Computer Controlled Home Lighting Systems Buying Guide
Automating your home's lighting is an excellent place to start because it's easy to install, and you can assign a light to whatever mood you want, drastically altering the atmosphere of your home.
Smart lighting solutions are in three: intelligent bulbs, intelligent shades, and smart blinds.
Shades and blinds control natural light in your home, while smart bulbs add artificial aesthetics to your space.
Smart light systems can be controlled using a hub, a wristwatch, or a voice assistant connected to your Wi-Fi.
Starting Out
A computer-controlled home lighting system can adopt any of these two methods: making the light bulbs smart or making the socket or light switch smart.
You may also use smart LED stripes mounted on walls as part of wall décor.
FYI smart bulbs are pricier than LED lights, perhaps because of the available features.
The Aesthetics
Motion sensors are part of the accessories of smart bulbs. When you open the door to your apartment, the hall lights turn on automatically. If you have a walk-in closet, it will also light up when you walk in.
You can program your lights to turn on and off at specific times using your home automation platform. You can also specify what color temperature they should be at different times.
You can also choose specific scenes for your rooms with smart light brands such as movie nights, reading time, dinner, sunrise, and sunset. Smart light switches from Lutron are available for light fixtures that cannot accommodate a smart bulb.
Smart Lighting Options
Philips Range of Smart Bulbs
Philips Hue continues to be the dominant smart lighting player in the US for smart light bulbs. Its whole range of products will be compatible with Matter, a buy-in if you want to get yourself a smart bulb.
Matter - coming soon device-will improve the interoperability of your smart home gadgets, making it easier for different brand smart home devices to communicate with other brands smart devices.
Also available are LED strips, ceiling fixtures, and portable battery-powered lamps.
The Hue product line includes dimmer switches, motion sensors, and weatherproof landscape lights.
Remember that Hue lights require a bridge to function. The bridge connects to your router with an ethernet cable, and only one is necessary per residence.
Sylvania
Sylvania from Apple is an excellent choice for Apple loyal fans. It is slightly cheaper than competitor brands, and you will note the price difference when you buy in dozens.
It is also easy to set up. All you have to do is screw in the light bulb and turn it on to use Siri. Like Philip Hue bulbs, you can also control it from your iPhone’s Bluetooth.
Unfortunately, it only works with Apple HomeKit and is incompatible with other voice assistants and smart hubs from other brands. Also, Philips Hue and Lifx have more features compared to Sylvania.
Lifx
The bulbs from Lifx connect directly to your Wi-Fi. Their features and brightness are almost as good as those from Philips. Lifx lighting fittings are compatible with Amazon Echo speakers, Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri.
Their latest smart bulb can also disinfect using High Energy Visible light (HEV), safe for pets and humans.
Smart Bulbs Terminology
Bulbs with color are pricier than those with no color. You get a white and yellow light with temperature controls from blue to warm orange if you choose the no color option.
Dimmable
A dimmable smart bulb can increase or decrease its brightness, but you cannot control the temperature.
Tuneable
A tuneable smart bulb has brightness adjustments and temperature control options.
Multicolor Bulbs
These can be set to any color, temperature, or brightness.
Smart Shades and Smart Blinds
Automatically extending, retracting, or tilting shades and blinds are now a reality thanks to smart technology.
Automated shades and blinds save money on utility bills, increase the security of your home and relieve you of the mundane tasks of opening and shutting them.
Lutron's automatic shades operate flawlessly and are the fastest and quietest shades in the market. They are stylish and compatible with the most popular smart home platforms.
The Serena Smart Wood blinds, leading in terms of features and quality, have a panel to slide the blinds up or down in place of a cord. As the sun moves across the sky throughout the day, a great Natural Light Optimization feature automatically tilts the blinds to reduce glare in your room.
In addition, Serena blinds can be programmed to automatically close and open when you leave or arrive at your home. They can also be set up to work with other Lutron devices as part of a Schedule or in Scenes.
Take-Away
Automated home lighting systems for sure set your mood and offer comfort with the right color and temperature for your comfort.