Hi, new HEC8 user here. I have seen many older posts about this topic, so I thought I would start a new conversation. Since the release of C8 and many software updates, it seems like re-asking the question makes sense.
I am totally new to Hubitat & home automation. Can someone recommend a good color bulb that works with Hubitat natively?
Thank you!
-peter-
My first question would be why a light bulb? Do you want some particular feature a bulb has, such as RGB colors? Or perhaps color temp (warm vs cool white) changing? Could a smart switch or smart outlet be better for your use case?
Is this because you are renting, or because of wiring limitations? Some other restriction why a bulb works better in your situation?
What country are you in, the recommendation will be different for the USA vs somewhere else due to different voltages and bulb form factors between regions, and even availability of products in a particular country.
And speaking of that, what bulb shape and base are you looking for? A table lamp A19 is quite different than a RGB strip, or a recessed ceiling light, for example.
Lastly, do you have a particular protocol you want to use? Wifi, Zigbee, Matter? It sounds like you don't want something cloud based? You would rather have something totally locally controlled?
One good place to start is the List of Compatible Devices | Hubitat Documentation but there are many other options that are known to work either natively, or via a community app.
This is probably not as relevant as most of the details @neonturbo asked about, so if there are older forum threads on the topic they may still have plenty of useful info for you.
Thanks for the reply. I am looking to swap out the bulb in a den side table lamp for one that could cast pleasant range of warm colors in the evening. I own my home and have no particular preference for protocol. I ordered a Sparkleiot Zigbee smart bulb but could not pair it with my HE8. I am just looking for a general recommendation for something that would be compatible w/HE8. Thanks!
According to these (very) old posts, there are Yeelight and Lifx RGB bulbs that go down to a very low (i.e. warm) color temperature. Lower than other popular brands like Hue.
That seems like as good a place as any to start, based on your preferred use case.
I am in FL. (USA)
I perfectly happy with my Sengled Element Color Plus bulbs. They don't try to act as repeaters is a plus as well for a bulb.
Thanks for that info,
LIFX bulbs will do ya. In general though I recommend bulbs for table lamps and switches for ceiling lights...
Thank you.
I've had good results from these bulbs sold on Amazon. Connect via Matter so you need something like Google Home to provision them, then you can add them to the Hubitat as a Matter device.
Linkind Matter Smart RGBTW
Hi nicholb, I am not familar with "Matter" devices. Is there a reason why I would use this method over something such as Zigbee?
Matter is a newer format that is supposed to be the compatible with most hubs going forward. C-8 is matter compatible. Just think of it as another format like Zigbee and Zwave.
Then I suggest starting here:
These are also sold as Orein and maybe other brands. They are inexpensive, readily available, and seem to work Ok. These are my most recent bulb purchases, but admittedly I own very few bulbs period.
Matter has some give and takes, they (or specifically these bulbs) utilize Wifi, so if you have crowded Wifi or a crappy router, they will not give you the best experience. Matter devices also rely on a 3rd party to commission the device (add it to the Matter network) where it is then available for a matter hub (like Hubitat) to see and control.
While in theory Matter is local, that is only partially correct in my opinion. If you commission the device with the manufacturer app, like Aidot or a 3rd party like Alexa, you are still sending your info to those servers. So Matter may not be the best in terms of privacy depending upon how you join these devices.
That said, they are significantly better than a bulb that is cloud only, or integrated via cloud, and they are (mostly) universally compatible with other matter hubs, and you can even easily join Matter devices with multiple hubs (like Google and Alexa) unlike Z-wave and Zigbee.
The other bulb I like, and were cheap and available at the time, are the Ecosmart bulbs I got at Home Depot a few years ago. I don't know if these are even available anymore, but if you run across them, might be worth considering.
Thanks for clarifying - thinking of Matter as a protocol like Zigbee helps me understand what it issued for.
Am I correct in saying that to use a Matter device you must FIRST connect it to a platform like SmartThings? This must be done BEFORE connecting to Hubitat?
-peter-
I picked up some NanoLeaf Essentials A19 (Matter) bulbs to play with (figured since my son likes them for his Apple HomeKit I could give them to him if they didn’t work out), and after updating the firmware to the most current (3.9.16) they seem to be working fairly well (before the firmware update they were pretty much a PIA).
The Documentation article linked by Mark above is a good introductory explanation of Matter.
No, you would need either google or alexa to onboard. The reason is bluetooth is required. When the Hubitat app is updated to use the bluetooth radio in your phone, you will be able to onboard directly to Hubitat.
Download the Hubitat app
