Smart Bulb or Smart Plug? Pros, Cons & Practical Guide

Disclosure: Links marked with * are Affiliate Links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases if you decide to make a purchase through these links – at no cost for you!

---

Smart light bulbs are for many the entry into the world of the “Smart Home”. They can be switched on and off with the help of voice control or a mobile phone app and also have numerous other functions with regard to lighting duration, intensity or colour. In the meantime, however, there are also many other smart technologies, e.g. smart plugs or switches, which can also be used to control the lighting in the smart home.

With the help of smart plugs, however, not only light bulbs but also many other household appliances can be controlled via a mobile app or voice assistant. Even the power consumption of individual devices and lights can be determined and controlled in this way. In this article, the features of the smart light bulb are presented and compared with those of the smart plug.

What is a “Smart Home”?

The term “Smart Home” refers to technical processes and systems in living spaces that serve to improve the quality of life by being optimized for contactless and time-saving operation of various household appliances, etc.. In this context, these technologies are networked with important devices and systems, e.g. lighting, electricity, stove and oven, air conditioning, devices for playing various media and much more. As a rule, the smart home has its own programming interface, so that all devices and systems can be controlled externally from anywhere with the help of an Internet connection.

Smart light bulbs and smart plugs are particularly popular smart home technologies. Both can be used in a smart home to regulate lighting without contact. But which variant is better suited? In the following, both smart home technologies will be presented in more detail in order to make the respective advantages of smart light bulbs and smart plugs clear.

What are Smart Light Bulbs?

Smart light bulbs are illuminants that can be controlled contactless with the help of an internet connection. All you need is your smartphone or a voice assistant like Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. This way, you can turn the bulbs in your lights on and off at will, without having to search for the light switch.

The brightness and color of the lamps can also be easily and conveniently adjusted from any room in your home. Modern smart light bulbs can be dimmed continuously and have several million color shades that can be changed as needed. Your mobile phone connects to the bulbs via Wi-Fi and also allows you to measure and monitor the power consumption of the lamp.

How do Smart Light Bulbs Work?

Basically, a smart light bulb is a normal light bulb that is controlled wirelessly via various transmission standards. Possible control media are WLAN, Bluetooth or Zigbee. This also makes voice control via assistants such as Alexa or Google Assistant possible.

If you decide to control the lights in your home smartly, you usually get a so-called “bridge” with their purchase. This is a device that is connected to the router and ensures the connection between the mobile phone and the lamps. You can install the software for the bridge step by step via the manufacturer’s app on your smartphone.

How Can Smart Light Bulbs be Controlled?

After installing the bridge, you can now monitor all lamps on your smartphone and change their settings individually. In this way, you can activate or deactivate the lamps, but also a timer or the creation of a personal light show is possible in this way. You can also control all this without a smartphone with the help of a voice assistant.

For example, by using smart light bulbs, lamps that do not have a built-in dimmer switch can be dimmed. In addition, the lamps can be controlled individually and also light up in different colors. In this way, you can create your own personal feel-good atmosphere in your home and also control the lights remotely while on the move.

What are the Benefits of Smart Light Bulbs?

Smart light bulbs have many advantages over traditional halogen or LED bulbs. Here are the most important reasons to choose a smart light bulb:

• Operation: The most important advantage is of course the simple and convenient operation of the smart light bulbs. So you don’t have to get up and run to the light switch when you are lying comfortably on the couch and want to dim the light or turn it off completely. The control takes place via the smartphone, a voice assistant or magnetic switches, which are also connected to the WLAN and can be placed in the house according to individual needs.
• Power consumption: With the help of the app, you can control your power consumption particularly well and precisely. This way, you can dim the light bulbs continuously as well as switch them on and off as needed. If the smart lights in your house are connected to a motion detector, you can save even more electricity, because the lights turn on automatically as soon as the detectors detect movement. On the other hand, they also go off on their own after a long period of inactivity. In addition, smart light bulbs are also fundamentally much more economical in consumption compared to normal lamps.
• Costs: Smart LED lamps are somewhat more expensive to purchase than conventional light bulbs. However, their luminosity is also many times stronger than that of normal light bulbs or halogen lamps.
• Color selection: Some wifi lights let you burn in different colors and temperatures if you wish. Up to 16.7 million different shades can be set in this way.

