The BEST Smart Bulbs in 2023 (Hue, Wyze, Kasa, LiFX, Nanoleaf, Innr, Yeelight, Inovelli + more!)
The BEST Smart Bulbs in 2023 (Hue, Wyze, Kasa, LiFX, Nanoleaf, Innr, Yeelight, Inovelli + more!)
In this video I review 14 different smart bulbs that work #HomeAssistant. I show how each one works in their native app, explain #smarthome ecosystem compatibilities, and compare their brightness and color accuracy. I also show how each works in Home Assistant. Thanks for watching! I hope this video helps you decide which bulb is best for you.
I’ve left affiliate links below for any of the products used – if you decide to buy one, using the link will help me financially at no additional cost to you! Thanks!
Written Version: https://www.makeitwork-tech.com/the-best-smart-bulbs-in-2023/
— Products in this video —
Athom: https://www.athom.tech/blank-1/wled-15w-color-bulb
SwitchBot: https://amzn.to/41EqZoQ
Inovelli: https://inovelli.com/products/z-wave-500-red-series-rgbw-smart-bulb-a19-e26
Wyze: https://amzn.to/3mjBiyw
Yeelight: https://amzn.to/3T05e0l
Wiz: https://amzn.to/3kEWkqX
Philips Hue: https://amzn.to/3m7wtbl
Meross: https://amzn.to/3EQSPoa
Nanoleaf (with Matter): https://amzn.to/3y3ag0P
LIFX: https://amzn.to/3SIKAju
Sengled: https://amzn.to/3SOUGQ3
Kasa: https://amzn.to/41BpU13
Innr: https://amzn.to/41AZmwX
TRÅDFRI: https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/tradfri-led-bulb-e26-800-lumen-smart-wireless-dimmable-color-and-white-spectrum-globe-60439168/
Metal Bulb Base: https://amzn.to/3VGoYaJ
Wooden Bulb Base: https://amzn.to/4cp4Ijy
— The Stuff behind me —
Desk Glow Lamp: https://amzn.to/3GlfAAB
Desk Architect’s Lamp: https://amzn.to/3ihPdUf
Monitors: https://amzn.to/3ZgN63r
Monitor Mounts: https://amzn.to/3vN1z9M
Mouse: https://amzn.to/3It7595
Keyboard: https://amzn.to/3ik7jon
StreamDeck: https://amzn.to/3wqEfyY
Desk Microphone: https://amzn.to/3IwCYxz
Acoustic Panels: https://amzn.to/3wnALNV
Chair: https://amzn.to/3XAgfoX
Studio Headphones: https://amzn.to/3WVnffR
Under-Cabinet Speakers: https://amzn.to/3IxkHQP
Camera: https://amzn.to/3imNq04
Desk Backlighting Strip: https://amzn.to/3vJvLCX
Desk Backlighting Controller: https://www.athom.tech/blank-1/wled-high-power-led-strip-controller
Desk Backlighting Power Supply: https://amzn.to/3IwduAD
Desk Board: https://amzn.to/3CwFbFy
Desk Brackets: https://amzn.to/3GJHDeh
— Filming setup —
Camera: https://amzn.to/3jOsb7C
Charger/Batteries: https://amzn.to/3k0fVRr
Camera Stand: https://amzn.to/3XifZux
Microphone: https://amzn.to/3WRpYXV
Monitor: https://amzn.to/3vMcnoB
Key Light: https://amzn.to/3WTJkvo
—-
DISCLAIMER: This video and description contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission at no extra cost to you!
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Chapters:
00:00 Intro & Requirements
01:48 SwitchBot
03:59 Wyze
06:07 Yeelight
08:15 Athom
11:47 WiZ
13:47 Meross
16:01 LiFX
18:40 Kasa
20:47 Philips Poo
23:51 Sengled
25:19 Innr
26:51 Ikea Tradfri
28:11 Inovelli
29:11 Nanoleaves
32:54 Testing the Bulbs
34:13 Favorites & Least Favorites
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Intro/Outro Music: MDK & Sterrezo – Lightspeed
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Problem with switchbot bulbs is they aren’t true wifi but are more bluetooth base. That’s why its connection range is so short. If your phone is a more than 500 feet away from the phone and hub, you won’t be able to control the bulb. Especially in dynamic mode. I’ve also had constant disconnects of a single a19 bulb when I put them into a group. It’s not the whole group that quits working. Just 1or2 bulbs. For me Switchbot bulbs are great on their color transitions of fade-in, fade-out, breath, and flash. Not many other bulbs have these features. I’d continue using them but with the constant disconnects and pairing issues, the bulbs aren’t worth it. It’s interesting too because the Switchbot website seems to have hidden the listing of their bulbs.You can’t navigate to buy their bulbs off their store from the product index page. You need to have the direct link to the product listing page. That goes to show how little confidence Switchbot has in their bulbs.
