Help me choose smart bulbs for my apartment… advice needed?

Smart Home Forum
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I’m new to smart home tech and need help figuring out the best way to light my apartment. There’s no overhead lighting, so I use lamps. I want bulbs that can be super bright when needed (like 100W equivalent) but can also dim down when I want a softer light. We’re an Apple family and would love Siri voice control, but I don’t want devices that are always listening. Presets would be nice too.

I prefer Wi-Fi or other non-Bluetooth options since I’ve had bad experiences with Bluetooth. Also, moving drained my budget, so I’m not willing to spend on something like Phillips Hue. I looked at Wirecutter’s recommendations, but they only suggested bulbs with 60W equivalents, which isn’t enough brightness for me.

What are my best options?

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IKEA bulbs are a good option. They’re affordable and work with or without a hub. You can start without the hub and add it later if needed.

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Unclewaffl3s said:
IKEA bulbs are a good option. They’re affordable and work with or without a hub. You can start without the hub and add it later if needed.

What does the hub add to the setup?

4

@Mathew
The hub allows your lights to work locally without needing the internet, so even if your connection goes out, your setup keeps working. Plus, it makes response times faster.

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Todd said:
@Mathew
The hub allows your lights to work locally without needing the internet, so even if your connection goes out, your setup keeps working. Plus, it makes response times faster.

HomeKit already does all that on its own, though.

6

@HyperSphinx
True, HomeKit is great. You can even integrate devices into Home Assistant while still keeping them in Apple Home.

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Todd said:
@HyperSphinx
True, HomeKit is great. You can even integrate devices into Home Assistant while still keeping them in Apple Home.

What does integrating with Home Assistant involve? How does that work with Apple Home?

8

@Zachary
It’s about linking devices. There’s a tool called Homebridge that lets you connect devices not officially supported by HomeKit. If you have a hub like Hue, it can share all connected lights to HomeKit via Matter. Instead of syncing each light separately, the hub handles it all for you.

9

@Todd
Thanks for explaining! And it looks like Homebridge is free? I’m trying to understand Matter better, but it seems like that’s how it works with HomeKit.

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Felix1 said:
@HyperSphinx
Yes, but Zigbee devices still need the hub to communicate since HomeKit alone won’t work with that protocol.

What I meant was that features like local operation and no internet dependency aren’t unique to Zigbee since HomeKit already supports those.

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@Mathew
The hub gives you app access and integrations like Alexa, Google Home, and HomeKit (or Matter). It also lets you set up sensors and assign functions like dimming or motion detection.

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Unclewaffl3s said:
IKEA bulbs are a good option. They’re affordable and work with or without a hub. You can start without the hub and add it later if needed.

Can I assign certain remotes to specific bulbs, or do remotes control all lights?

13

@Mathew
You can group up to 10 devices, including bulbs, switches, and sensors. Groups are independent of each other.

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Unclewaffl3s said:
@Mathew
You can group up to 10 devices, including bulbs, switches, and sensors. Groups are independent of each other.

Can I create multiple groups, like living room lights and bedroom lights, each with its own switch, without the hub?

15

@Mathew
Yes, you can do that without the hub. Each group operates independently.

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Unclewaffl3s said:
@Mathew
Yes, you can do that without the hub. Each group operates independently.

So what’s the real advantage of the hub?

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Mathew said:

Unclewaffl3s said:
@Mathew
Yes, you can do that without the hub. Each group operates independently.

So what’s the real advantage of the hub?

With the hub, you can use an app for control and integrate with platforms like Alexa, Google Home, or HomeKit. It also adds more advanced features like scheduling.

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@Unclewaffl3s
How do you set everything up if you don’t have the hub or app? Thanks for answering all my questions!

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Mathew said:
@Unclewaffl3s
How do you set everything up if you don’t have the hub or app? Thanks for answering all my questions!

Here’s a guide that explains it: https://youtu.be/T5kXTptKiiU

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I’m in the same situation, so following this thread for more budget-friendly ideas.