How to choose the ideal connected bulb to illuminate your interior?

Le Parisien Le Guide,High-tech,Miscellaneous

Connected lights are on the rise in homes: it must be said that they have many advantages. It remains to know how to choose your connected bulbs: our guide is there to accompany you in this process.

0August 11, 2021 at 10:38 a.m., modified on December 2, 2021 at 2:55 p.m.

The editorial staff of Le Parisien did not participate in the production of this article. lpguideshopping

Depending on the activity and the time of day, we will not have the same desires or the same needs in terms of lighting. The solution ? Buy a smart bulb. As its name suggests, the latter can connect to your various devices in order to control them. The advantage? You can choose the desired intensity, and above all, you can make your settings remotely. No need to get up to flick a switch or turn a dial. Depending on the model, the bulbs are compatible with more or less personal assistants. Alexa connected bulb, Xiaomi connected bulb, or even Google Home connected bulb, you will find in this selection something to suit your equipment. We offer connected LED bulbs among the best on the market to replace those present in your home. You will thus have perfect control of the lighting while lowering your bills since these lamps are more durable and consume less energy. Bulb connected via wifi or bulb connected via Bluetooth, the connection methods vary from one model to another so that everyone can find the one that suits their habits. Brands, prices, number of colors, type of connection, compatibility with personal assistants… Discover our selection of connected bulbs and make your choice.

our selection

1. Connected bulbs, Tapo TP-Link
2. Connected bulbs, Sengled
3. Hue E27 smart bulb, Philips
4. Mi Smart Led Bulb White & Color, Xiaomi
5. Wifi bulb, Antalya E14 Max Easy, Konyks
6. Connected bulb, Vintage Edison, WiZ
7. Connected bulb, SmartLight Color Mesh, Awox
8. Connected bulb, Essentials Smart, Nanoleaf
9. Multicolor LED bulb, Yeelight E27, Xiaomi
10. Smart LED bulb, Mini E27, LIFX

Connected bulbs, Tapo TP-LinkCreate the lighting atmosphere made for your mood of the day with these connected Tapo bulbs from TP-Link. This is a set of two, and there are 16 million different colors to choose from depending on your fancy. They are compatible with personal assistants Alexa, Google Home, but also Siri. These bulbs also consume very little. Note, however, that the connection may tend to jump. Connected light bulbs, Sengled Light up your interior to measure with these connected Echo Dot bulbs from Sengled. Each box contains two bulbs and brightness control is easy via the app. Using these bulbs will not slow down your wifi connection. Too bad, however, that the diffused light is not colored. These bulbs will also only be compatible with the personal assistant Alexa.

How does a smart bulb work?

A connected bulb embeds an LED lighting system, multicolored or white. The first point is therefore that this type of bulb is particularly economical to use, since its energy use can be reduced by more than 80% compared to a conventional incandescent bulb. Then, as its name suggests, the connected bulb has Bluetooth or WiFi connectivity, which allows it to be controlled with great precision from a smartphone, tablet or even a speaker equipped with a voice assistant when this technology is supported. The operation is simple: once the bulb is installed on a chandelier or in a lamp, you just have to turn on the classic switch to turn it on: at that moment, the bulb is supplied with energy and you can connect it to your Internet connection or your smartphone. In practice, as you can turn off your bulb from the associated application, you no longer have to touch the switch to interact with the lamp, but you can do so if you wish, to maintain a classic mode of use. Also in practice, all chandeliers, lamps and other lights are compatible with smart bulbs. However, the format of the lamp base must be respected: the most common models have an E27 screw base, which is the standard adopted by most brands of connected LED bulbs. You must also have an Internet connection or a compatible smartphone to take advantage of all the advantages of the connected bulb.

What are the advantages of smart bulbs?

In addition to the economic side of connected bulbs, we can salute their lifespan, which greatly exceeds 10 years on average. LEDs are extremely resistant over time and there is very little risk that one of them will break down: in fact, even if the bulb can sometimes cost several tens of euros depending on the brand chosen, the investment is largely amortized over the time you use it. And that's not counting the savings on your electricity bill. In addition, as these connected bulbs use mobile applications, you can make very complete settings in terms of color and brightness, but also pre-programmed atmospheres adapted to different times of the day. You can also set your bulbs to turn on at specific times, which is useful, especially when you go on vacation. If you wish, you can program the light to be synchronized with your alarm clock, which allows for a gentle rise. Finally, if you choose bulbs compatible with the voice assistant of your connected speaker or your smartphone, you can also control their switching on or off by voice. So many features that can quickly become essential on a daily basis.

