Improve work from home atmosphere with best smart light bulbs
Due to Coronavirus Disease COVID-19 pandemic, working from home is a new norm for most people. Although it’s impossible to duplicate office environment at home, creating a conducive working atmosphere is achievable with smart light bulbs.
For instance, we can change from warm light to cool daylight for working. Then dim the brightness to a comfortable level. When it’s time for relaxation or gaming, choose from millions of color available in the smart light bulbs. For touch-free operation, control the bulbs with voice command via smart speakers. No more disinfecting the switches since there’s no contact.
By comparison, smart plugs control the switching of normal LED light bulbs but without the special color effects.
Important Considerations for Best Smart Light Bulbs
There are 2 factors to take note of for choosing suitable smart light bulbs:
- Is the power rating of the bulb within the range of the power range in our country?
- Is the bulb connector type same or compatible in our country?
If the power rating of the bulb is not universal, then we must select either US or UK models that match the power rating in our country.
In Asia, countries like Singapore, Malaysian, Philippines, China, India, Hong Kong, Macau, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Brunei, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand and many other Asian countries require UK 220-240VAC. While Japan and Taiwan are among the very few Asian countries that accept US 120VAC.
Bulb type of E26 from US vs E27 from UK is not a big issue for home use since the connector size different is 1 mm only. For commercial use, please check whether there is a regulatory requirement to use the approved bulb type.
Hue (US version here).
With more than 100 years of history, Philips is synonymous with lighting. Philips Hue is a smart home lighting system which includes smart LED light bulbs. The power rating of Philips smart LED bulbs is either US or UK voltage level. To control the smart bulbs, a Hue bridge is a must. The advantage is smart features like motion detection can be added easily by connecting motion detector to the bridge. However, the starting cost is higher due to the bridge. Click on the title to learn more.
Models:
Warm white
Starter Kit – Hue White Starter Kit E27
Bulb only – Hue White Bulb E27, B22, GU10
Warm white to cold daylight
Starter Kit – Hue White Ambiance Starter Kit E27
Bulb only – Hue White Ambiance Bulb E27, B22, GU10
White and color ambiance
Starter Kit – Hue White & Color Ambiance Starter Kit E27, B22, GU10
Bulb only – Hue White & Color Ambiance Bulb E27, B22, GU10
Notes:
1. US type is Edison Screw E26 (A19 refers to bulb diameter) while UK, Singapore and most Asian types are E27 (Japan, Taiwan & Korea use US type). Although thread difference is not a main concern, the voltage rating is. See Note 2.
2. Hue bridge voltage range is 100-240VAC which is suitable for all countries. However, the light bulb voltage is country specific, ie US type is 110-130VAC and UK type is 220-240VAC. Choose either US or UK type that matches the voltage rating in your country.
3. Hue starter kit with Hue bridge is recommended for 1st time installation due to lower total cost than buying the bulbs and bridge separately.
LIFX (UK version here).
The unit price of LIFX smart LED bulbs is used to be higher than other smart LED bulbs. However, the unit price has reduced steadily and is now comparable to competitors. The biggest advantage of LIFX is that the smart LED bulbs do not require any controller since they can work as standalone Wi-Fi devices. As a result, the starting cost of installing LIFX smart LED bulbs is lower. Another huge advantage which is not available in most competing brand is that the power rating of LIFX smart LED bulbs is universal. They’re suitable in all countries. In addition, LIFX has infrared model for enhancing smart cameras‘s night vision. Click on the title to learn more.
Models:
Mini – Mini White, Mini Day & Dusk, Mini Color
Standard – LIFX A19, LIFX BR30, Candle Color
Infrared – LIFX A19+
Notes:
1. US type is Edison Screw E26 (A19 refers to bulb diameter) while UK, Singapore and most Asian types are E27 (Japan, Taiwan & Korea use US type). Thread difference is only 1 mm, so E26 can be used in Asia unless E27 certification is necessary.
2. LIFX light bulb voltage range is 100-240VAC which is suitable for all countries.
Smart light bulbs are more than just providing light for working from home. When it comes to break time, change the lighting instantly to suite the mood.
Explore here for more smart home devices which compliment the features of these best smart light bulbs.
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