Smart lights

Nanoleaf Shapes
(Image credit: Nanoleaf)

If you’ve never tried a connected internet of things (IoT) device before – aka something that’s part of a ‘smart home’ setup – and are curious to try, then the easiest place to start would be with smart lights.

So, what makes a light smart? Simply put, it will connect to your home’s Wi-Fi network or to your phone via Bluetooth (in some cases, both) so you can control it via a companion app or voice commands using popular virtual assistants such as Alexa, Siri or Google Assistant. You can dim them, brighten them, get many of them to change color and add some ambience to your home. If you’ve got multiple smart lights set up from different brands, you can often use a hub to control them all from one place.

Smart lights come in all shapes and sizes – there are the basics like bulbs and light strips, or you can design your own setup with light panels too. You can even get table and floor lamps that are smart. Popular brands include Philips Hue, Nanoleaf, LIFX, TP-Link and Lenovo.

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