If you’re in the market for some smart bulbs to outfit your house and want them to work seamlessly with your Google Home for the ultimate voice-activated light setup, here are the best options to choose from.
While in-wall smart light switches are likely cheaper in the long run, smart bulbs are a lot easier to install and set up, which makes them a popular item for those that don’t have the knowledge or skill of wiring up light switches themselves. They’re also very renter friendly because you don’t need landlord approval to modify the rental.
Luckily, there are a lot of options when it comes to smart bulbs, but if you’re looking for bulbs that specifically work with your Google Home, you still have plenty of choices. Here are some of the best.
Philips Hue
Hands down, Philips Hue is the gold standard when it comes to smart bulbs, and a starter kit can be had for $70, which comes with the necessary hub and two Hue White bulbs. After that, you can get add-on bulbs for as low as $10-$15, if you catch a sale.
You can do all kinds of stuff with these bulbs, including setting timers and schedules, as well advanced features like “vacation mode”—your lights turn on and off to simulate you being home, even if you’re not.
You can also create scenes with different brightnesses and color (if you have the color bulbs), and then activate them with a one tap or using your voice with your Google Home.
As far as voice controls go, you can pretty much do anything with your lights, like change scenes, change colors, adjust the brightness, and of course turn the lights on and off. It also helps a ton if you take the time to give bulbs and rooms unique names, which helps to prevent your Google Home from getting confused.