Are all the apps used to control the bulbs free to use? I’ve seen some reviews on certain bulbs where you need to pay for a subscription to use the app. Thanks
Thanks. I really enjoyed watching your video about different smart bulbs. Helped me pick the right one for me.
Really like the fact that you don’t refer to Amazon Alexa by name. Really cool to do that as Amazon speakers love to trigger at any mention of "Alexa"! Really cool, thanks 🙏
Hey! All are E27. I need E14 bulbs 💡 with color. What it too work with Google and HA. What do you recommend? 😊
I have a question can I put any of these bulbs in a ceiling fan socket with 3 sockets with them working fine cause I used 2 different types and both of them kept flickering and doing stuff but I want a set that will work fine
You prob already know this by now but you can reset Hue bulbs using a power on/off sequence. Reddit is your friend.
So…like…what about Govee? Aren’t they one of the most popular? Seems like a glaring ommission.
I have the Wyze bulbs and have to say after having them for a year and dealt with multiple replacements, I highly don’t recommend them. They constantly disconnect and none of the models I’ve had have ever been able to update their firmware without failing.
Your statement about not being able to factory reset a Philips Hue light without using specific equipment or apps is factually inaccurate, do a search and you will find the power cycling sequence needed to factory reset a Hue light, it has been deliberately made to be not ‘TOO EASY’ in order to stop children meddling with your light switches from reseting all your lights
Hey love the vid!
Out of all of these bulbs which one has the best wifi connectivity? I’m looking for a smart bulb to put on the exterior of my home. I got the Kasa but it says device is not reachable. Do you have any recommendation on bulbs that have a long range wifi?
I have been searching for the best blue led bulb. Feit seems to have the best color, but it’s inconsistent between bulbs, and very dim. I’ve tried about 10 brands now, and just can’t find a true blue color. Must of them are purple looking. Any suggestions?
You can reset philips hue but apparently your research is not thorough
2025 version !! Cant wait to see more of your projects
Philphs poo is crazy
Looking to get a few non Wi-Fi bulbs and the Aqaba T1M celling light what hub do you recommend to use using HA for all these products
**I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND WYZE**
And can never be too glad that I started a home lab and discovered Home Assistant. At first I just wanted basic smart switches to pair with things that had physical analog controls so that if it was on when it was unplugged it would turn back on when plugged in. Found the wyze smart plugs. Was impressed when I could go down the street, be like "Oh, it’s hot, I’m gonna go home, but I’m also gonna start the AC so it’s cool when I get back." Did the same with some box fans just to save that $0.00.33 cents overnight without having to go to sleep with them off. But overtime, I wanted more functionality, and Wyze’s apps seemed to be just enough to get you to love them so they can constantly advertise sales on new products and their cloud AI stranger detection and stuff like that. Drives me up a wall. I looked up the extra functions you could do, and it still wasn’t quite what I wanted.
But Home Assistant, for free (plus cost of the hardware you run it on) gives me so much more functionality than I could ever dream of. Like, you’re telling me that when I turn a light on, I can trigger a timer that will turn off a whole GROUP of lights when the timer goes out? Without having to set each timer on their own after I turn it on? Also, Wyze never EVER was able to properly turn off my devices when I left my home like I set it up to do. Home Assistant DOES do it. That’s amazing. I even set up a notification to happen on just my phone when it gets close to lunch time. **Yeah, I have Wyze bulbs, and they’ve had firmware updates over the years, but they seem to get unreliable very quickly. I have to reset them so often with the Wyze App and make sure I set them up exactly the same way so I don’t have to reconfigure them in Home Assistant.** Came to this video to find some decent replacement.
