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The Best Smart Bulbs For Amazon Alexa

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Before we dive into the certified bulbs that can work with Alexa it is important that we have an idea of what it means.

Amazon Alexa is a smart device designed to perform tasks like setting alarms, providing weather, music playback and many other tasks. It works with a lot of third party devices which obviously have to be smart. In this case, we’ll have a look at bulbs that have been modified to work with Alexa. However, it is also important to know that in the case of a LED bulb, Alexa enables you to use voice control.

For instance, we all know how lazy we feel once you get on your bed and you have to go switch off your lights. Plenty are the times we just decide to assume and go to sleep with the lights on.

Well, when using the Amazon Alexa device you can give a voice command and switch off the lights right from your bed. If you are someone who hates being in the dark, you can just dim your lights. That is the power of Alexa certified bulbs.

Which Bulbs work with Amazon Alexa?

Now that we know what Alexa can do, it is also important that you know not any LED bulb work with the device. It has to be a smart bulb. However, being smart is not enough. It must have a skill which is a version of an app that facilitates Alexa to communicate with the bulb. With that, you can connect directly to Alexa. Below are some of the bulbs that connect to Alexa.

  • Phillips Hue Bulbs
  • LIFX Bulbs
  • TP-Link Smart LED Light Bulb
  • YEELIGHT Smart LED Bulb W3
  • Wyze Bulbs
  • Sengled Smart WiFi LED Bulb
  • INNR Smart Bulbs

Some bulbs can connect directly through wifi while others have to use a hub, but all work with Amazon Alexa voice assistant. As they work with Alexa they can work with your Amazon Echo or dot, and Echo Spot.

Phillips Hue Bulbs

With the addition of Bluetooth to Hue bulbs it now makes it quick and easy to set up and work with Alexa. If you have a bridge they also work with Alexa allowing you to turn your lights on and off with your voice. Setting up different lights in different rooms you can turn these all on and off by saying ‘Alexa, turn off the lights in the bedroom’, you can also adjust the brightness too.

Read our guide to connecting your Hue bulbs to Alexa here

Hue have a great range of bulbs for all fittings as well as their own lights that are well built and stylish. Indoor and outdoor bulbs are available as well as light strips designed for indoor use as well as light strips designed for the garden and outdoor use too.

Philips Hue bulbs are not the cheapest but they do have the best and widest range of bulbs and a great system for expanding and overall use. 

Check out the Hue range of bulbs here.

LIFX Bulbs

They come both in colored and plain white. They are smart and connect directly to your wifi router since they have adapters designed to achieve that. Hence minimizing the cost of having to get a hub to connect them to Alexa. Since they come even in colored bulbs you can use them to make your house beautiful.

By having different colored bulbs to cover different parts of your house. That creates warmth and through Alexa, you can easily turn them on and off. Even when you are away you can turn the lights on to make it appear as if you are there.

The above are just some few smart bulbs that work with Alexa. They are divided into two groups, the Zigbee. These are the ones that require la hub while there are those that you connect directly to the wifi. 

Check out the LIFX range of bulbs here.

TP-Link Smart LED Light Bulb

The lights from TP-Link work perfectly with Alexa. You need no hub as it connects directly to your wifi router. It is bright enough as it is a fifty watt LED bulb. With this bulb, you can control your lights from absolutely anywhere.

Offering 800 lumens of brightness for the equivalent of a 60-watt bulb, it can also be controlled by voice via Alexa (with a compatible smart speaker) as well as Google and Microsoft Cortana.

It’s a simple bulb from a trusted brand that won’t break the bank. So, while it might not be the ideal option to outfit an entire house, if you just want to update one or two bulbs in the home, it’s a good choice.

Check out the TP-Link range of bulbs here.

YEELIGHT SMART LED Light BULB W3

The W3 range from Yeelight have a white only and multi colored bulb that works with many of the voice assistants, such as Alexa, Google assistant and Smart things. They are not the brightest at 900 Lumens but have a good range of bulbs as well as light strips, the LED pro is great for gaming and works with Game Sync with Razer Chroma as well as being able to connect via Alexa as well.

So if you are looking for something affordable to work with Alexa that is always a good option. 

Check out the Yeelight range of bulbs here.

Wyze Bulbs

Wyze have a color and white bulb that are designed to work with Alexa and Google assistant, you can control the light turning it on and off, adjusting brightness and even color. There is no hub needed and you can set up dozens of bulbs simultaneously in the Wyze app with Bluetooth.

The color bulbs offer 16 million colors and are bright at 1100 lumens. This can all be controlled via the Wyza app or via voice control using your smart home assistant such as Alexa.

Wyze bulbs are well priced and if you are new to smart lighting and looking for some smart LED lights for your home without breaking the bank then these are certainly worth checking out.

Check out the Wyze range of bulbs here.

Sengled Smart WiFi LED Bulb

A cheaper entry level bulb that is compatible with Alexa (including Echo, Echo Dot), Google Home and IFTTT. There is not hub or bridge needed as it uses wifi, a 2.4GHz connect to a router is needed for this to work. There is a good range of bulbs available although not the brightest on the market at around 800 Lumens. These can be operated and controlled using the app or voice control, turn your lights on and off at a set time using the built in schedule controller, simple and easy to control, set up and use.

Check out the Sengled range of bulbs here.

INNR Smart Bulbs

The Inn collection of bulbs are another great choice and work seamlessly with Amazon Alexa, however a Zigbee bridge is required. Innr lights also work with Amazon Echo 4th gen, Studio & Show 10, as well as Philips Hue, however they do not work with the entertainment feature of Hue. 

Again these are well built and have a brightness of around 800 Lumens, they are a good mid range option with good functionality and if you are looking to expand or have a good number of smart bulbs in your home. 

Check out the Innr range of bulbs here.

FAQ

Our answers to a few common questions about using Smart bulbs with Alexa.

Does Alexa work with normal bulbs?

Alexa can work with traditional bulbs in a lamp using a smart plug switch, however for it is best to use LED smart bulbs that are becoming cheaper and have additional functionality making it better for you and your home. 

How do I set up my smart bulbs with Alexa?

Connecting and setting up your bulbs with Alexa is quick and easy, just follow these steps:

  1. Turn the light on you wish to connect
  2. Ope the Alexa app on your phone
  3. Navigate to the Devices tab, then tap All Devices.
  4. Scroll down the list to find the light you want to connect.
  5. Tap the name of the light.

Can Alexa dim my lights? 

Yes, just say ‘Alexa, dim <light name> to 50 percent.‘ you can also ask Alexa to turn your lights on and off or change color. 


Founder & Editor

Mike is the founder of Hue Home Lighting, a huge Hue fan with far too many lights, covering home and garden. A smart home gadget addict and also enjoys the odd bit of DIY

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