
In case you overlooked it, we conducted a survey among our readers regarding the smart home technology they utilize and appreciate. The outcomes are here, showcasing your preferred smart home brands. Smart lights rank among the most user-friendly and accessible smart home devices due to their affordable pricing and simplicity of operation. They can be managed through your smartphone or smart home assistants, providing flexibility in how you incorporate them into your household. Explore our complete survey findings, or keep reading for our analysis of our readers’ favored smart lights.
Your preferred smart lights
Readers identified their favorite smart lights as just two brands: TP-Link (Kasa) and Philips Hue. Kasa excelled in most categories, including overall satisfaction, achieving a score of 8.6 out of 10 (in contrast to Philips Hue’s 8.1). See how each brand performed across various categories in the chart below by clicking the arrows or utilizing the dropdown menu.
Editor’s note: TP-Link is currently under scrutiny for security issues concerning its routers and aggressive pricing practices.
Pricing and setup
Smart light bulbs are among the more affordable smart home devices, owing to their comparatively low price. However, when contrasting smart lights, you will observe a distinct separation in this product range between high-end brands and more economical options. Survey responses clearly indicate that Philips Hue and Kasa inhabit opposite ends of the pricing spectrum. Philips was rated rather low at 6.4, while readers preferred Kasa at 8.7.
“The sole reason I can’t say I’m ‘extremely likely’ to recommend Philips Hue is that they are quite pricey compared to other brands,” one participant mentioned.
A Kasa user remarked, “I previously used another brand and found them incredibly frustrating. I was pleased to discover these performed to my satisfaction at a lower price.”
Utilizing the smart bulbs
Both Kasa and Philips Hue received favorable evaluations in terms of ease of use, dependability, and compatibility with smart assistants.
“Generally, they operate exceptionally well. We mainly control them by voice with Alexa,” one participant said about their Philips Hue lights.
Numerous survey respondents highlighted their integration of smart lights with either Alexa or Google Assistant. A Kasa user stated: “I have numerous bulbs throughout the inside and outside of my home. The outdoor ones had issues, but after upgrading to a mesh router, I haven’t experienced any since. I can program them for specific schedules, turning on and off at sunset/sunrise, and they can change colors. They integrate seamlessly into my Google Home system.”
Insufficient respondents rated their TP-Link (Kasa) bulbs on bulb lifespan, preset color themes, or routines and automation to produce a score, but Philips Hue earned high ratings in all these aspects.
Willingness to recommend
Mashable readers recommend TP-Link (Kasa) and Philips Hue equally, with both scoring 8.1 out of 10.