How to choose a smart bulb?

A priori, the objective is not to buy a single connected bulb, but several. This is why it is necessary to opt for models that are compatible with each other, and therefore of the same brand, and taking advantage of the same application. This facilitates their daily use and is therefore the first point to consider. Then you have to choose the connection mode available. By opting for Wi-Fi bulbs, you have the assurance of being able to control them remotely, even when you are not at home. With Bluetooth models, this possibility is uncertain, because the piloting is done nearby with a smartphone and the connection to the Internet passes through this device. However, some brands, such as Philips, offer the possibility of buying a connection bridge to connect to your Internet box, to wirelessly connect the Bluetooth bulbs to it, and thus control them even from the other side of the world. Also, make sure that the base of the bulb is compatible with that of your light fixture. You should know that, on the price side, choosing a model that connects via WiFi rather than Bluetooth does not always have a concrete impact on the price displayed. It all depends on the brands and the features included, but in terms of connectivity, we sometimes find Bluetooth models more expensive than Wi-Fi models, simply because the reference is multicolored, or because it is compatible with more of voice assistants. Note that if you want to use your connected bulb with Apple's Homekit system, you must ensure that it is compatible, as this is far from always the case. To sum up, choosing a connected LED bulb depends on many criteria that are personal to you, but it also depends on your budget, because prices vary greatly from one reference to another.

How to install a smart bulb?

Installing a smart bulb is as easy as installing a standard bulb, just screw it onto the base of your chosen fixture. As explained above, as long as the base of the bulb matches that of the lamp or chandelier, there is no compatibility issue. There are smart bulbs with a screw base type E27 and E14, as well as models with a bayonet base type G10. These are the most widespread and the bulbs which have a different base are very rare, it is better to know it. Once your bulb is installed, you must activate the switch as for any other bulb, and the light turns on! However, by default, a standard white light is displayed. You must then go to the dedicated mobile application on your smartphone to connect the bulb, while leaving it on, of course. It usually only takes a few minutes to complete the activation and setting of the bulb. To be able to use it, you must leave the switch in the on position: the ideal is to turn off the light directly from your smartphone, or with your connected speaker. This is a reflex to take over time, because, inevitably, we are used to turning the light off and on with a switch. Nevertheless, we quickly get a taste for adjusting the light with the associated application. Be aware that some brands sell remote controls to control the connected bulbs even if you do not have a smartphone at hand.

What is the lifespan of a smart bulb?

The lifespan of a connected bulb is linked to the presence of an LED inside. Where traditional incandescent bulbs tend to “burn out” after a few years of use, usually for no other reason than wear, LEDs have a lifespan that far exceeds 10 years. On average, a smart bulb can work without any problem for 25,000 hours. As we consider that an average daily use is 3 hours, this represents almost 23 years of use! Some manufacturers go even further, claiming more than 50,000 hours of operation. In fact, it is an extrapolation of tests carried out in the laboratory, and this overbidding is therefore mainly theoretical. However, it should be remembered that a connected bulb has an excellent lifespan thanks to LED technology. On the other hand, it is still necessary to take into account its connected part, and it is possible that in a few years, the Bluetooth or WiFi technology which is integrated in the device will become obsolete. However, this would in no way prevent you from using the smart bulb in the traditional way if it were to become technologically obsolete. If we count, on average, around twenty euros for the purchase of a bulb, even if you use it permanently and connected for 10 years, you will have largely amortized its purchase. The objective is, in any case, to use its potential as long as possible.

Where to buy a connected bulb?

Considered for a few years as a cutting-edge connected object, reserved for brands specializing in high-tech, the connected LED bulb is now one of the common objects used at home. As a result, you can find them in DIY stores, but also in supermarkets, and in shops specializing in high-tech devices. However, to have the maximum choice available, it is to the Internet that you must turn. It is indeed on online sales sites that we find the largest selection of smart bulbs of all brands. Prices are also more attractive at online merchants, who sell in larger quantities and can therefore afford to lower prices. Based on our selection of smart LED bulbs, you can get a concrete idea of ​​the quality of the models available on many e-commerce platforms.

What other connected lights are there?

In addition to connected bulbs, you can also find connected LED strips, which can illuminate a piece of furniture, for example. These are adhesive LED strips that connect via USB or to the mains, depending on the model, and also benefit from a WiFi or Bluetooth connection in some cases. Some brands of connected bulbs also offer wall lights, mood lamps or even bedside lamps that incorporate connected LED lighting systems. It's up to you to see if it can complement your existing installation favorably.

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