![]() ![]() What this means, is that in order to communicate with the light, there needs to be electricity running to it. Secondly, and this is the big one they must always be ON at the switch. Even at 100% brightness it won’t be ideal for the smart light, as it will mess with the internal electronics. So, if you already have a dimmer switch in place, you really shouldn’t use it with smart lights. Smart lights are also not compatible with dimmers. Especially fancy looking ones that may utilize a series of LED strips instead of bulbs. There are also downsides to smart lights, two in particular.įirst, they may not be able to fit or replace an existing light in every fixture or location.įor example, light fixtures or chandeliers may have very specific types of light bulbs that don’t exist in smart form. There is a certain level of fun and novelty to having different parts of your home or room glow in different colors that is undeniable and it’s great to show off to friends when hosting parties or get togethers. If you’re quite set on having color bulbs, there’s not much contest from smart switches, since they don’t fully overlap in functionality. There may be a quick setup on your Smart Home App of choice and you’re good to go. Simply remove the old one and screw in the new one. Speaking of easy ever changed a light bulb? Because that’s how easy it is to get a smart light to work. Some of the higher end color lights will cost around $40-$60, but you get what you pay for.įor someone that lives by themselves, or lives in a studio or 1-bedroom apartment with not many lights, this is very cheap and easy way to add some smarts to your home. A quick amazon search will reveal that you can get a Sengled white LED bulb for $8 (though it requires a Hub), and even multicolor LED smart lights for about $15 a light. B enefits of smart lightsįirstly, they’re fairly inexpensive. Cost, functionality, compatibility, ecosystem, etc. There are a variety of factors that you look at when purchasing smart home devices. So why would someone choose one over the other? ![]() You probably already knew all of that, or were able to deduce it on your own, but it was worth getting out of the way to cover all bases. Simply put, a smart light is a single light bulb that can be controlled remotely, and a smart switch is a light switch that can be controlled remotely to turn on/off the lights connected to it. Similarly, they come in the same variety of connection types. They have the ability, just like the regular light switch they replace, to control all of the lights on their circuit. Note: I’m going to use switch and dimmer synonymously in this article, since for 90% of use cases they can be used interchangeably.Ī smart switch on the other hand, is simply a light switch that you can control remotely. Since both smart lights and smart switches come in all combinations, there’s no benefit to either product in this regard. If you’re interested to learn more about the different connection methods, leave a comment below, and check out this link. Some even require their own Hub for communication (Ikea Tradfi and Philips Hue). ![]() Like most other smart home devices, they come in a variety of connection methods, WiFi, Bluetooth, Z-wave, Zigbee being the main ones. I know lightstrips and tiles can be considered smart lights, but for the purposes of this article, I’ll consider them accessories, as they don’t directly compete / clash with switches and dimmers. They will have their own controller electronics within the bulb that can change the brightness or color. What is a smart light and what is a smart switch?Ī smart light is simply just a light bulb that you can control remotely (e.g. However, as you dive deeper down into the smart home rabbit hole, you’ll hear about smart switches and smart dimmers.Īnd you’ll ask yourself, why would I get a smart dimmer over a smart light, or vice versa?Īnd that’s what we’re going to explore today. With dozens of lights and accessories for any home setup it’s hard to see why you would want anything else. Then there is the dominant (smart) lighting company, Philips Hue. This is really enticing for people that perhaps rent a small apartment and only have a few light sources to begin with. You can get simple white WiFi enabled smart lights from a variety of manufacturers for as little as $12 a light. Yet they are reasonably affordable, and there are several companies that produce them. ![]()
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