Smart Lights Guide: Put Smart Bulbs In Your House

It takes less than an hour for a single person to install smart light bulbs and plugs. There will be a substantial payoff for your efforts.

Using my phone or voice commands, I can now adjust the brightness, colour temperature, and on/off status of the room’s lights, as well as activate or deactivate a space heater, all from the comfort of my couch.

That has simplified my life somewhat. We’ll help you choose the best smart gadgets, and then show you how to set them up and use the equipment.

No particular skills nor equipment are needed for this task. You’ll need the smart devices plus a mobile device for setup, configuration, and control.

What features do smart lights have?

The point of smart lighting is to let the user expressly and then forget about themselves. The following is a list of some of the most frequent characteristics of smart lights that make life easier:

• Having individual and collective control over the lighting, including dimmer settings and temperature settings
• waking up at a certain time and turning the lights on, then turning them off when you leave the home
• The ability to have lights switch on as soon as your phone is within range of your house
• Nevertheless, if you dig further into their capabilities, you’ll find other creative applications for smart lights, such as the following:

Using colour-coordinated smart light bulbs like the Philips Hue to coordinate Employing “vacation routines” to switch lights on and off at random intervals to make it look like you’re home while you’re away Ambiance to give rooms their vibe at different times of the day

You can automate both the lighting in your house and the music demands with just one device by using smart lights that combine a speaker with a globe.

How to choose the properly connected lights

The vast majority of smart lights come pre-packaged with a basic set of capabilities, including remote dimming and the ability to schedule when the light turns on and off.

Hence, your decision may come down to something as simple as how it appears, or as complicated as how easily it may be customized.

How To Set Up Smart Lighting at Your Home

There are two primary things that you need to perform to get your smart lights up and running, and those are:

1. Install them at your location using actual tools.

Happily, the majority of modern smart lights do not need the installation of any new techniques. The vast majority of smart globes are available for purchase in versions with a standard Edison screw, a bayonet cap, and a GU10 connection.

Smart lights that don’t go into light fittings, like the portable Philips Hue Go, are even simpler since they just need to be plugged in and operated.

This makes them ideal for use in hotels and other temporary settings. You also have even more alternatives accessible to you as a result of the availability of downlight conversion kits for globes such as the Sengled Pulse.

If you have any reason to believe that you will need to traverse existing wiring to install smart lights, it is strongly recommended that you hire a licensed electrician to assist you with the installation process.

2. Integrate them into the network at your house.

Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or another comparable technology is required to establish a connection between smart lights and a home network.

The programme that is preinstalled on the lamp may then be used to command them from your smartphone or tablet. Just turning on the light and locating it inside the app is all that is required of you before you can get started.

You must give some thought to the technology that your smart light employs. If it utilizes Bluetooth’s shorter range, for instance, you won’t be able to manage it while you’re not at home.

Likewise, if it uses WIFI, you won’t be able to control it when you’re at work. Smart lights with Wi-Fi connectivity, on the other hand, can be managed remotely so long as both the light and your mobile device have an active internet connection.

Where Are Smart Bulbs in Your House?

An expert in home automation would recommend smart bulbs for lamps and smart light switches for other lighting applications. That’s mainly true, although smart lamps may be better than smart switches in certain cases.

One such instance is when someone approaches your home and you see that a camera is installed over your front door. Your smart bulb may flash a colour when the camera detects motion.

Several inexpensive smart plugs can automate everything you put behind them. Some cost more and can monitor energy. The 6 Best Amazon Smart Plugs in 2023 is my page.

Using a smart plug and your preferred light bulb, you can automate a lamp’s on/off and utilize voice commands. Smart plugs don’t need smart bulbs. Smart plugs may also switch on Christmas lights and other seasonal items.

If you have a lot of light bulbs linked to one switch, smart light switches may save you money. Installing switches is simpler than you think. Once done, you’re an expert.

Smart switches enable voice and automation controls even when the lights are out. No need to leave switches on.

Kitchen

Kitchens are first. Smart light switches are ideal for kitchens with several light bulbs. Smart light switches are cheaper. Smart light switches often cost less than smart light bulbs.

Installing several smart lights might quickly pile costly. Light strips on the top or bottom of cabinets may be a better way to bring colour to your kitchen.

Installing light switches is simple. If you’re not handy, don’t worry. After a few, it’s not awful. Turning off the electricity is the most crucial step, yet it may be the toughest.

Understanding which light switch circuit breaker to turn off may take some trial and error. Even when designated, circuit breakers may switch to a different circuit.

A neutral cable powers most smart switches. Modern houses with code-compliant electrical systems have them. The light switch box has a few white wires.

Lutron Caseta, a high-quality light switch, doesn’t require neutral wires. The biggest drawback is replacing batteries.

Cupboards and Storage

Most houses have poorly lighted storage rooms. Whether it’s the kitchen pantry, under-stairs storage, or coat and shoe closet. Your hands will be full when you acquire anything from one of these regions.

Have you ever walked out of the pantry with food? Reaching for the light switch is annoying. That’s an annoyance every time you use that place, and I’ve seen these lights left on.

If I don’t catch it after putting the food down or forget, these lights may stay on for a long time. Electricity, heat, and bulb life are wasted.

Bedrooms

Your eyes and brain are light-sensitive. Light controls sleep cycles. Darkness relaxes us, and if your body operates normally, your brain tells you to go to bed. Our brain wakes up as the sun rises and becomes brighter.

Smart lights may simulate gentle dawn to assist you to wake up in the early mornings if your schedule doesn’t match sunset and sunrise. I find it easier to fall asleep when I set my bedroom’s smart lights to low and fade them out over 20 minutes.

Smart light bulbs work well for this. One that integrates with IFTTT lets you voice-control a personalized fade. Choose a smart lamp that syncs with Google Assistant and morning alarms.

Set an alarm with Google Assistant, and your lamps will progressively fade up to a pre-set number of minutes before turning off. Try 30 minutes.

Drawing Room/ Family Room

Smart light bulbs and strips are best for family rooms. It’s more enjoyable to alter the colours and do creative, entertaining things in this section of the house where you spend a lot of time.

Smart light bulbs and switches may be automated or controlled by voice or phone.

There are a few other factors that should be kept in mind. Another thing to keep in mind when using smart light switches is that you will need a 3-way light switch in situations when you have many light switches controlling the same light.

Be sure that your lights can be dimmed if you are going to invest in a smart light switch that has that capability.