Caroline Preece
Far from an unnecessary gimmick, investing in the best smart bulb for your home is an option worth considering if you're looking for the ultimate mood lighting or even an easy home security add-on.
Since smart lighting isn't the cheapest solution (though it is becoming more and more affordable), you'll want to ensure that you're spending your money in the best way you can. And, whether your motivation is to set schedules that give the impression that someone is home – even if they're not – or to create an unrivaled ambiance over your next dinner party, our honest guide is here to help you choose the best product.
Keep scrolling for our take on the top-rated products or, for more on how you can introduce automation to your smart home, take a look at our guide to the best smart plugs.
The best smart bulbs in 2022
What is a smart bulb?
Put simply, a smart bulb – or smart lightbulb – is a lightbulb that can connect to your smartphone via Wi-Fi. This allows you to control your lighting just as you would any other smart appliance – from any location, to set schedules and even customize your lighting system by changing the color, brightness, and intensity of the light.
The best smart bulbs are the Philips Hue Smart Bulbs, which come complete with a bridge that allows you to connect them to the rest of your smart home setup.
Philips Hue White Smart Bulbs produces stunning, warm white light which can be easily adjusted to suit the desired ambiance – options range from super cozy hygge, through to interrogation room. Want to benefit from colored lights too? You'll need the Philips Hue Coloured Smart Bulbs, which allow you to completely customize the color and intensity of your lighting.
Perfect for giving the impression that someone's home, even if they're not; controlling hard-to-reach bulbs; or allowing you to turn the lights off without getting up, there are a range of benefits to controlling your lighting from your smartphone. And Philips Hue makes that super easy.
Yes, these bulbs are a little more pricey than your average, but with a lifespan of up to 25,000 years, they're sure to save you money in the long run.
Whether you want to program your smart lighting to rouse you, gently, from your sleep in the morning, alert you when you need to take your dinner out of the oven, start dimming your lights as you wind down for bed, this – and more – is available with Philips Hue.
Still not sure? We've also written a handy guide on how to use Philips Hue with Alexa, so you won't have to worry about getting set up.
Real Homes rating: 4 out of 5 stars | read our full review of the Philips Starter Kit
Next up on our list is the LIFX A19 thanks to its ease of use and customizable functionality.
The choice of over 1 trillion colors (yep, really) makes this model the most customizable in our round-up. Whatever your mood, you're sure to find a hue that suits. Plus, it's super easy to adjust the warmth and intensity of white light, if you're not so into colors lighting.
Similar to the bulbs from TP-Link, the LIFX doesn't require a bridge or hub to work. Instead, it connects directly to your WiFi for smart home integration.
Use the connected app to control your smart bulbs from any location. That means setting schedules – perfect if you're away from home and want to give the impression that someone's home, even if they're not – as well as turning off the lights if you forget to when leaving the house.
Real Homes rating: 4 out of 5 stars | read our full review of LIFX smart lighting
Edisons and bayonets are pretty par for the course, but what if you have a more complex space with more complex needs? The Philips Hue LightStrip could be what you've been looking for.
Looking to illuminate an awkward space? Don’t worry about expensive built-in lighting – you can get the same effect in alcoves, shelves, and other nooks and crannies with the Philips Hue LightStrip, a smart strip light that is second-to-none for creating ambiance on cozy evenings in.
Create a Hue account, and you can control these lights from anywhere using the buddy app or your browser – in fact, you can control up to 50, so whether you decide to go for lots of these little beauties, or a combination of bulbs and strips, there’s none better for a wide-ranging, fully customized lighting scheme.
You can cut them to fit wherever you please whether it be around your kitchen cabinets or around a cupboard ceiling, and they're compatible with Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, and Google Assistant.
Real Homes rating: 4 out of 5 stars | read our full review of the Philips Hue Lightstrip
Next on our list is the Hive Active Light Starter Kit. And it isn’t just because of its versatility now, but its potential for smart home expansion later on.
Whether you're looking to wind down in the evening or feel more alert in the morning, it's super easy to control the dimness of your bulbs according to your requirements.
As well as boasting an A+ energy rating, these smart bulbs are also designed to encourage users to reduce their energy use. How? Well, by allowing you to control your lights from any location and alerting you should any lights be left on when you're away from home.
Looking to build a wider Hive smart home system? Whether you're interested in smart thermostats, home security systems, or something else, opting for Hive smart bulbs will make it super easy to connect up your entire system in the future. We're not saying that this is essential – most brands are inter-connectable – but it may make life easier if you're new to the world of smart home tech.
Real Homes rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars | read our full review of the Hive Active Light Starter Kit
- Related: build a great home office in a compact space with our pick of the best small printers
If you like the idea of smart bulbs, but don't want to have to commit to buying a bridge – or something similar – to connect them to your smart home system, the TP-Link LB130 is an option worth considering.
Choose from a wide range of bulbs hues to suit your mood – or the atmosphere you're looking to create. All controlled directly from your smartphone.
Much like the other smart bulbs in this list, the TP-Link LB130 connects to Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant, making it super easy to control your entire lighting system using nothing other than the sound of your voice. Genius.
As we've already mentioned, another perk of the TP-Link LB130 is that it doesn't require a bridge or hub to connect to your smart home system. This not only drives down the cost but requires fewer wires and bulky boxes around the home.
Another feature we're seriously impressed with is the TP-Link LB130's circadian mode, which is designed to dynamically adjust light intensity and temperature to successfully mimic natural light patterns. This can be super helpful if you struggle to wake up in the morning or wind down in the evening.
- Read next: the best Wi-Fi extenders for a better connected smart home
How to choose the best smart bulb for your home
Not sure where to start when it comes to buying the best smart bulbs? We'd recommend considering the following factors before making a purchase:
Will you need to buy a bridge?
Some smart bulbs require what's known as a 'bridge' in order to connect them to an existing smart home system. Models that require a bridge are usually more costly but are also (generally) better quality, so that's a decision you'll need to weigh up.
If you're buying smart bulbs for the first time, you'll need to consider whether a bridge is required as, in some cases, you won't be able to simply plug in your bulbs and get going.
Are you interested in colored lights?
If you're interested in using smart lighting to enhance a home cinema experience – some models will interact with audio to create a more dynamic audiovisual experience – or change the atmosphere in a given space, it's worth investing in smart bulbs that change color. However, this won't be necessary for everyone.
Will your light bulbs be on display?
Are you planning on having your smart bulbs on display – perhaps as part of a pendant light fitting – or will they be hidden behind a lampshade? If the former, you may want to think about the aesthetic appeal of your bulbs. There are now a whole host of filament-style bulbs designed to fill this purpose. If you're less concerned, opt for something less stylish and more functional.
What is the best smart bulb?
The best smart bulbs are Philips Hue, thanks to their simple, stylish design and ease to set up. Adjust lighting depending on your preference – options range from hygge to interrogation room for maximum versatility – as well as setting up lighting schedules, sequences of events, and more.
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