SMART LIGHTING

Smart Home Tech Guide

Best Practices, Product Recommendations & Creative Uses

Smart lighting, including lightstrips, colored bulbs, panels, and lamps, can transform any room by adding ambiance, accenting decor, or enhancing an entertainment space. From mood lighting for movie nights to bright, focused lighting for a workspace, smart lights offer versatile control and customizability. Here's how to use smart lighting effectively and recommendations to help you choose the right products for your home.

Best Practices for Smart Lighting

▶ Choose Your Ecosystem Wisely

Sticking with one brand or ecosystem ensures that your lights will work seamlessly together. This makes it easier to set scenes, schedule routines, and control everything from one app. Major ecosystems like Philips Hue, Govee, Nanoleaf, and Cync are great choices, and each has a wide range of products to meet different needs.

▶ Use Accent Lighting to Enhance, Not Overwhelm

While it's tempting to go all-in on smart lighting, be strategic to avoid overwhelming a space. Use accent lights to highlight specific features in a room—such as shelving, TVs, or artwork—rather than trying to light up everything. A well-placed lightstrip or colored bulb can add personality without being overpowering.

▶ Maintain Constant Power & Consider Smart Switches

Smart bulbs and lightstrips need constant power to stay connected to your smart home system. For hardwired lights, consider adding smart switches instead of smart bulbs, so you don’t accidentally cut power when turning off the lights manually. For plug-in lights, use smart plugs to easily automate and control them.

▶ Set Scenes & Automations

Take advantage of the app capabilities to create custom scenes for different times of day or activities. For example:

“Movie Night”: Dim the lights and change them to a soft, warm color.
“Good Morning”: Gradually brighten the lights in the morning to simulate a sunrise.
“Party Mode”: Set dynamic, color-changing effects for an entertaining vibe.

Lightstrips

Philips Hue Lightstrips

$67+

▶ WHO IT’S FOR:
Users who want high-quality lightstrips with versatile control.

▶ WHY CHOOSE PHILIPS HUE LIGHTSTRIPS:
Hue lightstrips are among the most popular and reliable on the market. They are easily customizable in terms of length (you can cut them to size) and have full app control, including integrations with Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple HomeKit.

▶ PRO TIP:
Pair them with a Hue Bridge for additional features like advanced scheduling, out-of-home control, and synchronization with music or media.

Govee RGBIC Lightstrips

$10+

▶ WHO IT’S FOR:
Users looking for affordable, feature-rich lightstrips with great color options.

▶ WHY CHOOSE GOVEE LIGHTSTRIPS:
Govee lightstrips are known for their vibrant colors and built-in RGBIC technology, which allows multiple colors to be displayed simultaneously along a single strip. They offer a variety of options, including lightstrips with music-sync capabilities for enhanced entertainment setups.

▶ APP FEATURES:
The Govee app lets you create custom effects, schedule routines, and pair multiple lightstrips together for synchronized lighting.

Smart Bulbs

Philips Hue White & Color Ambiance Bulbs

$55

▶ WHO IT’S FOR:
Users who want top-quality, full-spectrum color bulbs with smart home integrations.

▶ WHY CHOOSE PHILIPS HUE:
The Hue White & Color Ambiance bulbs offer millions of color options, smooth dimming, and reliable performance. They can be controlled through a variety of platforms, making them perfect for creating dynamic scenes.

▶ PRO TIP:
Use the Hue app to set up geo-fencing automations, so the lights turn on when you arrive home and off when you leave.

Nanoleaf Essentials Smart Bulbs

$50

▶ WHO IT’S FOR:
Homeowners looking for vibrant colors with simple setup and fast response times.

▶ WHY CHOOSE NANOLEAF:
The Essentials line includes bright, responsive bulbs with wide color ranges. These bulbs connect via Bluetooth or Thread (a new mesh network protocol), which allows for fast and reliable control without needing a bridge.

