Can you put a smart bulb into any light fitting | Mumsnet (2024)

FAQs

Can you put a smart bulb into any light fitting | Mumsnet? ›

As long as the light fitting is standard - you get smart bulbs that are just standard screw or push bulks and you can stick them anywhere. Yes, you can, but it will just be an over priced light bulb unless you actually want to control it via wi-fi and an app on a phone, table, computer, Alexa, etc.

Since they come in different shapes and sizes, there's a smart bulb for almost any lamp or fixture, indoors and outdoors (so long as your fixture is weather-tight).

If you are looking for a budget-friendly alternative to new smart lights, you can always look into smart light bulb adapters and smart switch converters, that can be used to remodel existing lightbulbs so they can be remotely accessed using home automation systems and smartphone devices.

Technically speaking, you can screw in a smart bulb into any socket where it fits and it will work just fine. However, smart bulbs are best suited for fixtures that are not connected to a wall switch, like table or floor lamps.

Smart bulbs can be used in virtually any modern light fixture, assuming they're the right shape and size for the light. Standard A19 bulbs, which are suitable for all sorts of indoor lamps and lighting fixtures, are the most common size for smart bulbs.

The biggest disadvantage of smart light bulbs is that they're much more expensive than regular lightbulbs. As of this writing, a standard incandescent bulb costs about a dollar, while a non-smart LED light bulb costs around $5. A smart bulb costs around $15 each, and that's not counting additional hub expenses.

How Do Smart Bulbs Work With Regular Switches? You can only change the light's colors, access the dimming features, or use voice control when your regular switch is physically flipped 'on. ' If your regular switch is turned 'off,' no electricity is flowing to the bulb, so it will not fully function.

If you aren't comfortable with basic wiring or have any safety concerns, work with an electrician instead of installing the switch yourself. Find out whether your home has a neutral wire and a ground wire before you purchase a smart switch (you may need to unscrew a wall panel and pull it out partially to check).

As we mentioned above, smart bulbs are in a class of appliances that use electricity in standby mode: vampire devices. This means that smart bulbs use electricity even when they're off.

All you need to do is keep the normal switch on - staying on is a normal switch's only role here - and you can control your smart bulb through other means without ever touching a normal switch again. You can even turn a smart switch on and off through your app.

Is smart lighting worth it? ›

One of the most touted benefits of these systems is their energy efficiency. Traditional bulbs are often left on accidentally or used at inappropriate brightness levels for the environment. With smart lighting, users can schedule lights to turn off automatically or dim them to conserve energy.

As long as the light fitting is standard - you get smart bulbs that are just standard screw or push bulks and you can stick them anywhere. Yes, you can, but it will just be an over priced light bulb unless you actually want to control it via wi-fi and an app on a phone, table, computer, Alexa, etc.

A: Needs wifi to be voice-operated, but if you want to use it as a standard lightbulb controlled manually with a switch, then no wifi required.

Certain smart light bulbs require a dedicated smart hub to connect with wirelessly, with the hub then plugging into an internet router. The hub also acts as a gateway between the smart light and your phone or tablet. It processes commands sent from these mobile devices and forwards instructions to the smart bulb.

Are LED light bulbs safe to use in every light fixture? LED light bulbs are safe to use in the majority of fixtures and fittings. There are some applications where specific LED bulbs should not be fully enclosed because they can overheat, which results in the bulb burning out prematurely.

Philips Hue can draw a maximum of 0.3 watts which will cost 1.6 cents a month. When your entire home has smart bulbs, then the vampire power draw will be more. Even with 20 or 30 smart bulbs, you can expect to have an additional power bill of a dollar per month. It is not much but can affect in the long run.

A: Needs wifi to be voice-operated, but if you want to use it as a standard lightbulb controlled manually with a switch, then no wifi required.