We get it, you might be intimidated by the concept of smart lighting, or anything “smart” when it comes to your home. It’s entirely reasonable to have fears of big expense, painfully difficult installation, and loss of privacy and control. Plus, why switch when your standard-issue lights are so easy to use?
The fact of the matter is, smart lighting has come a long, long way since its earliest iterations. Pricing has plummeted and ease of installation and use has grown like crazy. And now as part of Amazon’s Big Spring Sale, you can get your first smart lighting setup — the Philips Hue Smart Light Starter Kit — for just $73 (44% off). This kit, which includes two color-changing 60W A19 LED bulbs and the Hue Bridge to connect them to your smartphone, normally sells for $129.
Unbox, Connect, Shine
The simplicity of the Philips Hue Smart Light Starter Kit is a huge part of its appeal. You’ll notice the lack of wires or need for tools of any kind — all you need to do to get up and running is place the two bulbs wherever you like — A19 bulbs are suitable for most fixtures — then plug in the Hue Bridge and wire it to your Wi-Fi router. Download the Philips Hue app, and let it walk you through the rest of the setup in mere minutes.
The Hue Bridge is the key here, as many competing smart-lighting setups rely on Bluetooth connections, which typically work in one room only. With the Hue Bridge hardwired to your router, you can control these smart lights from anywhere via the Hue app, and if the smart-home life agrees with you, you can also pair other smart-home devices to the Hue Bridge, including smart switches and motion sensors.
Millions of Colors, Controlled By You
Once the lights are set up, you’ll discover that they not only cast a range of white light from soft to warm to cool, but can also be made to emit literally millions of colors, all controlled by you, with timers and schedules that you can create and edit with tremendous ease on your smartphone. You can even voice-control the Philips Hue smart light system with the app.
Smart lighting is beautiful, affordable, and easy to set up and control. It’s also a great home safety tool, as you can set up schedules to simulate occupancy to deter burglars and also add smart motion detectors to the system. The best way to hit the ground running for smart lighting for your home is this Amazon Big Spring Sale deal taking over $50 from the price of the Philips Hue Smart Light Starter Kit.