You could install home assistant on a raspberry pi and buy any of the lights that project supports.
Why are smart light bulbs so expensive.
Components as to why it has a pri.
That s important to keep in mind especially if you want to.
Setup is as simple as screwing in the bulb turning the light switch or plug on and off three times in quick succession and following the in app instructions.
With an incandescent light you never have to worry that half your bulbs are 1 0 and half your bulbs are version 3 0.
But in the long term they are bound to make your home more energy efficient.
They cost more because they are smart.
The brightest leds generate blue light.
Though they may look like incandescent bulbs and may make similar light leds are very different creatures.
Compact florescent light bulbs cfls the promise child of savings.
But this may take a while.
That s why they ve always been so much more expensive than white light smart bulbs not because rgb diodes.
And in just the last few years leds light emitting diodes have come on the market.
Here s a blog that clearly underlines why smart led bulbs are cooler and hence costlier 5 reasons why your next light bulb should be a smart bulb 593 views.
The list is quite extensive quite sure it will contain cheaper alternatives.
Worse yet 80 of the energy consumed by an incandescent light bulb goes to producing heat not light.
The long term costs of using a smart bulb may even out the initial cost as they do manage to conserve more electricity especially if you use a cfl or led bulb.
Color changing smart bulbs are futuristic and flashy and they make the smart home fun.
By smart i mean capabilities that ordinary led bulbs cannot deliver.
So in order to get the more natural white glow manufacturers typically coat the bulb with yellow.
The actual led wafer can cost as much as 8 a unit.
Combine that with the killer price and there s no good reason you shouldn t scratch the smart bulb itch if you ve been even slightly tempted to.
So now you re not only paying a lot to get the light you need but in the warm months it s costing you extra in electric because it makes your a c run more.
Compact fluorescent bulbs the twisty ones better known as cfls have been around for 20 years or so.
Let me start with the alternatives.