Smart Bulbs are available at Mitzen.ca
If you want to control your lights from your phone or with your voice, Mitzen.ca has a few options for to consider
Smart Bulbs Let You Create “Scenes”
Smart bulbs allow you to adjust brightness and change colors (if they support that). Granted, most smart light switches can dim the lights, but with smart bulbs, you can turn on your lights at a pre-defined brightness and even have one bulb brighter than another if you want—the world is your oyster with smart bulbs.
Plus, if you have a color-changing bulb, you can change its white color temperature from a soft white to a daylight color and then back again throughout the day to simulate natural light. And with apps like iConnectHue, you can create cool animations and light shows with your Hue bulbs, which can go great with any house party.
A smart bulb, like our Itian Smart Bulb, can be bought for around $40-$50. Our Larger Bluetooth Bulb with Speaker Costs $89 CAD, It has multi color LED’s and is rated for low consumption.
Smart Light Switches Require Specific Wiring
Connecting a smart bulb is much easier than setting up a smart switch, while smart bulbs work in any house that has traditional light sockets. Smart light switches need to be wired up to a neutral wire, whereas traditional light switches don’t.
This sometimes means that there aren’t any neutral wires in light switch boxes, especially in older homes. Most new-ish homes (even going back to the 70s) will usually come with neutral wires in the light switch box, though. Most homeowners or renters shouldn’t have to worry about this, but if you’re not sure, it may be a good idea to check your wiring setup to see if it would support a smart light switch to begin with. If not, then smart bulbs may be in your future.
Smart Bulbs Provide More Flexibility with Switches
When paired with the Hue Dimmer Switch, you can turn your smart bulbs on and off the old-fashioned way by using it just like you would a regular light switch. However, unlike standalone smart switches, smart bulbs let you program the switch to control whichever lights you want. A smart light switch can only control the lights that are wired to that switch.
This is particularly useful if, say, you have some hard-wired light fixtures, and some that are plugged into the wall (like a desk lamp or a standing lamp). With smart bulbs, you can turn them all on with the press of one button.
Furthermore, with the previously mentioned iConnectHue, you can customize the buttons on the Hue Dimmer Switch to pretty much do whatever you want with the lights, including holding down a button (instead of just tapping it) to turn on lights a different way.
Both Can Work with Alexa & Siri
Depending on what brand of smart light switch or smart bulbs you get, both can work with Alexa and/or Siri. For example, Mitzen Smart Bulb products work with Alexa, but not with Siri, while Philips Hue works with both voice assistants.
However, you can grab just about any Z-Wave light switch, connect it to SmartThings, and have it work with Alexa. Siri is a bit more restrictive, though, as the device needs to support HomeKit, and the support list isn’t that long right now. If voice control is something that’s important to you, then you’ll want to pay close attention to the brand that you’re getting, whether it’d be smart light switches or smart bulbs.
