The best smart light enables you to create a warm, cozy ambiance with just a few taps on your smartphone. Whether you want to brighten or dim the light, switch it on or off, or in some cases, even change the color it illuminates, the best smart lighting ensures you don’t have to leave the sofa.
The best smart light can also be a handy tool when it comes to saving energy (and money). Designed to replace your existing incandescent bulbs, most smart lights are LED designs that burn less energy. Even better, while some smart light bulbs use Bluetooth so they can only be controlled when you’re nearby, many smart lighting options feature Wi-Fi so they can be switched on or off no matter where you are. This means if you’re forgetful you can turn the lights off remotely rather than leaving them on when you’re not around.
As well as using your smartphone, smart lighting can also be controlled by your voice using one of the best smart speakers or smart displays. They will also integrate with other smart home devices to automate your property; for example, they can be set to illuminate at the same time as the smart thermostat raises the temperature a few degrees and appliances connected to smart plugs and switches spring into life, creating the perfect ambiance for a relaxing evening.
Smart lighting comes in a number of different styles. The most affordable, and easiest to install are smart bulbs that are designed to replace your existing light bulbs. However, there’s also an array of light strips, along with floor and ceiling lamps that are all smart to choose from, too. Alternatively, smart lights also come in the form of light panels that can be attached to your walls to create illuminated art. No matter what type of smart lights you want in your home, you’ll be able to ensure it can be controlled by your smartphone or your voice.
There’s plenty of choices when it comes to smart lights on the market right now, with familiar names such as Philips and LIFX nestling side by side with more affordable brands including Eufy and TP-Link. This may leave you feeling bemused at which you should choose.
To help you decide we’ve put an array of designs to the test to ensure you’re switched on to just which is the best smart light for you.
The best smart light of 2022
The Nanoleaf Shapes take the concept of lighting and turn it base-over-apex. Using a collection of hexagonal and triangular panels, you create a dynamic shape on your wall (or ceiling, or both) that can shift through over 16 million different colors.
What's more, the panels can glow solid colors or can transition at different speeds through colors to create a unique lighting effect in your home. On top of that, you can set the panels to react to touch or even music playing in your surroundings, putting you in the centre of your own music video.
The original set comes with nine panels, all of which are the same shape, but you have the option to add more and you can mix and match the different shapes. We admit these plastic panels don't look particularly attractive when they're not illuminated, so if you're after a more stylish look at all times; Nanoleaf Elements in a version of the hexagonal panels that have a wood-like veneer on them. They're also difficult to remove once mounted,
Don't like the sound of hexagons and triangles? Nanoleaf Canvas are square-shaped light panels but they can't be combined with Nanoleaf Shapes, unfortunately.
Read the full review: Nanoleaf Shapes
How we test smart lights
Best smart light FAQs
What to consider when buying a smart light
When it comes to selecting the right smart lights for you, there are a number of considerations you must make before choosing a particular model.
Start by checking the type of fitting the smart light bulb has and whether it's compatible with your existing lighting or if you’ll need to buy adapters. Also decide whether you want lights that glow one static shade or offer different tones of white, or even a multitude of colors to ensure you create the lighting effects you want in your home.
Now consider how bright the smart light bulbs are. The brightness of LED bulbs is measured in lumens unlike incandescent bulbs, which are measured in watts. With incandescent bulbs, higher wattage means a brighter light but as LED bulbs are more power efficient that’s no longer the case. As a guide an 800 lumen LED bulb gives off the same amount of light as a 60w incandescent bulb, while to replace a 40w bulb with light of a similar brightness, look for an LED option that offers 450 lumens.
Some smart light bulbs connect to the internet via Wi-Fi and can be controlled when you’re at home, and when you’re not around. However, other models use Bluetooth and require extra kit if you want to switch them on and off remotely.
It’s also worth noting that not all smart lights integrate with all voice assistants, so if you already have Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri (through Apple Homekit) in your home consider whether the smart lights you’ve selected are compatible.
Also consider whether they will work with other smart home devices you have installed, such as home security cameras, video doorbells and smart lights.
Are smart lights worth the money?
Smart light bulbs are more expensive than traditional incandescent bulbs, which may leave you wondering if they are worth the money. However, we think they very much are worth it.
As we've already mentioned, the best smart light bulbs are LED, which have a longer lifespan than their incandescent counterparts. On top of that they also use less energy, which is not only good for the environment, but also has less of an impact on your wallet too. When you couple this with a longer lifespan, the investment in smart lights is most definitely worth it.
How do smart light bulbs work?
Like the best smart home devices, smart lights use wireless technologies to connect to your smartphone and allow you to control the bulb from an app.
Many smart bulbs use Bluetooth to pair directly to your phone, but these smart lights can’t be controlled when you’re in a different room, or further away, because Bluetooth is a point-to-point connection.
If you want to control your smart lights when you’re away from home, look for bulbs that either have a hub, such as Philips Hue, or use a cloud service - for example, LIFX - that can relay commands from your smartphone to the cloud and back to the smart light, if you’re not connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
Our article about how smart lights work offer further in-depth reading.
Can you put smart bulbs in any lamp?
In most cases its possible to replace your existing bulb with a smart light, however you will need to check that the smart light is available in the same fitting your current bulb uses. Most smart lights come in screw or bayonet fitting, while some brands also offer GU10s and Candle Bulbs.
In some cases, smart light bulbs are bulkier that standard bulbs, for example the LIFX A19/A60 bulb, which may mean in some cases it protrudes from your existing lamp or shade - a look, which you may not be happy with. So always check the dimensions of the smart light against your existing bulb.
It's also important to remember, that once you swap out an existing bulb for a smart light and pair it with the relevant app, you'll need to use the app or a voice assistant to turn it on and off. If you use the light's own switch, once its turned off, it can no longer be controlled by the app or compatible voice assistant.
