If you're looking to bolster your smart home with smart bulbs, utilizing Google Home compatibility is a tempting proposition for those of us with Android phones or other Google compatible devices, i.e. pretty much everyone. Equipping your home with a smart lighting system that offers voice controls and the ability to manipulate your lights far more efficiently than through conventional means is great, but where do you begin?
It feels like there are countless different smart light bulbs out there, all offering different features from Amazon Alexa support to Apple HomeKit compatibility or simply the ability to change the color temperature at a moment's notice. To help narrow things down, we've taken a look at the very best smart bulbs for Google Home and the Google Home app, offering you voice command support so you can "speak" to your lighting system. While it might seem like something expensive and substantial such as the Philips Hue bulb system is the solution for everyone, it's possible to implement smart lighting on a tight budget providing you know where to look.
In which case, we've focused on how well the smart bulbs listed here work, whether they work as white light or as a form of color bulb, as well as looked for support for a light strip or motion sensor too. It's all about mood lighting after all and these smart light bulbs will make you wonder how you lived without them.
While you're thinking about making your home smarter, now is also a good time to think about what to buy from the best smart plugs too. A good quality smart plug will automate many tasks so you can set up schedules for all manner of devices and we're not just talking about a smart switch or lighting either. Combine it with the best smart speakers out there and you'll hardly ever need to go near your smartphone if you want to adjust things at home. The future is super convenient like that once you get things set up.
What is a smart bulb?
A smart bulb is an intelligent form of light bulb. Don't worry — that doesn't mean it's sentient! What it does mean is that you can use it like a regular light bulb, but it's capable of communicating with other devices within your home, either via the internet or via your home network. By doing so, you can control more than just whether you have a white light or not. You can choose different color schemes, set up schedules, and even arrange it so that your lights come on at the same time as other gadgets. Even better, you can do all this via voice commands thanks to Google Home support.
Why should I care about smart bulbs?
We're not saying everyone has to be crazy about smart bulbs but they're incredibly convenient once set up. Via apps like the Hue app or your voice, you can easily manipulate how your lights work at home with a smart light switch also an option for the more tactile approach.
Smart bulbs tend to come with many useful features such as the ability to emit different colors or tones, as well as allowing you to dim them to the level you want. Think of them as a souped-up version of lights you already own with the convenience that comes from being able to wander around your home speaking to the lights rather than needing to find a switch. How useful could it be to walk into a dark room and talk your way out of the situation?
Do I need a hub to use smart bulbs or a smart lighting system?
By using Google Home for your smart home, you basically already have a smart hub. That's because Google Home Hub aims to control everything in your home in a simple to use and understand way. At heart, many smart bulbs and smart lighting systems don't require a dedicated hub to work so you won't need a separate device to pair up with it, but it's worth checking before you hit the buy button. There are pros and cons to systems like Philips Hue requiring a separate bridge while other light bulbs go solo and simply hook up to your existing Google Home Hub.
How long does it take to set up my smart light bulbs?
Smart lighting takes a bit of setup time but, generally, it's pretty easy to do. Some smart light bulbs and Bluetooth bulbs only take seconds to set up with your existing set up while others might take more like 10-20 minutes. Your mileage will vary depending on your plans. If you simply want to pair up your lighting and use voice controls, the process is far quicker than if you also want to spend some time arranging schedules, setting up smart light switches, or even working out automation between multiple devices at once. As always though, it's a good idea to devote some time to it so you get things set up just how you want them to be. Generally, the more you plan, the better results you gain from your smart light bulbs.
Best Overall
Philips Hue is a big name in smart lighting thanks to being such a well-made system. It requires an additional Philips Hue hub/bridge to work but once set up, it's a powerful lighting system. With a choice of color or white bulbs, it's compatible with all major systems as well as Google Home so you can easily automate your home. Once installed, extra bulbs take literal seconds to pair up so you can set up an entire home very quickly. There are other Philips Hue items too such as dimmer switches and motion sensors for added convenience. It's expensive but perfect for a whole home solution.
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Best Budget Choice
Sengled offers a wide range of different smart light bulbs so it's important to pick out the one that works with Google Home (and doesn't need a hub). This one does all that while offering color-changing functionality so you can create mood scenes as well as adjust the brightness depending on your plans. With scheduling features via the Sengled Home app, you'll be in full control here. It's easy to group together bulbs too so you can control a whole room (or home) with one voice command. Just look out for occasional connection issues.
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Best For Brightness
There are plenty of different Lifx bulbs out there but we prefer the Lifx Color range as it offers an ultra-bright light of 1,100 lumens. Combined with 550 billion possible color steps, there's no shortage of options here and the results are quite stunning. Even better, you don't need a hub to reap the benefits with extensive support via the app and voice controls. Just look out for the fact this bulb is pretty bulky meaning certain light fittings might not be able to accommodate it. It's not quite as compatible as a regular light bulb.
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Best Simple Smart Lighting
Nitebird smart light bulbs are cheap and cheerful. They're not quite the most exciting of smart bulbs to buy because these are solely white only but if you simply want the flexibility of being able to control your lighting with your voice, you'll appreciate them. With 800 lumens of light, they look pretty good too plus you can use the app to schedule things (as well as your voice, of course). A fairly standard fit, they should work with most existing light fittings too with group controls enabling you to cover the whole house for less.
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Best Voice-only Use
Covering all the bases you could need, Lumiman is another cheap brand for smart lighting. No hub is required and you can easily communicate your needs via voice or app, with the Lumian Smart WiFi Light Bulb offering billions of different colors as well as white only. It's possible to schedule things as well as arrange timers and grouping. The app isn't the greatest but voice commands are fine thanks to Google Home. The bulbs themselves are surprisingly bright for the price too. As is almost customary, you'll need a 2.4Ghz WiFi network to use these.
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Best Vibrant Colors
Wyze Labs smart bulbs aren't as clearly labeled for Google Home as some bigger names, but they work just as well here as with other voice assistants. For a relatively low price, you get the benefits of up to 1,100 lumens/75W with an intense array of 16 million colors. There are white light temperature controls too as you'd expect with everything controlled via the app or your voice. Automation and scheduling are fairly easy to arrange despite the app being a bit barebones, plus custom presets are a command away too. In particular, color rendering looks pretty good here, especially considering the price.
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Best Budget Name Brand Bulb
TP-Link is a reliable name in networking and that translates to smart lighting too. There are the usual caveats of requiring 2.4Ghz WiFi in exchange for no hub, and its 800 lumens is good but not quite the greatest, but none of that matters when it's so simple to use. A mixture of the app and voice commands means you're always in charge and the results are suitably vibrant. They're remarkably cheap for one bulb, too, although bear in mind that these are white bulbs only and don’t offer the full spectrum of color.
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Best Bluetooth Light
GE Lighting offers a range of light bulbs that provide regular white, tunable white, or full color. We've looked at the full-color ones here for maximum convenience. They work suitably well with the usual bevy of scheduling features as well as the option to dim as and when needed. Fitting in pretty much all medium base sockets, you won't have a problem slotting them into your existing setup either. The only catch is that these are Bluetooth-based so if you want to use them while away from home, you'll need to pair them up with a smart plug or similar to get the most benefit. Still, if you want something that uses Bluetooth, these are a reliable bet for the most part.
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