Not so long ago, dimming the lighting in a room was a form of luxury. The generalization of smart objects has changed the situation and the smart lighting is booming: Wi-Fi bulbs, Bluetooth lights, white lights, colorful atmospheres….
Home automation in lighting management is obviously not a new idea and some houses have been equipped for more than twenty years. Problem, at the time it was necessary either to be a passionate person full of ingenuity, or to think of smart lighting from the very beginning of the design of the house… or even a little of both. Today, the solutions available on the market are both easier to implement and more powerful, more complete. The development of LED technology first allowed manufacturers to show a little more fantasy in the design of their bulbs, their lamps. Then, in a second step, it was the explosion of the smart objects that made it possible to make the lighting, if not intelligent, at least communicating. It then becomes possible to manage all the lights in the house, to program on/off, or even to have fun with various colors and effects.
Problem, if the solutions are easier to implement, they are almost all different depending on the manufacturer. Thus, the most famous is undoubtedly Philips which has built a nice reputation with its Hue range. Like any bulb, the Hues are smart via a bayonet or screw socket and the house switch is then sufficient to turn it on or off. On the other hand, to exploit all the possibilities, you have to cross a bridge. This box is actually used as a central unit to connect all the bulbs (well, up to 50) in the house. The bridge itself is smart to your Internet box and it is through it that we control the different smart bulbs: on/off, programming, color schemes….
However, some manufacturers have chosen another way and at Bell & Wyson, Wiz or Xiaomi, for example, the bulbs are directly smart to the house’s Wi-Fi. Managing a single bulb is much easier, but it is less easy to take control of a set of bulbs throughout the house. Finally, manufacturers such as Avanquest, Awox, BeeWi or Holi have opted for a Bluetooth connection. It is undoubtedly the easiest solution to implement. On the other hand, it has to deal with the limits linked to technology and it is not possible, for example, to control the bulbs over a long distance: it is impossible to go beyond 15-20 meters without losing the signal.
The best smart lighting solutions
- Philips Hue Starter Kit 3 White & Color bulbs (200€)
- AvanQuest Smart Light (35€)
- Awox SmartLIGHT MESH c9 (25€)
- Awox SmartLIGHT MESH Globe c13 (33€)
- BeeWi SmartLED 9W (25€)
- Bell & Wyson PIX+, WIFI LED Bulb Camera (150€)
- Elgato Avea Bulb (35€)
- Holi SleepCompanion (80€)
- Holi SmartLamp (150€)
- WiZ Color A.E27 (35€)
- Xiaomi Yeelight E27 (25€)
Faced with so many very different products that are ultimately held in a pocket handkerchief, it is not easy to make a choice. However, we have decided to take a closer look at Philips’ Hue range, which we believe is both the most complete and versatile… and yet simple to implement. We particularly appreciate the use of a hub/gateway to centralize things, such as Aqara Hub, Wink Hub, Hive Hub, etc. An idea that allows Philips to never encounter any connection problems. On the other hand, Philips is also the most expensive on the market, but the quality being there, we are less reluctant to spend.
