I’ve been testing out a number of different Homekit Smart Bulbs that are currently available in Australia and fit our light sockets.
These are the Best HomeKit Bulbs you can buy in Australia:
The Best HomeKit Smart Bulbs
Philips Hue
I believe that the Philips Hue bulbs are the best HomeKit smart bulbs currently available. I’ve tested a lot of smart bulbs but I continue to use Philips Hue in my smart home setup.
If you choose to go with Hue Lights, I do recommend getting the Hue Hub. While Hue lights can work without it, there are numerous features that require the hub (including HomeKit support).
Why I recommend Philips Hue
Reliable
Philips Hue bulbs are more reliable than competing homekit smart lights. Hue bulbs use the Zigbee protocol. While Thread might give Zigbee a run for its money in the future, right now Zigbee is best networking protocol for smart lights. Zigbee lights can connect to each other using a mesh. This means bulbs can network around interference and still work with low wifi signals. Wifi only bulbs need to connect directly to the router and I’ve found they have far more connection issues.
My current Philips Hue setup has had zero connection issues. The lights have always been available and responsive. I’ve not yet found another HomeKit bulb which is as reliable as the Hue lights.
If you want a bulb that will always just work my pick is Hue.
Long Lasting
I’ve been using Hue bulbs for over 8 years and I’ve yet to had one break. While Hue bulbs do cost more, they are of higher quality. While you can get cheaper bulbs that last just as long, it can be a bit of hit and miss.
Large Ecosystem
While you can use any HomeKit accessory alongside Hue lights, Hue has its own large range of accessories. I’ve found the Hue switches to be particularly useful. They also sell motion sensors and smart plugs.
LIFX
LIFX bulbs are Wifi smart lights that also support HomeKit. LIFX bulbs have a pretty good reputation and are cheaper than Hue lights. The main downside of choosing LIFX over Hue is you’re choosing a Wifi bulb over a Zigbee bulb. I’ve had connection issues with LIFX bulbs but I haven’t had those issues with Zigbee. Wifi bulbs are susceptible to dropouts and can be affected by something as simple as turning on the Microwave.
The LIFX bulbs are of good quality and I haven’t had any issues of them failing. I’ve done a full breakdown of LIFX vs Hue here.
Nanoleaf Essentials
Nanoleaf Essential bulbs are some of the first smart lights that support Matter and Thread. These bulbs also work with HomeKit. Thread is a mesh networking technology similar to Zigbee. Many existing smart home devices can act as Thread Hubs (border routers). So unlike the Hue, where you need a Hue Hub to connect the lights to your smart home, Thread lights will just work as long as you have a border router.
Thread is an upcoming technology that will become more and more popular in the future. So if you’re looking for a HomeKit smart bulb which is future proof, I’d go with the Nanoleaf Essential. Nanoleaf also sells a Matter compatible bulb which will work with Apple Home.
In terms of light and colour, The Nanoleaf isn’t as bright as LIFX bulbs and the colour doesn’t match the vibrancy of Hue. Although pretty much no smart lights are able to match the colour vibrancy of Hue.
Wiz (Matter Bulbs)
Wiz are a cheaper alternative to the Philips Hue lights. They are made by the same manufacturer (Signify). Wiz Lights ARE NOT HOMEKIT LIGHTS but they do support Matter. Wiz is rolling out Matter to select bulbs so it’s worth checking to see if Matter is supported before buying. Matter does work with Apple Home. So while these don’t work with HomeKit, thanks to Apple’s support of Matter you will be able to add them to the Apple Home app and use them alongside other HomeKit devices.
These lights are cheaper than Hue and unfortunately they don’t perform as well. I’ve found the Wiz lights can have dropouts and become unresponsive. Overall these are a good, cheap smart bulb and much better than Grid Connect or Mirabella Genio bulbs which are around the same price.
Meross
Meross makes some of my favourite HomeKit products including the very reliable Homekit garage door opener.
The Meross Smart Bulbs are some of the cheapest HomeKit smart lights you can buy in Australia. The Meross bulls are Wifi bulbs. Like all Wifi smart bulbs, these can be susceptible to the odd connection issue. If you have a large house, you may need a Wifi extender or mesh wifi as these have limited range.
If you’re after a really cheap smart bulb that will work with Apple Home, this is a solid option.
