Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.

What are Smart Home Lights?

It took me a minute. Im still learning mind you. Though I am GenX. Im still somewhat “Boomer Challenged” as they say. (No offense to Boomers). Its like going From cassette tapes to Compact Disks (CDs). Floppy Disks to Flash Drive. Etc. Etc. What are they? Well, Im still considered a “Dummy” in the tech world. But… from what I have gathered… “Smart Lights” are simply lights that use bluetooth to connect to a wireless system. That connection makes them “smart” because you can control the lights.

Very Smart and Superstitious

Automated is a better term. Though my lights did some odd things once on their own. I don’t know what happened there. Could have been ghosts. (joke…maybe…). I bought smart lights. They were cool but seemed to operate on their own. I do live by the Superstition Mountains. They call them that for a reason. One night my smart bulb started going wild around 3 am. Just flashing . Like a countdown. It was wild. This was before any of them were connected to an app. I didn’t know how to do that. Always save your smart bulb box.

Must Use App

Once I found the app and downloaded it to my phone everything changed. Not only could I change the colors of the lights, put them on timers, but they had themes. Strobe lights. Halloween themes. Pink. Candle patterns. Black lights. Plant lights. So very cool.

Voice Activation Game Changing

I then bought Alexa Echos. And wow. We can now turn on and off the lights with our voice. There is still a bit of a learning curve. But it works. You just need to name the lights in each room. For example, “Alexa turn off Living Room Light” or “Alexa turn off master bedroom lamp”. It even dims the lights. The voice activation is pretty awesome. Reminds me of the Clapper Seen on TV product from the 90’s. Remember? “Clap on. Clap off. The Clapper”. Dont mind me. Neurodivergent brain here. Holds onto many useless jingles verbatim. Anyhow. Yeah.

Safety Dance

The voice activation is great. It has potential to be a game changer for elders, the infirm. Especially for bathrooms and trip areas. It takes a minute to get used to commanding AI. Using the name for a request. I still sometimes say “Siri”. And when I actually mean to command Siri, Alexa answered. Like she was jealous. I was commanding Siri to call my pharmacy from my watch and all of a sudden Alexa jumped in and took the call. I did not know that my Echo Dot made calls. The call went through on my Echo just fine. After Alexa said something like “Yes, I can make calls”. I think this could be life saving for elderly if they fall. Commanding Alexa to call for help. Thats is why I feel an Alexa should be in the bathroom for any elder living alone. Or not living alone. Shoot. Anyway. Thats another blog post. Gifts for Aging Parents.

Competing Apps and Smart Bulbs

I love my smart lights. The only problem is having 3 different kinds. This wasn’t intentional. We started with the one. I loved it so much that I wanted more. Not knowing where my box was (again always save your box or take a photo of the box) I went on Amazon and just bought smart lights. Then when we got our Alexa Echo’s for Christmas, they came with a smart light. And then we had 3 different kinds. So getting them all paired and working together has been a challenge.

Turn Off and On Until they Flash

Almost like an orb or plasmoid sighting. To connect your light to the Smart Home takes a minute. Often turning the light off and on until it flashes a few times. Thats how you know its online.

Alexa All in One Please

I would prefer just using Alexa. Or my Home from iPhone. But no. Not that easy with these 3 brands. I wish. So Im pretty much stuck using 3 different apps. Ill keep trying . I haven’t figured out how to get my strip lights online either. One day. One light at a time. Like I said Im learning.

Pink Lights

I love the pink settings. Pink and Blue. It lights up each room so beautifully. Elegant. Its easy to change to white if I want. Or a light pink. Totally up to the user. I love it. Very soothing. The lights can even be paired to flash with music. That would be too much for me. Supposedly its a “gamer” thing. Im not big on flashing. But they do have the capacity to flash and flicker and do just about anything. Try them. Its a nice upgrade.

My Picks or My Personal Lights I have Experience Using….

Here is links and info on the 3 smart lights that I am currently using. I will include information from the manufacturer that might explain things a little better. I can’t say it enough. Im no expert. Still learning. Notice the “Dummies” in the blog title. Lol. Hope this helps a little though.

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.

WiZ Connected 60W A19 LED Smart Light Bulbs – Connects to Your Wi-Fi – E26 Smart Bulb – Control with Voice or App + Activate with Motion – Matter Compatible – 1 Pack From Amazon website ACTIVATE WITH MOTION – With a minimum of two WiZ lights in the same room at least 2m/6.56ft apart you can activate SpaceSense feature in the WiZ Connected app and lights will turn on and off automatically when they detect motion – no sensors needed! 16 MILLION COLORS – The WiZ color LED bulb offers millions of colors to help you create the perfect lighting for any moment. HUMAN-CENTRIC LIGHTING – This bulb also allows you to choose from different shades of warm to cool light to create the best ambience for your activities. EASY TO SET UP – Start enjoying the benefits of the smart features instantly. Just screw in your new bulb download the WiZ Connected app, and connect to 2.4GHz Wi-Fi!Adjust lights with your smartphone voice, the WiZ remote control, or by using your existing wall switch to toggle between two favorite modes. Works with Google Home, Alexa, and Siri Shortcuts.Using the WiZ Connected app you can schedule your lights to automatically turn on and off, dim, or change color according to your daily or weekly routines. Even when you’re not at home, you’ll always have access”.

Smart Light Bulbs 4Pack with Remote, A19 E26 800LM LED Color Changing Light Bulb, WiFi & Bluetooth 5.0, Warm to Cool White, Dimmable, RGB Smart Home Lighting Work with Alexa Google Assistant From the Amazon website. “VIVID COLORS: Customize your home lighting with millions of colors. VOICE CONTROL: Vanance smart light bulbs work with alexa, google assistant and siri etc, hands-free control with your voice command, changing the colors, dimming the brightness. LIGHTING AUTOMATION: Easy to create timers and routines to automate your smart home lighting. SPECIAL FEATURES: Remote & WiFi & Bluetooth, except for the remote control , WiFi & Bluetooth two connenctions methods available, you can setup either of them, that means you can setup them as BLUETOOTH BULBS when you don’t have WiFi. ENERGY SAVING: 9w low wattage, 80w equivalent high brightness, Long last, Vanance smart LED bulb will save up to 90% energy consumption, suitable for home, indoor, bedroom, kitchen, living room, table lamp, cafe, bar, party…”

Smart Light Bulbs 4Pack with Remote, A19 E26 800LM LED Color Changing Light Bulb, WiFi & Bluetooth 5.0, Warm to Cool White, Dimmable, RGB Smart Home Lighting Work with Alexa Google Assistant from Amazon website “Brightness Dimmable: With a dimming range from 1% up to 100%. Voice Control: Get hands-free control of your lights with your voice via Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. Remote Control and Away Mode: Control your smart light bulb from anywhere with your smartphone using the free Kasa smart app. Energy Monitoring and Scheduling: Monitor real-time energy usage. Drive down energy consumption without losing quality. Trusted and Reliable: Designed and developed in Silicon Valley, Kasa is trusted by over 6 Million users.”