Smart Light Bulbs and Automated Lighting Systems Explained

AUTHOR: Joshua Martin
UPDATED: November 20, 2023

There are many key factors to consider when designing a smart home lighting system.

This includes everything from the light bulbs, to the switches, and even designing your own color schemes. It can be a little overwhelming, to say the least.

Automated lighting systems can set lights on timers, dimmers, color wheels, and can even set ambient lighting based on your preferences in various areas of your home. All of this can be controlled remotely from an app on a smartphone.

In this article, I'll cover some of the basics of smart light bulbs and automated lighting systems. Let’s dive in!

Smart Home Deals @ Amazon

What Is a Smart Light Bulb?

A smart light bulb is light bulb that can be connected to a Wi-Fi network. Once connected it can be controlled remotely though an application on a desktop or mobile device.

Smart lighting and smart light bulbs are rapidly growing in popularity. They are one of the most commonly purchased pieces of smart home automation equipment, right along with smart plugs.

How Long Do Smart Light Bulbs Last?

A smart light bulb’s lifespan will depend on several things. Here are a few of the factors that can impact how long these lights will last for you:

How often do you use the lights?

Are you diligent about turning lights off when away?

Do you use dimmer settings?

Which brand and quality of smart light bulbs did you purchase?

Philips Hue light bulbs (link to Amazon) can last up to 22 years or 25,000 total hours. They also claim to use 80% less power than a traditional light bulb.

I haven’t been working with smart lights for 25 years, so I will be sure to let you know if this is true, but for the time being, I have no reason or evidence not to believe any differently.

Can Smart Light Bulbs Dim?

Yes, smart light bulbs can be dimmed. In fact, it’s one of the most under-utilized features with smart lighting. Dimming features can be programmed on a schedule, adjusted from a mobile phone, or controlled by voice using Google Home or Amazon’s Alexa.

This is perhaps one of my favorite features on the list. I’m very picky about lighting. I like to feel awake and energetic, but also can’t stand overly bright lights. Dimmer settings really helped to solve this issue for me.

Do Smart Light Bulbs Work with Any Lamp?

Before you buy and install a new smart light bulb in any lamp, check the specifications to see if it is rated for use with open-fixtures or enclosed fixtures.

Just like all other LED bulbs, the heat that a smart light bulb generates must have proper ventilation and where the bulb is housed is important to avoid the risk of fire or damage to the bulb.

Smart light bulbs can be rated for use in either type of fixture, but it is important to use the correct bulb for your lamp or lights.

Will your lamp cover the bulb with a lampshade or other type of partial cover that allows for heat to escape? Is the bulb fully enclosed with no way for the bulb to “breath”?

Paying attention to these conditions and specifications and only installing the correct type of smart bulb for your lamp or fixture will prevent improper use and overheating, which can shorten the life of the smart bulb.

Are Color Changing Smart Light Bulbs Worth It?

Do you hang Christmas lights up around the holidays or decorate for Halloween and New Year’s? Do you have a festive and fun personality or see a good reason or desire to have color changing bulbs? If so, then yes, I’d say smart light bulbs would be worth it for you.

Color changing smart light bulbs could be great for when you are entertaining guests.

There are different color scheme options you can choose from on the color pallet on the app.

Bring the house to life and live a little. They don’t cost much extra and if you’re never going to host a raging party, you can just keep the bulb on normal light mode and the standard colors.

What Is a Smart Lighting Bridge?

Many smart lighting starter packs will also include what’s known as a bridge. The bridge will serve as a “hub” for just your lighting.

Let’s assume you purchase a starter pack that includes, 2 bulbs and ambient lighting to place behind your television to add some ambiance to your favorite action-packed movie.

Once you have these lights out of the box, they need to be installed and connected to one main hub or bridge using the Wi-Fi connection on your home network.

The bridge is going to be your connection point for all the lighting devices in your system. You can think of the bridge like an “air traffic controller” at an airport.

