Smart Lighting

Smart lighting is the cheapest useful way into a connected home, and two details decide whether what arrives fits.

The fitting. UK homes use B22 bayonet (push and twist) and E27 or E14 Edison screw. Check the bulb you are replacing — it is the single most common ordering mistake.

The type of light. White bulbs dim only. Tunable white shifts from warm to cool, which is the one most people actually use day to day — warm in the evening, cool for working. Multicolour adds full colour. Colour is fun; adjustable warmth is what you will use every day.

Beyond bulbs, light strips run behind a television or under a counter, and panels such as Nanoleaf mount on a wall as modular lit shapes.

Two practical points. Smart bulbs need constant power to stay reachable, so a wall switch left off makes them unreachable — which is why smart switches exist. And check the ecosystem: Google Home, Alexa, Apple HomeKit or Matter.

Brightness is measured in lumens, not watts — around 800 lumens replaces a traditional 60W bulb.

See smart home.