What are the best light bulbs for the house?

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What are the best light bulbs for the house?

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Apr 2, 2018

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3 Options Considered

Best light bulbs for the house	Price	Last Updated
-- Philips Hue	$14.95	Apr 2, 2018
-- Lifx	$60	May 13, 2017
-- Ion Audio Sound Shine	$60	May 13, 2017

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score 4 · Answer 1

Philips Hue

Top Pro

Wide range of colors

The Hue app comes with default color pallets, but you can take control and customize the colors any way you want. The bulbs support up to 16 million different colors covering all areas of the spectrum. See More

Top Con

Pricey

Top Pro

Supports IFTTT recipes

There are many fun IFTTT App Recipes that you can sync with your phone and Websites. If THIS happens then do THAT to the lights, i.e. IF your team scores a touchdown(ESPN), THEN turn the lights the color of your team. See More

Top Con

Some colors can be difficult to create

Blue tones tend to come out purplish, and green tones tend to be more yellowy than they should be. See More

Top Pro

Compatible with Philips Ambilight TV

If you have a Philips Ambilight TV, you can hook your Hue lightbulbs up with the TV and the bulbs will change color with what is on the screen, making for a very immersive experience. See More

Top Con

Bulbs aren't super bright

The first gen bulbs (what are available right now) have a maximum brightness of 600 lumens - similar brightness to a 50-watt bulb. The second gen bulbs will have an increase to 800 lumens, which is in-line with the amount of light that 60-watt bulbs produces - however these aren't available quite yet. See More

Top Pro

Tons of utility and customization

Philips has released the Hue API, allowing individual developers to create their own apps that utilize the Hue bulbs. These apps are often more robust than Philips' own app, letting lights change color in sync with music, flickering whenever you get a tweet, or can change colors to reflect the stock market. The possibilities are nearly endless. See More

Top Con

Requires a central hub

The Hue bulbs need to be connected to a hub which needs to be wired into your router. This adds another device to the mix, and also increases the cost (it's $60 on its own, but it is also included in some of the bundles). See More

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score 1 · Answer 2

Lifx

Top Pro

No hub required

The bulbs connect straight to the phone, meaning there's no need for a hub which reduces the upfront installation cost. See More

Top Con

App lacks features

The app doesn't allow for light scheduling or custom color cycles. See More

Top Pro

Very bright

While few other SmartBulbs get as bright as a regular 60 watt bulb, the Lifx gets even brighter. Instead of just using it for accent lighting, these smart bulbs are some of the only ones that can effectively be used as a primary lighting source. See More

Top Con

Heavier, and warmer than other LED lights

To achieve their high brightness, the Lifx need more diodes than other LED bulbs, which means that they get hotter. To help deal with the heat, there are more heat sinks which adds the weight (they weigh 10.4 ounces each). Despite the heat sinks though, they still run a bit warmer than other LED bulbs. See More

Top Pro

Different bulb options

The Color 1000 comes in two variants - one is a compact A19 size, while the other is a BR30 size. The A19 produces 1055 lumens (equivalent to a 75W bulb), while the BR30 produces 970 lumens (equivalent to a 70W bulb). See More

Top Con

High brightness washes out colors

The colored RGB lights can only achieve 50% brightness on their own; after 50% white LEDs are also turned on to achieve a very high total brightness. However, mixing white light with colored light will dilute the colors so that red light at 70% brightness will look more washed out than red light at 50% brightness. See More

Top Pro

Simple setup

As soon as they are plugged in, the lights will turn on and start broadcasting a Wi-Fi signal. To pair it to your phone, just connect to that Wi-Fi signal. After you connect, you're done and can switch back to your home Wi-Fi. See More

Top Pro

Third-party integrations

The bulbs can hook into the Nest Thermostat, Nest Smoke Detector, as well as IFTTT (If This Then That - a popular automation app based on 'recipes'). See More

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score 1 · Answer 3

Ion Audio Sound Shine

Top Pro

Simple setup

There's no hub required, and the bulbs pair easily directly to your phone. The process isn't any harder than pairing a bluetooth speaker. See More

Top Con

White light only

While the lights are dimmable from your smartphone, most smart bulbs offer a RGB LED which lets you illuminate your room/house with different colors and shades of white. These lights only have 1 shade of white, and can be dimmed. See More

Top Pro

Easy to use app

The app is very basic - you can control the brightness for the bulbs or turn them on and off. See More

Top Con

No automation

Top Pro

Rich, stereo audio

Ion is traditionally an audio company, so it isn't really surprising that they managed to create a product that offers good audio quality. These won't provide the same boom as dedicated speakers, but they'll do the job for most tasks. It should also be noted that these don't need a wall plug - all the power they require can be taken from any regular light socket. See More

Top Con

Limited to 2 speakers

While you can have virtually endless numbers of Ion Shines hooked up at once, only 2 can play audio at once. It would be really handy if you could connect more up, as their sound would compound making it seem louder and richer. See More

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What are the best light bulbs for the house?

3 Options Considered

Philips Hue

My Recommendation for Philips Hue

My Recommendation for Philips Hue

Wide range of colors

Pricey

Supports IFTTT recipes

Some colors can be difficult to create

Compatible with Philips Ambilight TV

Bulbs aren't super bright

Tons of utility and customization

Requires a central hub

Lifx

My Recommendation for Lifx

My Recommendation for Lifx

No hub required

App lacks features

Very bright

Heavier, and warmer than other LED lights

Different bulb options

High brightness washes out colors

Simple setup

Third-party integrations

Ion Audio Sound Shine

My Recommendation for Ion Audio Sound Shine

My Recommendation for Ion Audio Sound Shine

Simple setup

White light only

Easy to use app

No automation

Rich, stereo audio

Limited to 2 speakers

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