The bridge receives all communications and commands for what functions you would like performed by the smart lights in your home. It will then send those commands to the lighting devices in the system so they can carry out the procedures.

Once you connect the smart lighting bridge to your Wi-Fi network, you can download an app onto your smartphone and have full command of dimming, color changes (if the lights are capable), and timing settings for your smart lights.

What If I Have A Fully Functioning Smart Home System Already?

Before purchasing a smart lighting system, make sure it is compatible with your current home automation system.

If you already have other smart devices connected to a home automation system, you can connect your smart lighting bridge to your current system so that all devices will be connected.

But again, your smart lighting bridge and your current smart home system must be compatible.

Are Smart Lights Bulbs Easy to Connect to a Home Automation System?

I’d argue this is one of the easiest devices you will ever connect to your home automation system, outside of the home automation hub itself.

You place the light bulbs into their desired locations, connect the bridge to the Wi-Fi network, download the app, and you are on your way.

Do Smart Lights Save Money?

Yes, smart bulbs can absolutely save you money. After the initial investment for the lighting itself, it’s all savings from that point on.

The LED lighting in smart lights use less energy and they also have a life span of roughly 25x longer than traditional bulbs. This will save money on utility bills and keep you from going back to Home Depot every few months to purchase light bulbs.

Can I Control My Smart Lights When I’m Away from Home?

Once your smart lighting system is connected to your Wi-Fi network, you can control it through your smartphone if you have the manufacturer’s app installed.

Let’s assume you are at the airport ready to leave on a business trip and realize that you forgot to turn on the security light in your front entryway. No problem. Open the app on your smartphone, turn that light on, and let the anxiety wash away.

Are Smart Light Bulbs and Automated Lighting Systems for Me?

Smart lighting is one of the most simple and affordable additions you can make to your home automation system.

Functions such as dimming lights, changing colors, and even remote access to turn on lights when you are away are just a few of the features you can take advantage of with smart lights. Also, you will really start seeing the savings on your monthly utility bills or totals bulbs purchased with a smart home lighting system.

Smart lighting will continue to grow in popularity, and if you haven’t jumped aboard the smart home automation bandwagon yet, it’s probably time to start considering it. You won’t regret the decision.

Recommended Products

Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance LED Smart Bulb Starter Kit

The Philips Hue White and Color Starter Kit (link to Amazon) is a simple way to get started with an automated lighting system. It comes with four A19 LED smart bulbs and one Hue Bridge.

The bulbs in this kit last approximately 25,000 hours. They have over 16 million colors and shades of white to choose from. Control the lights remotely from a smartphone or with your voice using a compatible smart assistant-enabled device.

Installation is easy: screw in the smart bulbs, download the Hue mobile app, the pair the Hue Hub. Works with Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Cortana, Google Assistant, Nest, SmartThings, and Wink. Check prices, reviews, and more at Amazon.

Sengled Smart LED Multicolor Starter Kit

The Sengled Smart LED Multicolor Starter Kit (link to Amazon) includes two A19 smart bulbs and the Sengled Smart Hub. Control the light bulbs through the Sengled Home app or by voice with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant.

Dimmable smart bulbs have a range of 16 million colors and whites. Set different moods by changing colors. Program lights on schedules and create scenes.

Connect up to 64 smart LED bulbs to the Sengled Smart Hub. Compatible with Android and Apple iOS. Works with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. Check prices, reviews, and more at Amazon.

Feit Electric 100W Smart Wi-Fi LED Light Bulb

The Feit Electric 100W Smart Wi-Fi LED Light Bulb (link to Amazon) boasts over a million colors and shades of white from 2700K through 6500K with a lifespan of up to 25,000 hours. No hub or bridge is required, it connects via 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network.

Schedule the bulb to turn on or off at certain times of the day. Dim the bulb from 100 percent to 1 percent brightness.

Control the bulb with the Feit Electric Mobile app or by voice with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. Check prices, reviews, and more at Amazon.