There are countless options for HomeKit native bulbs that you can buy to transform how your smart home operates completely. The problem for many people is that when you’re looking to change your entire home from traditional bulbs to HomeKit bulbs, it can get pricey in a hurry. Options like Philips Hue are fantastic, but they’re more costly. What if there was an option for a low cost bulb that worked great with HomeKit? That’s what I’ve found in the SYLVANIA SMART+ Bluetooth Soft White A19 LED Bulb. It’s HomeKit compatible at a price that isn’t that much higher than normal LED bulbs.
HomeKit Weekly is a series focused on smart home accessories, automation tips and tricks, and everything to do with Apple’s smart home framework.
Outlet adaptors vs smart bulbs?
I get many questions about determining which route to go for upgrading lamps to become HomeKit compatible. We use a lot of lamps at our house, and I prefer them over using overhead lights. With lamps, you can easily upgrade them with a HomeKit-enabled outlet adaptor. You’ll simply plug the lamp into it and then the outlet adaptor into your wall socket. Outlet adaptors are especially beneficial if you prefer the warmth of the bulb that you have now and simply want to “smarten” up the lamp.
If you want a faster overall experience, I probably lean towards HomeKit native bulbs as it unlocks additional options around dimming, adjusting the warmth through the day, etc. Either way, you end up with a nice experience, but it’s something to think through depending on the setup you have at your location.
SYLVANIA SMART+ Bluetooth LED Bulb setup
At around $10, the SYLVANIA SMART+ Bluetooth Soft White A19 LED Bulb is one of the most economical HomeKit bulbs on the market. There is a bit of a catch, though. The onboarding experience was a bit more cumbersome than other HomeKit bulbs I’ve tried.
It includes the HomeKit code on the code, so I started by scanning it in the Home app and then immediately putting it in a lamp to get power. The Home app tried to connect for a few minutes, and I eventually canceled it. I tried this a few times with the same result.
I then downloaded the SYLVANIA Smart Home app to try my luck. I plugged up the bulb, launched the app, and found it almost immediately. It prompted me to upgrade the firmware and then mentioned choosing your Smart Speaker. It should probably lean on the smart home ecosystem wording vs Smart Speaker, but I eventually found my way back to the Home app. I went to add an accessory, had the app scan the environment, and it found the bulb. I manually entered the HomeKit code on the bulb, which immediately connected.
Now, it’s completely possible that I could have scanned it after upgrading the firmware, and it would have worked fine, but it was cumbersome. Did I eventually figure it out? Yup, but I can see how a less technically-minded customer might get frustrated and box it back up for a return.
Once it was connected to HomeKit, I ran into no issues. It turned on quickly and could be dimmed.
What can you do with the SYLVANIA SMART+ Bluetooth Soft White A19 LED Bulb?
Once you have the SYLVANIA SMART+ Bluetooth Soft White A19 LED Bulb inside of HomeKit, you can do a number of things:
- Turn it on/off via Siri and a HomePod (“Hey Siri, turn on my office light”)
- Turn it off/on/dim within the Home app
- Use a HomeKit motion sensor to turn the light on when it detects motion automatically
- Use HomeKit automation to automatically turn it on/off at a certain time of the day
Wrap up on SYLVANIA SMART+ Bluetooth Soft White A19 LED Bulb
Is the SYLVANIA SMART+ Bluetooth Soft White A19 LED Bulb the best HomeKit bulb? No, probably not. A clunky onboarding caused me some frustration. Is it the most affordable and an incredible value? It is. It has a soft white color at 2700K and an 800-lumen output (60-watt equivalent), which is great for pendant lights, fixtures, table lamps, floor lamps, and more. I am using it as the bulb on my desk lamp, and I love the warmth of it. SYLVANIA claims it’ll last for 13.7 years and only cost around $1.02 to operate for the year.
If you want to upgrade your entire house (or even entire rooms), it’s not a bad option for a great value HomeKit bulb at a low cost. Just know that the onboarding experience is slightly clunky.
The SYLVANIA SMART+ Bluetooth Soft White A19 LED Bulb can be purchased from Amazon.
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