Home Assistant is free, but I’ll definitely be contributing to its continued development. Developers deserve to eat, too.
The usefulness of this kind of review would be improved tremendously by adding a table or spreadsheet of all of the data. You probably already have this in order to create your script. For me, after about 5 minutes it all turns to mush and I have to start creating my own table and I’m probably not the only one. I find this in company’s own websites, they have a description of each product and each one sounds the same as the last. One simple table is way more effective that 20 pages of fluffy text.
Regardless, Thank you for the review.
12:30 Does WiZ still offer the HEX code value settings in their app? Kinda tired of just a color wheel with no actual precise control.
Hi, i went with wyze prior to watching, love the app but, the colors feel under saturated, mainly the reds more salmon even dimmed and the pinks and purples arent too great. So im on the fence. Light strip is good though. Got any recommendations to obtain deeper colors even at the cost of brightness?
thank you for all this work !
Where is the Govee H6009 Wi-Fi+BLE RGBWW LED Bulb??? It’s quite a shame that he did not include any Govee Lightbulb such as this one in his comparison because in my opinion, this is the best smart light bulb on the market overall.
Do you have any recommendation for BR30/downlight WLED options?
So in short dont buy the Philips Hue … (That the applestore sells!). But if you just want a white light in whites with different colors a bulp like Nanoleaf is supernice to setup with matter.
Amazing work, good job!
Can you include Govee in the future?
Very odd to basically glance over Philips Hue simply because you had issues putting it into pairing mode.
There is a reason Hue is the gold standard. They are the most reliable, don’t clog your WiFi, and have the most variaty of lights and accessories.
which one has the best pre-set light show or modes?
Meross is my constant nightmare. I bought into their HomeKit bulbs and have regretted it for years. I’ve been switching to hue for everywhere in the house except for my office. To go hue there, it’d run me $750+ but I’m considering INNR now
One good thing about the Philips hue hub is the hub can pair up to 50 devices, but only take up 1 slot on your router, instead of every device having it’s own ip.
Dude, haven’t even seen the entire video yet, but if it requires Bluetooth to be be able to use with home assistant, then it sucks. Bluetooth is super unreliable and I’m shocked you didn’t mention that.
I bought 12 bulbs 60W A19 LED, by far the worst lights I have ever bought, and the worst disappointing experience I have ever had. Philips prefer selling poor failed quality lights instead of taking them out from the market, rather than throwing out to the garbage a failed product they prefer loosing clients forever like myself. I hope not to be in a situation of buing a philips product again the bad feeling I had with this lamps that lost the wifi connection and blink like a chrismas tree is from another world
whats the best for dark deep purple ?
most of them suck at purple 😓
I bought a Ledvance bulb but I cannot get it into pair mode, it has Zeebee , not sure if it needs a hub to set it up. Have you any advice
I enjoyed your video, just wish it was more in debt on how these bulbs deal with network connection issues or with black out. I know you mentioned wyze and it’s option. I currently have a set of smart lights but they constantly flash when not connected. I love smart lights that can function as normal lights after a black out. As other people in home don’t know how to reconnect if I’m away
I have a hue bulb that I am trying to pair for use w HA. I have used a dimmer switch, have done the turn off/on 5x and even tried the serial number in the Hue app. When I reset, the bulb blinks several times so it appears to be in pairing mode but the app can’t find the bulb. Any ideas? I’ll never buy another hue bulb again
There is one BIG benefit with the Philips Hue ones:
They allow dynamic scenes. This means, your bulb would smoothly transition over multiple colors. This is very beautiful and for me the only reason why I am on the dark side when it comes to bulbs.
Happy to hear in case there are cheaper alternatives with color transitions
PEOPLE SENGLAD BEST BUY $12.99 THE BEST AND CHANGES COLORS.. THIS GUY WANTS U TO BUY MOST EXPENSIVE HE GETS A COMMISSION…
So, shouls I go with yeelight or Kasa ? I will buy 5-6 of them and want to use with central control all. I watched and understand that both of them are compatible with ai assistants and generic applications. Should I buy the cheapest one for my country?