What is a Smart Plug?

Smart plugs are also known as intermediate plugs or smart plugs. They allow individual control of all devices connected to the respective plug. As soon as the smart plug is deactivated, all devices connected to it switch off automatically.

Smart plugs are particularly practical if you have a large apartment and want to save yourself long journeys. For example, you can run the coffee machine from your bed in the morning, easily adjust the air conditioning to your personal desired temperature at any time and deactivate several devices that you don’t need at the moment with one command.

With the help of a smartphone or a voice assistant, the power supply of smart plugs can be conveniently controlled remotely. For example, you can switch off the lights in your home when you’re on the move if you accidentally forget to do so. Alternatively, you can also deliberately leave the lights on in your home if you fear a break-in during a longer absence and therefore want to give the impression of an occupied house.

How do Smart Plugs Work?

A smart plug basically works like an intermediate plug between the plug and the electrical appliance connected to it. The smart plug has a built-in Wifi module and can thus be controlled contactless with the help of commands. Smart plugs are therefore also referred to as WLAN plugs or Wifi plugs.

The power line of smart plugs can be optionally activated or also deactivated with the help of external commands via mobile app or voice control. This is particularly practical for devices that do not have a remote control. These can be controlled conveniently and contactlessly with the help of the smart plug, even if you are in another room or completely outside your home.

What are the Advantages of Smart Plugs?

Smart plugs can save you a lot of time and effort around the house. So you have more time and energy to deal with the really important things in your life. In detail, you can control these devices with the help of smart plugs:

• Lamps: Many lamps, such as table lamps or floor lamps, can be conveniently switched on or off via app.
• Coffee maker: A dream – start the coffee maker right out of bed in the morning without having to get up. So you can snuggle under the covers for a few minutes while your coffee is freshly made.
• TV: If you can’t find your remote control right now – no problem! With the smart plug you can not only switch the TV on and off, but also install a timer so that it is automatically switched off after a certain time. Anyone who has ever fallen asleep in front of the TV will definitely appreciate this tool.
• Heating: If you have a fan heater in your bathroom, you can switch it on first thing in the morning via your smartphone and after a few minutes take a shower in the pleasantly preheated bathroom and get ready for the day.
• Air conditioner: If your air conditioner is connected to a smart plug, you can always flexibly set the exact room temperature that makes you feel most comfortable in your home.

Which is Better – Smart Light Bulbs or Smart Plugs?

The advantages of smart light bulbs are obvious: they allow you to turn the lights in your home on and off at will via smartphone or voice control. You can also use numerous other functions such as different dimming levels, color shades, timers and motion detectors in every room of your home with the help of smart light bulbs. You can also conveniently control and customize all settings on the go.

Smart plugs do not have the same functions as smart light bulbs. They can also be used to switch lights on or off without contact. However, they are controlled via the power supply and therefore no specific lighting effects can be generated with the help of smart plugs. On the other hand, smart plugs have many other functions to make your smart home functional and individually tailored to your needs.

With the help of smart plugs, you can not only control lights but also many other electrical devices without any problems. Whether it’s a coffee maker, stove or fan heater – the smart plugs enable convenient and intuitive control and monitoring of your household appliances and systems and can save you a lot of time and money in this way.

You can choose to control one or more household appliances via a smart plug. This means that you can not only program them as you wish, e.g. automatically switch off your TV, but also view their status and power consumption at any time using the associated app. You’ll never have to worry about leaving the lights on or the stove on when you leave the house.

Using the Wi-Fi connection, you can also switch all devices on or off from outside your home. This can also help you save electricity and avoid accidents if you forget to turn off or deactivate electrical equipment when you leave the house. You can easily use the smart plug technology for many household appliances such as irons, curling irons and also devices for playing music or TV programs.

