No hub is required, but you do need a 2.4GHz internet connection. You can also create your own scenes and automations-like automatically turning the lights off when you leave home-and set the bulbs to a schedule. It also offers preset light scenes like rainbow, cocktail, night, reading, and rave. The tunable bulb offers millions of colors, as well as several shades of white, and the light is bright and crisp on almost every setting. In the app, you can change the color, saturation, and brightness of the bulb. You can also control the lights via the Geeni app, which offers two-factor authentication to help keep your account secure. It supports hands-free voice control via smart assistants like Alexa, Google Assistant, and Microsoft Cortana (but not Siri).
If you’ve never used a smart bulb before, the Geeni Prisma Plus LED smart bulb is a great budget pick for beginners that doesn’t skimp on convenient features. Additional hardware isn’t usually a strong point, but it’s worth paying for the sheer performance and reliability that Hue offers, especially if you’re looking to outfit your whole home (or most of it) with smart bulbs.
While the bulbs can be controlled over Bluetooth (without the hub), this will only work when you're physically near the bulb. The bridge can accommodate up to 50 Hue bulbs. If you’re new to Philips Hue, we recommend the Color and Ambiance Starter Kit, which includes the necessary Hue Bridge and four smart bulbs to get you started. Unlike some other options, Philips Hue bulbs do require a hub (the Philips Hue Bridge) in order to work remotely. The Philips Hue app is easy to navigate and ideal for managing an entire home of smart bulbs, though it lacks two-factor authentication, a security feature that helps secure your account. In addition to the bulbs already offering 16 million colors to choose from, you can choose from dozens of preset lighting settings in the Hue app like sunlight, party vibes, cozy, seasons, and serenity to match your mood. And with a battery-powered Philips Hue motion sensor, you can set your lights to trigger when motion is detected. The bulbs support home automations like automatically turning on when you’re near your house or setting your lights to a slow dim as you drift off to sleep at night. Once you throw in the additional rainbow of possible light colors, these are without a doubt the best smart bulbs you can buy.
Since we first began testing smart bulbs in 2015, the Philips Hue Color and Ambiance Starter Kit has remained in the top spot thanks to an easy setup, robust suite of smart lighting features, and an intuitive app.Īdditional support with Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, Nest, and Samsung SmartThings adds tremendous benefit to an already impressive portfolio. Philips Hue is one of the leading names when it comes to smart home lights.
Cync Full Color Direct Connect Smart Bulb.Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance Starter Kit (Gen 3).Here are the best smart bulbs we tested, ranked in order: For something less expensive, the Geeni Prisma Smart Bulb ( available at Amazon) is a budget bulb that offers plenty of smart lighting features (and an array of colors). The Philips Hue app is home to a host of other awesome smart lighting features, like geofencing and scheduling, that make the hub (an additional cost) worth it. Not only can the Hue bulbs be conveniently tuned to shades of white and 16 million vibrant colors, but they also work with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri. We’ve been testing smart bulbs since they first hit the market in 2015 and the Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance Starter Kit ( available at Amazon) has continued to impress us through the years, remaining the very best smart light bulb you can buy. You’ve got a lot of options when it comes to smart lights, but smart bulbs are a great place to get your feet wet if you’re thinking about taking the plunge into fully automated lighting at home. Written by Sarah Kovac, Rachel Murphy, and Jill Duffy