▶ SIRI & HOMEKIT COMPATABILITY:
Great for Apple HomeKit users, Nanoleaf bulbs offer smooth integration and can be controlled through Siri.

Sengled Smart LED Bulbs

$39

▶ WHO IT’S FOR:
Users looking for a budget-friendly yet reliable smart bulb.

▶ WHY CHOOSE SENGLED:
These bulbs offer basic smart control (on/off, dimming, color changing) at an affordable price. They’re compatible with major smart home systems, including Alexa, Google Assistant, and SmartThings. The Sengled bulbs are Zigbee-based, making them a good option for larger setups that don’t rely on Wi-Fi.

Light Panels & Lamps

Nanoleaf Light Panels

$199

(Shapes, Canvas, Lines)

▶ WHO IT’S FOR:
Users who want artistic light panels to create unique designs or wall art.

▶ WHY CHOOSE NANOLEAF:
Nanoleaf panels are customizable, connectable shapes that can form patterns and respond to touch or music. Options like Shapes, Canvas, and Lines let you build custom designs for any room, with effects controlled via the Nanoleaf app.

▶ UNIQUE FEATURES:
Panels have dynamic lighting modes, color-changing scenes, and touch control, making them interactive and fun for entertainment spaces.

LIFX Beam & Lightstrip

$89 + $189

▶ WHO IT’S FOR:
Users looking for bright, colorful accent lights without needing a hub.

▶ WHY CHOOSE LIFX:
LIFX beams and lightstrips offer brilliant, customizable lighting with a hub-free experience. They support a wide range of colors, effects, and brightness settings and can be controlled via the LIFX app or integrated with other smart home systems.

▶ DYNAMIC COLOR ZONES:
The ability to have multiple colors on a single strip or beam makes these lights a standout for more dynamic lighting.

Govee Glide Wall Light

$129

▶ WHO IT’S FOR:
Users looking to add customizable light bars for an interactive wall light experience.

▶ WHY CHOOSE GOVEE GLIDE:
The Glide Wall Light is a modular light bar system that allows for customizable designs and color flows. It’s perfect for entertainment rooms, gaming setups, or creating a visual focal point on a wall.

▶ FEATURES:
With voice control and music-sync capabilities, the Glide offers both functional and decorative lighting.

Best Uses for Smart Lighting

▶ Accent Walls & Entertainment Centers: Use lightstrips around TVs, gaming consoles, or shelving units to add visual interest and mood lighting.

▶ Ambiance in Bedrooms & Living Rooms: Colorful smart bulbs and panels can create a calming atmosphere for relaxation or a lively space for entertaining.

▶ Outdoor Lighting for Patio & Garden: Use weatherproof lightstrips or smart outdoor bulbs to highlight landscaping, walkways, or patios. Look for IP-rated lights for durability against the elements.

▶ Home Office & Workspace Lighting: Tune the color temperature and brightness of smart bulbs to match your productivity needs—cooler light for focus, warmer light for relaxation.

Best Practices for Creating
a Cohesive Lighting Experience

▶ Stick to One Ecosystem: To keep things simple, choose a brand or ecosystem that offers both bulbs and lightstrips that can be controlled together. This makes setting scenes and routines easier and avoids switching between multiple apps.

▶ Utilize Smart Switches for Hardwired Lights: If you want to control traditional fixtures with smart bulbs, use smart switches to maintain constant power while ensuring easy manual control when needed.

▶ Mix Function & Style: Balance functional lighting (e.g., task lights or reading lamps) with decorative accent lighting to create layers of light that serve multiple purposes.

▶ Take Advantage of Schedules & Routines: Use automation to turn on lights at sunset, dim them for bedtime, or have them flash for an alarm or notification.

Want More Info?

Videos & Guides:

▶ Smart Lighting Ideas & Tips (YouTube)

▶ Ultimate Smart Home Lighting Guide

▶ How to Set Up Smart Light Scenes