When we write reviews here, one of our first priorities is to come up with a buying recommendation. Who, specifically, is this gadget a good fit for? Who, if anyone, would benefit from buying it?
Well, here's my broadest buying recommendation to date: If you have a smart phone and you use Smart Lighting bulbs in your home, then you should buy smart lights. Honestly, I really can't think of a good reason why you shouldn't.Consider Philips Hue, long thought of as an expensive option in smart lighting. That's certainly true if you want every light in your home to change colors, but if you're just looking for a modest setup with a few, non-color-changing bulbs, the buy-in is much more manageable. As of writing this, a four-bulb Philips Hue White starter kit with the mandatory Hue Bridge costs $90 on Amazon. From there, additional bulbs cost $15 each.
Maybe that still sounds like a lot, but keep in mind that switching from a 60-watt incandescent to a 10-watt LED that's just as bright will knock about $6 off of your energy bill each year, on average. If you're still using outdated bulbs like those, that four-bulb Hue kit would pay for itself in less than four years. Other smart lighting products from Sengled, Sylvania, TP-Link Kasa and the Anker-owned Eufy brand of smart home gadgets are all well-reviewed, well-connected and well-priced. GE's stepping on the smart lighting gas this year with a greatly expanded lineup of budget-friendly C by GE smart lights and switches, all of which will work directly with Google Assistant. Amazon-owned video doorbell startup Ring has a new lineup of motion-sensing outdoor lights planned for this year, too -- and they're the most affordable Ring gadgets to date.
All of that competition is good for consumers -- it also means that a good sale on smart lights is rarely far away. And keep in mind that these are products that you'll use each and every day. In some cases, they'll be the first things you turn on in the morning and the last things you turn off before heading to bed. It's worth paying a little more for really nice ones with additional features you might not have considered before, things like voice controls, security lighting and wake-up fades. In fact, after spending more than five years talking to folks about smart lights -- friends, family, co-workers, strangers -- I honestly can't remember anyone who's bought in and regretted it outright. Can you say that about phones, laptops, TVs, VR headsets or any other number of popular product categories?
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