I’m so over having to trick my router and the bulb to work upon setup, since the cloud models all need 2.4ghz, the workarounds feel like the 90s. I wish hue and Lutron casita would merge
As someone who has kids, I can’t imagine why you would want to have a zigbee bulb reset from playing with a light switch.
🎯 Key points for quick navigation:
00:05 *🌐 Smart bulbs are easy to install and integrate into smart homes, making them accessible even for beginners.*
00:44 *💡 Choosing the right smart bulb involves considering compatibility with your smart home platform and the reliability of cloud-based vs. local control options.*
01:54 *🎨 SwitchBot bulbs offer good compatibility across different smart home platforms but lack power outage recovery settings.*
04:13 *💡 Wyze bulbs are exceptionally bright and feature power loss recovery settings, but they rely on cloud connectivity unless configured for local control.*
06:17 *💜 Yeelight bulbs stand out with unique design and LAN control capability, offering good integration with various smart home platforms including Home Assistant.*
08:22 *🔧 WLED-powered bulbs, like those from Athem, require special setup due to their firmware nature, offering extensive customization via web browser controls.*
11:52 *🌀 Wiz bulbs are affordable with native local integration to Home Assistant, featuring good color accuracy but with occasional dependency on the cloud.*
13:57 *💡 Mero bulbs are budget-friendly and very bright but lack power outage settings and require a custom integration for use with Home Assistant.*
16:17 *✨ LIFX bulbs are premium in design and brightness, compatible with various platforms including Home Assistant, but lack power on state control.*
18:44 *🌟 TP-Link Kasa bulbs are cost-effective, work well with Home Assistant and other platforms, offering decent brightness and color accuracy.*
20:46 *🌐 Philips Hue bulbs, operating on Zigbee, require the Hue Bridge for full functionality, offering robust integration options but at a higher cost.*
21:40 *🌈 Philips Hue bulbs are compatible with various smart home systems like SmartThings and Home Assistant, with or without their hub, but require their hub for Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple Home integration.*
23:54 *🔒 Unlike Philips Hue, the Sengled Color Bulb can be reset and put into pairing mode simply by toggling the power on and off 10 times, making it more versatile across different ecosystems.*
25:46 *🔧 Innr Color Bulb, compatible with various platforms including Home Assistant and SmartThings, offers easy reset by toggling power six times, providing straightforward setup and control options.*
28:17 *📡 Innr Valley Z-Wave Bulb serves as a Z-Wave range extender, enhancing network coverage, and offers decent color accuracy, although its 500 series Z-Wave chip may limit range compared to newer models.*
30:22 *💡 Nanoleaf Essentials Bulb, using Thread protocol, requires a Nanoleaf Hub or Apple HomePod as a border router for connectivity, offering distinctive design and decent color accuracy.*
Made with HARPA AI
Are you gonna do an updated comparison for 2024? (Potentially including a Govee Bulb?)
My Wiz lights are a nightmare for connectivity. I bought about a dozen and they have almost all glitched out and cannot connect to WiFi anymore. They also flicker when turned on for the about 5 minutes.anyone else have issues with them? They can’t even enter/stay in pairing mode anymore after switching the lights on/off 3 times… also there is no hard reset for the bulbs in the app, so even if I could connect to them, I can’t reset them. 😂
Heyo! Great video.
I’m curious, what do you think about Cync (GE) bulbs?
Very thorough. Thank you!
I don’t understand why "power on state" is such a highlighted feature.
Do you live in a 3rd world country? Why is your electrical grid so bad?
i would like a bild to be rgb when I’m not in the room and change to white when I enter the room. is this easy? or do I need to get the hub lights? since I need to pair it with a presence sensor..
or am I fine just getting deltaco bulbs?
Do any of these bulbs have a gentle wake-up function that works locally without the need to connect to the Internet?
I have more than 50 Philips Hue products, I decided to switch to Tapo. Because these technologies will become much cheaper in the future and will become dead investments, and since I have been using them for 3 years, their lifespan has also decreased. I preferred Tapo because it is a smart home system ecosystem rather than lighting and its lighting products are much cheaper than Hue. I can buy all the products I need from the Tapo ecosystem by selling only 18~20 Hue E27 bulbs 🙂 I can’t say I use ambient lighting much anyway.
I wanted to like Wyze SO MUCH. But they just don’t work well.