems offer.
Some systems give you the ability to change the colors of the bulbs – if the bulbs support that. Some systems have bulbs that allow you to play audio from them through a speaker. And there are other features that you will find.
If you just want those two basic features, you won’t have any problems finding them. But, if you’re looking for something a little more elaborate, you’ll be able to find it, but it will cost some extra money.
Frequently Asked Question:
What, Exactly, Is A “Smart Home”?
A Smart Home is a home that makes extensive use of Smart Devices. Smart Home Lighting Systems are one kind of device that a Smart Home would use. But, there are also Smart Thermostats, Smart Alarms, Smart Locks, and many other Smart devices.
How Much Does A Smart Home Lighting System Usually Cost?
If you spend $100, you will get an excellent system. If you spend $50, you will get a system that is very good, but lacking in certain features and design traits. If you spend $25, you’ll most likely get Smart Bulbs, but maybe not a hub to connect these bulbs too.
What Are The Benefits Of Using A Smart Home Lighting System?
Using a Smart Home Lighting System gives you greater control over the brightness of your lights, as well as giving you the ability to schedule when they turn on, and when they turn off.
With those two main features, you are able to save money on electricity, while also being able to dim/brighten the lights to your exact specifications.
Do Smart Home Lighting Systems Support All Bulbs?
That depends on the system. For many of the hubs, those require very specific bulbs that are able to connect to the hub, and then you can connect to the hub with your Smart Device. Depending on the hub, however, it might support a variety of different Smart Bulbs.
If you are setting up a system that involves wiring certain light fixtures to a system, then those Smart Home Lighting Systems support any particular bulb, as long as it’s connected to the fixtures that are part of the system.
Conclusion
With a Smart Home Lighting System, you have more direct control over your lights, how bright they are, and when they are on/off. These days, setting up a system of this sort is very easy, and quite cheap!