Let there be light! Whether it’s light bulbs, light switches, or accessories, smart lights are among the most popular smart home gadgets on the market. That might have something to do with the fact that we use our lights more than just about anything else in our homes. Since you use them literally all the time, why not smarten the things up during Amazon’s Prime Day 2020 sale?
If the thought has you tempted, then Prime Day’s prices might seal the deal — and, if you’re already a smart lighting convert, then Prime Day is a great time to score some discounted bulbs and fixtures to make your house even smarter. Here are the best deals we’ve spotted thus far — check back throughout Prime Day 2020 for updates as we see more:
Amazon
Eero is Amazon’s brand on the networking front, and it has a new mesh router up for sale this fall with full support for Wi-Fi 6, the newest and most advanced version of Wi-Fi. That system, Eero 6, doesn’t ship out until Nov. 2, but if you’re willing to pre-order a 3-piece setup now during Prime Day, Amazon at its regular retail price of $279, Amazon will throw in a free Echo Dot smart speaker and two free Philips Hue bulbs to sweeten the deal.
That’s a nice little setup there, because the new Eero router has a built-in Zigbee radio that can pair those bulbs directly with your home’s Wi-Fi network without need for a Philips Hue Bridge. That means you’ll also be able to turn them on and off using Alexa voice commands, which is where that Echo Dot comes in.
Two caveats. though. First, you don’t get the new, spherical Echo Dot — instead, it’s the previous, puck-shaped version from 2018. Second, these are Hue White Ambiance bulbs, not full-color Hue bulbs. That means you can change their color temperature between yellowy, candlelike tones and hotter, bluish-white daylight tones, but you can’t make them put out red, green, blue or anything else on the RGB spectrum. Still, pretty good deal here.
Signify
Speaking of Hue, if you head over to Best Buy for some counter-programming today, you’ll find a bundle with the Philips Hue Lightstrip Plus and a 1-meter extension strip for $60. That’s a total of 3 meters of smart-color-changing light for $45 less than the bundle usually costs.
Just know that this is an older version of the Hue Lightstrip, so it doesn’t include Bluetooth support and it can’t put out more than one color at a time. Still, if you’ve got some cabinets of the back of a TV that could benefit from a nice pop of accent color, this is probably worth pouncing on.
GE Lighting
GE Lighting makes a likeable lineup of smart bulbs and smart lighting accessories, and several bundles are on sale today for Prime members during Prime Day 2020.
One of the best nets you two color-changing bulbs, a color-changing light strip, a wireless remote control that can turn them off, dim them up and down, or change their color, and a smart plug, too. Total cost? About $86. That’d be a pretty good deal if it was just the light strip and the plug.
C by GE lights use Bluetooth to send and receive their signals, and they can pair directly with the Google Assistant for extra-snappy voice controls. They work with Alexa, too, but you need a bridge device to connect them with Amazon. Fortunately, that’s where that Wi-Fi smart plug comes in. As long as you’ve got it plugged in and connected with your home network, it’ll act as that bridge device for your C by GE lights, and let you connect with Alexa for easy voice controls.
At any rate, this is a nice little bundle, and a perfect way to add some pizzazz to the living room, a game room, or a kids room. And if you don’t want the light strip or the remote, you can also score two bulbs and the smart plug for $38.
GE Lighting
Already have some C by GE lights, and just want to add a smart plug to your setup on the cheap? Amazon Prime members can add one to their cart for just $10 today.
Again, along with letting you automate lamps, coffee makers, or anything else you plug into it, GE Lighting’s Wi-Fi smart plug will act as a bridge for your C by GE Bluetooth lights, letting them connect with Alexa. And yep, it works with the Google Assistant too.
Wiz
Wiz is a scrappy little lighting startup that makes some surprisingly decent smart bulbs — decent enough that Philips Hue parent company Signify bought the brand last year and started selling the bulbs as “Philips Wiz Connected” LEDs. These versions pre-date that re-branding, but they’re just as solid and just as capable of connecting with Alexa or the Google Assistant with no need for any extra hub hardware. And, if you buy them today at Best Buy, you’ll save a quick $8 on a 2-pack, bringing the cost per bulb down to just $10.
Leviton
This smart dimmer switch from Leviton doubles as a living space for Alexa thanks to the built-in mic and speaker. Use it to replace an old light switch, and you’ll be able to control that light from your phone or with a voice command — including voice commands picked up by the switch itself.
Whether or not that’s a worthy upgrade is up to you, but it makes sense for Alexa die-hards. At a Prime Day price of $80, you’re saving $20 off of the normal retail price.
Tyler Lizenby/CNET
Cree is a mainstay of the lighting aisle (at least at Home Depot), and its bargain-priced smart bulbs have long been a quick and easy way to fill your home with bright, dimmable automatable light. Now, for Prime Day, that bargain is even better, as Cree has soft white smart bulbs marked down by 75% — just $3 per bulb.
Just remember that Cree’s smart bulbs use Zigbee radios to send their signals, so you’ll need a Zigbee hub in order to automate them. The Amazon Echo Plus, the second-gen Amazon Echo Show, the Wink Hub and the SmartThings Hub will all work, among other options.
Meanwhile, regular, non-connected Cree LED light bulbs are on sale for Prime Day, too, with discounts of up to 40%.