Don’t know how smart light bulbs work? Well, this guide contains everything from their working mechanism to how they can help you automate your home.
Imagine coming to a home where lighting adjusts to your mood. Warm, inviting light greets you at the door, while movie night gets enhanced with the perfect dim ambiance. As bedtime approaches, the space transforms with calming blue hues. This is the power of smart lighting. Beyond personalization, smart light bulbs help you save energy and money on your electricity bills.
“We can easily manage if we will only take, each day, the burden appointed to it. But the load will be too heavy for us if we carry yesterday’s burden over again today, and then add the burden of the morrow before we are required to bear it factorial non.” Delbart Calibo
This guide will explore how do smart light bulbs work, the different technologies they use, and the features you can expect. We will also help you choose the perfect bulb and explain the simple installation process.
What are Smart Lights bulbs?
Smart light bulbs are LED bulbs with advanced lighting technology. These bulbs can interact with the environment and users around them and adjust their color, brightness, and temperature accordingly. You can control them from anywhere using a mobile app, which is great for when you’re away from home or just don’t want to get up to turn off the light. Smart bulbs are typically more energy-efficient than traditional bulbs, as they can be dimmed and controlled more easily.
Unlike traditional lighting, smart light bulbs go beyond just lighting a space. You can save on energy costs by creating a lighting schedule for your house, such as the lights should automatically turn on and off at certain times of the day.
How do Smart Light Bulbs Work?
The ‘smartness’ in smart lighting comes with their ability to connect with other devices. These bulbs have a microchip that can connect with different wireless connections. There are different types of wireless systems that can make a lighting fixture smart. We will discuss some of the most commonly used technologies in residential smart lighting.
Bluetooth
Bluetooth is one of the most common wireless technologies for exchanging data between devices. Anyone can easily access it, but it has a very limited data storage capacity. You can only use Bluetooth between limited distances. This means it is good for managing a single room’s light or AC with your phone but will not work well through the walls.
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi is the most popular technology used for smart lighting or home automation. It uses a LAN (local area network) to provide internet connectivity within a certain range. You can use a router to connect and control all smart devices from a single network, such as lights, doorbells, speakers, or smart locks.Zigbee
Zigbee is a wireless communication system that carries small amounts of data over short distances. It is a mesh network where every node in a network is connected and interacts with other devices for data exchange. It does not require any internet connection, which means your smart home will function perfectly even if the internet goes down. Zigbee is a low-power, low-cost, and easy-to-use system.
To understand how do smart light bulbs work on different networks, their power consumption, and suitability, let’s do a complete breakdown:
The table above shows how three common wireless technologies work with smart lighting. Bluetooth offers a simple control for nearby rooms, whereas Zigbee supports multiple device setups with reliable communication.
Important Considerations for Choosing Smart Light Bulbs
Compatibility
Before Purchasing smart Bulbs, check their compatibility with your existing smart home systems and other devices. Most of the smart home systems require all connected devices to use the same hub. Also, ensure the bulb connects with your existing Wi-Fi or needs an additional hub to function.
Brightness and Colors
This is the best part about choosing smart lighting. Choose from a brand that offers variation in brightness and color temperature:
- Lumens: Lumen measures the brightness of a bulb. A higher lumen value means brighter light output. For instance, a bulb with 600 lumen will shine more than the one with 400 lumen. Consider the size and purpose of the space and then choose accordingly.
- Color Temperature: Color temperature defines the warmth or coolness of light; it is measured in kelvin. Light fixtures with lower kelvin (2000 to 3000) indicate warm-yellowish light, while higher values ( 4000 to 5000) and above move towards white and cool bluish light. Choose from a brand that offers variation in color temperature.
Size
Smart bulbs come in different shapes and sizes and are usually identified by their base code. Before buying, measure the exact diameter of the screw base of your light fixture. This will help you determine the appropriate bulb code. Most of the smart bulbs come in standard sizes like:
- A 19: This is the most common size, similar to a regular incandescent household bulb.
- BR 30: It is a wide bulb with a reflector, often used in recessed lighting cans.
- E26: This is the base size for a smart bulb in a lamp.
Conclusion
Smart light bulbs can help you save on energy bills and manage your house lighting. However, consider integrating it with a smart home system to explore its full potential. My Smart Home can help you achieve that. As a leading UAE home automation service, we don’t just install smart technology; we create a personalized experience that enhances your lifestyle and happiness.