When it comes to lighting your home, you have two main choices: regular lights or smart lights. Both have their own set of pros and cons that you should consider before making a decision. In this blog post, we’re going to compare smart lights and regular lights so you can decide which is right for your home.
Regular light bulbs have been around for centuries. They are tried and true, and they work well. Smart light bulbs, on the other hand, are a relatively new technology. They offer many features that regular light bulbs do not, but they also have some drawbacks.
Pros of smart lights:
- Convenient: One of the best things about smart lights is that they’re convenient. You can control them with your voice, phone, and other mobile devices.
- Scheduling: With regular lights, you have to remember to turn them off when you leave the house or go to bed. With smart lights, you can schedule them to turn off and on at specific times.
- Dimmable: Most smart lights are dimmable, which means you can adjust the light level to suit your needs. For example, you can set the lights to be brighter when you’re working on a project and dimmer when you want to relax.
- Energy and money savings: When you don’t need bright lighting, it is simple to dim or switch off, this also represents energy and money savings.
Cons of smart lights:
- More expensive: Smart lights are more expensive than regular lights. However, as smart lamps’ technology advances, costs are coming down.
- Require a smart home hub: To use most smart lights, you need to have a smart home hub. This is an additional piece of equipment that can add to the cost of setting up a smart home.
I’ve previously covered What is smart lighting, the types of smart lights, and the parameters of smart lights in previous blogs. You can check those out for more information.
Regular Lights include LED Lights, Halogen Lights, COB, CFL(Compact Fluorescent Lamp), etc without smart function.
Pros of traditional lights
- Lower cost: The biggest advantage of regular lights is their cost. Regular LED lights are much cheaper than their smart counterparts.
- No need for a smart home hub: You don’t need a smart home hub to use regular lights. This can save you money if you’re just starting with building a smart home.
Cons of traditional lights
- Turned on and off manually: Smart lights can be controlled remotely, while regular lights have to be turned on and off manually. This
- Can be a inconvenience, especially if you forget to turn off the lights when you leave the house.
- Not dimmable: Most regular light bulbs are not dimmable, which means you’re stuck with one light level. This can be problematic if you want to create different lighting atmospheres in your home.
Here I have listed a table to make it easier for you to look
| Pros | Cons | |
| Smart Lights | Convenient Dimmable Energy saving | More expensive Smart hub: need for most products |
| Traditional Lights | Lower cost No need smart hub | Not so convenient |
Also, I made a comparison table between smart lights and traditional lights
| Smart Lights | Traditional Lights | |
| Light source | LED | LED, CFL, COB etc |
| Price | High | Low |
| Convenient | Yes | Not so convenient |
| Energy Saving | Yes | Not so economical with electricity |
| Smart Hub | Yes(for most products) | No need |
Which is right for your home?
So, which type of light is right for you?
It depends on your needs and budget. If you’re looking for a more convenient lighting solution that can be controlled remotely, then smart lights are the way to go.
However, if you’re looking for a more affordable option, then regular lights may be a better choice. Whichever route you decide to take, just make sure to do your research so you can find the best option for your home.