In its own way, the smart plug is just as versatile as the smart light bulb, because both technologies can improve your quality of life enormously. After all, most of the time in our lives is currently spent on everyday actions and activities that could now also be done remotely. With the help of smart contactless technologies, you save a lot of time that you can spend on the things that really deserve your attention.

Related Questions

Is installing smart light bulbs in my home complicated?

Before equipping the home with smart light bulbs, it should first be checked whether the technical equipment of the house makes this possible. Afterwards, the light bulbs can usually be inserted without any problems and installed in just a few steps. To be on the safe side, however, the installation of electrical systems should only ever be carried out by a trained specialist tradesman.

Can I use smart light bulbs to create lighting profiles for my home?

Thanks to the control and programming options of modern intelligent light sources, a wide variety of lighting can be created and stored throughout the house on request. In this way, individual lighting profiles can be applied according to mood and need.

³Can I match my lighting to my favorite music?

Yes, by syncing your smart bulbs, you can use algorithms to make the lights shine in different colors depending on the music. Of course, you can also adjust these settings individually via your smartphone.

Can I adjust the lights in my house to match my activities like watching TV or playing computer games?

This is also no problem with the smart technology of many light bulbs. Through appropriate programming, your own home can be transformed into a home cinema or an exciting gaming backdrop. There are no limits to creativity here either.

How much electricity does a smart plug consume?

The power consumption of WLAN plugs varies depending on the manufacturer and model. On average, the consumption is about 0.5 watts per hour in passive mode and about 1 watt per hour in active mode. Many smart plugs offer the option of analysing the actual power consumption using a special app.

Do I need a “bridge” for all smart plugs?

No. Some models of Wifi plugs can be paired directly via Bluetooth. This means that a bridge is not required for control. As a rule, modern smart plugs each offer several different options for connecting to end devices and control systems.

How resilient is a smart plug?

Smart plugs, e.g. from OSRAM, can be connected to several devices at the same time. They have overload, temperature and hot-plug protection and can be loaded with up to 6 amps.

Can I use a smart plug only indoors?

Most WLAN plugs are intended for use indoors. However, there are also plugs that can be attached to the outside of the house. These are particularly practical, as they can be used, for example, to easily couple motion detectors with lighting systems.

Conclusion

Modern smart home technologies not only save users time, but also significantly improve their quality of life. By networking numerous devices and systems that are frequently needed in everyday life, they can be conveniently controlled and monitored online. More and more manufacturers are offering smart solutions for the home.

Smart light bulbs that can be controlled contactless via a smartphone app or voice assistant are currently particularly popular. With their help, all lights in one’s own household can be programmed and set to a wide variety of colors and strengths without touching the light switch. The versatile and powerful light bulbs can also be controlled from outside the home and in this way can, among other things, prevent burglary attempts and save on electricity costs.

The lights in your home can also be activated or deactivated with the help of so-called smart plugs. However, the WLAN plugs can do much more – with their help, almost all devices in the household can be conveniently and easily controlled remotely. All settings of the connected electrical systems and even the respective power consumption can be controlled and analyzed in this way, from anywhere in the world.

When it comes to the question of which of the two technologies is better, one’s own ideas and wishes regarding implementation play a major role. While smart light bulbs offer a great deal of creative scope for creating an individual atmosphere, smart plugs can also be combined with other devices and thus be used in a particularly versatile way. Ultimately, the decision for smart light bulbs or plugs for one’s own household lies with the consumer and should be based on their concrete preferences and goals for their own smart home.

---

Attention: When installing electronic equipment, please be sure to observe the manufacturer’s safety instructions. You have to take care of your own safety. The information on this site only helps you to learn.
Disclosure: This website is the property of Martin Lütkemeyer and is operated by Martin Lütkemeyer. Martin Lütkemeyer is a member of the Amazon Services LLC Affiliate Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to enable Web sites to earn advertising revenue through advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Links marked with * are affiliate links.