Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
It costs
Some buyers may not mind paying $15 to $20 for a smart flashlight that can do it all. Others have budgets in mind and aren’t interested in spending more than a few dollars per bulb for replacements. Fortunately, we have options for both types of buyers, but you need to consider how much you are willing to pay first.
Smart features
Do you want your lamp to connect to an app, or be controlled by a voice assistant? Some bulbs can connect to Wi-Fi on their own and provide many smart features, while others need a hub to do so, so check the details first. If you use Siri, Alexa, or Google Assistant/Gemini, make sure your lamp supports this preferred voice assistant.
What’s more, you can always enhance any of the dumb bulbs recommended in this post by pairing them with a smart switch attached to your wall. If you have a group of overhead spotlights that are all wired to one switch, a clever touch with one switch instead of several may be the better way, anyway. The best I’ve tested is the Lutron Caseta line of smart switches, but keep an eye out this year for new, relatively low-cost switches Smart keys From General Electric.
brightness
Find out the brightness level of your current floodlights and decide what you want to change. Lower brightness is easier on the eyes and better for indoor use. LED bulbs often appear very bright even when illuminated at equivalent wattage, so many will want to choose a lower brightness if you are transitioning from incandescent bulbs. Meanwhile, outdoor lights often benefit from higher brightness to illuminate more of the evening darkness.
No matter what you choose, you’ll want to look for a durable bulb that provides at least 650 lumens of brightness from a power draw of 10 watts or less. I also recommend sticking with a product that offers an average lifespan of at least 10 years and a warranty of at least five years, if possible.
Dimming options
Smart bulbs are a great option if you’re picky about dimming. With bulb dimmers built right in, most smart bulbs will dim with flawless accuracy, free of flickering and buzzing via their app or through some other integration like an Amazon Alexa voice command. You won’t need to use the dimmer switches associated with these lighting fixtures at all. You may need to teach your children to leave the key on in order for your automation to work as planned.
Otherwise, we have non-smart bulb picks for different types of dimming that cost a lot less if your light switch is already made to dim bulbs.
Color temperature
Color temperature, usually measured in Kelvin, indicates how cool or warm light appears. Lower numbers mean the light is warmer and closer to that of gentle candles (and also to old-fashioned incandescent bulbs, which are very warm in color). Higher numbers mean the light is cooler, clearer and usually appears brighter, like higher daylight – or fluorescent lights.
LEDs used to be very cool, but recent upgrades have given them a range of color temperatures. In smart bulbs, you can often change the color temperature. Either way, this is an important consideration: Homeowners typically prefer a very warm color temperature for any indoor lighting.
discoloration
If you want bulbs that can completely change color, you’ll need smart bulbs from Cync, Philips Hue, and similar brands. Nothing else will allow you to adjust color in the same way.