Smart light bulbs are one of those innovations that always seemed to me, a longtime tech writer, as more like a toy than a tool. Yes, they help optimize the fully automated homes of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs — allowing you to, say, set the mood lighting in your living room to mimic the natural cycle of the sun. But do they really serve any practical purpose? I discovered, in fact, that they do. Once I tested out versions like the reasonably priced Sengled Smart Light Bulb, I was hooked. While some of them require a hub in order to operate, meaning they need an extra piece of nearby hardware to translate your commands, many of them screw into your fixtures just the same as any standard bulb; then they connect to your Wi-Fi network via phone app and allow you to turn them on or off from wherever you are, whether that’s on another floor of the house or in an entirely different Zip Code for work (if we ever return to our nonhome offices). And although they can initially cost anywhere from four to eight times more than a traditional bulb, they can also deliver big energy savings, sometimes cutting 10 to 50 percent off your electric bill. Plus, I must admit, they’re fun. Some of them can even change colors to match whatever music you’re playing. Or, as Strategist writer Jordan Bowman says he does with his Philips bar light as part of his Friday routine: “While watching The Mandalorian, I’ll use my phone to change the lights to a dark-green hue, setting the mood for all the bizarre Baby Yoda, space-cowboy-inspired adventures.” So whether you want to turn your space into a dance club or simply reduce your monthly power output, read on for a list of options that can illuminate every room of your house (along with the front porch). The best smart color-changing light bulb Sengled may not be the first manufacturer you associate with light bulbs — it’s probably GE or Philips — but the company has made a name for itself in the world of smart technology over the past few years, and it has multiple CES Innovation Awards to prove it. In my experience, the Sengled bulb ranks above the rest because it’s extremely easy to use and exceptionally well made, especially for the price, considering that similar color-changing bulbs can run you upwards of $30. Once you activate it, with the Sengled app or voice assistant like Alexa, it offers the full range of 16 million potential colors that LEDs can generate, including shades of white. While to some that may seem like an unnecessarily vast spectrum, it has more uses than you may think: For example, you can set the light to very gradually get brighter in the morning and darker in the evening to simulate sunrise and sunset (which has purported benefits for your circadian rhythms). And I must say I have taken real pleasure in freaking out […]
