


See all photos They cost less than you think Most Zigbee bulbs offer their own version of a hub, and setting them up typically isn't complicated at all, but it does add a little extra expense into the equation. Lots of smart lighting products use Zigbee to send their signals - if so, then you'll need a Zigbee hub plugged into your router in order to translate those signals for your home network. To control bulbs like that from further away, you'll need a Wi-Fi hub to relay their signals to your router and on to you via the cloud.Īnd then there's Zigbee, which you can think of as a local wireless network for your smart home gadgets. Others use Bluetooth radios to connect directly with your phone when you're within 50 feet or so.

Some use built-in Wi-Fi radios to connect directly with your router, which lets you control them remotely wherever you have an internet connection. Smart lights use wireless transmissions to send and receive their signals, and different bulbs use different methods to get the job done. Read more: The best LED floodlights you can buy in 2020 If you've got one of those, adding in lights that your assistant of choice can control is almost a no-brainer, and you'll be able to use them alongside things like cameras, thermostats, and smart security systems. Whether it's the Google Assistant, Apple's Siri, or Amazon's Alexa, each makes for a capable connected home control point, particularly if you're willing to put a smart speaker or a smart display somewhere central in your home. Pairing smart lights with voice assistants is one of the most popular ways to do it. If that's the case, then you'll want to consider a wider smart home platform that can handle all of the different devices you might end up using. The first question worth thinking about before you buy smart lights: Which platform do you want to use to control them? Most options offer their own control apps that let you group lights together and schedule them to turn on and off at specific times - but there's a pretty decent chance that you'll want to smarten up more than just your lights.
