What do you need exactly? Smart Light Bulbs or Smart Light Switches? Or Both? When I first delved into smart home devices, I was a little confused since I didn’t understand what made them special when compared to the lights that humanity has been using for the last 100 years. So i used them for a while and here’s what I’ve figured out. I’m hoping this is helpful to you! See Phillips Hue bulbs are on Amazon! Amazon US: https://shreh.ca/2r9RMGZ Amazon CA: https://shreh.ca/2r9yjGK Amazon UK: https://shreh.ca/2r9XEjJ Amazon DE: https://shreh.ca/2r9zPse See what Smart Light Switches are on Amazon! Amazon US: https://shreh.ca/2r9YT2a Amazon CA: https://shreh.ca/2r9K9jZ Amazon UK: https://shreh.ca/2r9tSvi Amazon DE: https://shreh.ca/2r9RS1p So in the next few minutes, I’m going to talk briefly about the smart bulb, the smart switch, talk about when to use one or the other and then talk about how I’ve been using these smart switches and smart bulbs. Alright, let’s start with the smart light bulb. The price for these bulbs is hard to swallow at first. A Phillips Hue Color bulb is nearly 10 times the cost of a regular LED bulb. I balked at the cost of replacing all my lightbulbs in my living rooms with LED bulbs, I can’t fathom replacing all of those bulbs with smart bulbs. Smart bulbs work like normal bulbs so there isn’t anything special you have to do when you install them. You can easily use them with a “dumb” switch. Onto the smart light switch. Figuring out what a smart light switch was easier to do than smart light bulbs. My biggest problem with the switches I got was installing them because I live in an old house. Having a basic knowledge of home wiring works is going to be handy. These light switches include everything you need and are designed to fit within existing electrical boxes. So when would I choose one over the other? You could easily spend lots of money swapping all your light switches out but unless you’ve got a ton of disposable income, this isn’t going to be feasible. Here are my rules of thumbs. A smart light switch is going to be handy for rooms where you just need to know whether the lights are on or off. For me, that would be bedrooms and maybe the eating area in my home. A smart light switch is going to be handy for people who want their lights to turn on when something else happens, like you coming home from work or to turn on remotely while you’re on vacation. If you’re wondering how to do this with HomeKit, check out my Getting started with HomeKit video. For smart light bulbs, I’d get them for rooms where you spend the most time in. For me, that would be the living room or my home office, bedroom and basement. Personally, I find smart light bulbs a little more useful than switches because you can use the color feature to effect your mood. So to build on what I’ve just said, here’s my setup for the bedroom. I have a single Phillips Hue Color Lamp in my night light and an Elgato Eve Light Switch. If I was to be honest, I could get away with only using the smart light bulb. With the smart light bulb, I can easily create the right mood as well and set it so that it gradually turns on in the morning. A way better way of waking up when compared to the jarring klaxon alarm found on most alarm clocks. So how about the living room? This is where you get a plethora of smart bulbs and smart light switches. For the light switches, it makes sense to be able to control the light in this room remotely since it’s the room that can easily be viewed from the street. Also, you can set it so that these lights turn on the moment you come near to the house which is handy. For the smart light bulbs, this is where you go big or go home. I personally would spend the extra cash and get the multicoloured bulbs but you don’t have to replace every dumb bulb with coloured bulbs, just the ones closest to the walls. Why? Because the color lights in the middle of the room isn’t going to have much effect. The colors will reflect off the wall which is more noticeable. If you have art in your living room, the coloured lights will also give you a different appreciation for the artists work. Again, I was personally surprised at how much different coloured light effected my mood. It’s given me a better appreciation for my home.