Loyal readers know that I’m a huge fan of controlling things in my home via app and voice. I’ve had Alexa and smart plugs controlling things for at least five years now. Today I’m going to talk about smart bulbs and how they can provide even more functionality. I’ll include a link so you can get more information or order them on Amazon. Should you purchase with my link, you get the best price available and I earn a puny commission.

Like many of you, I have a bedside table with a lamp on it. Actually, I have a table on either side of the bed with a lamp. Yes, the lamps have a switch that I can manually turn to get light. If I relied only on that switch, it’s possible I’d injure myself getting to the lamp if I walked into the room in the dark. For that reason I’ve had Kasa Smart Plugs on the lamps for several years. Now I can walk into a dark bedroom and say “Alexa, turn on bedroom” and the room lights up. Throughout my house, I have 8-10 smart plugs in use for lights and other devices and they’ve served me well.

Recently I decided I wanted even more functionality from the bedroom lamps. They already had LED bulbs so that I was doing my part to save energy. But they were either on or off and only in white. The Kasa Smart Bulbs were the perfect answer for me.

Before I talk about the features, I’ll explain why they are perfect for my needs. First, they are in the Kasa family so I won’t need to install any more apps on my phone. I have the Kasa app and use it regularly with my existing smart plugs and switches. Next, it can be voice controlled by the Alexa devices I already have.

Just like before I’ll be able to turn them on or off with my voice. By having the “smart” bulbs, I won’t need the smart plug any more. Don’t worry, I’ll use it on something else. Smart bulbs can be dimmed by percentage so they can be 1% and barely on or 100% as with my existing lights or anywhere in between. If I want to set a mood with a specific color, I can choose any of 16.7 million colors.

I remember in the old days buying a timer for lamps so they could turn on and off at a certain time when you were away so that burglars didn’t pay you a visit. These lights can also be scheduled and there could be schedules at different brightnesses and colors so they aren’t just simply on and off at certain times. Scenes can be defined with specific colors and brightnesses, lights can be grouped together and more!

When I got into smart plugs, I started with one to give it a try. Then I ordered several more. I’m doing the same with smart bulbs and started with a 2-pack. It probably won’t be long until I order more!