• They need to function efficiently as a light (as well as have good luminosity)
• Their additional smart features need to be responsive and easy to use.

Our expert testers

ÌÇÐÄVlog maintains a NATA-accredited laboratory and the vast majority of our product tests, including light bulb and smart home tests, are done in-house. 

We have several years’ experience in testing standard light bulbs and a sophisticated array of calibrated equipment for the task. We also have a long history of testing connected smart products, such as those belonging to the internet of things (IoT). This combination of lighting and IoT testing makes for a good fit when reviewing smart lights.

How we choose what we review

Smart lighting is still a relatively new category with few brands when compared to standard lighting. As such, it’s possible for us to cover many of the major brands in the market.

We choose products that are readily available for purchase in Australia, while also looking at how prominently each product and brand appears in Australian web searches.

How we test

Light output

Initial average brightness is measured by placing the bulb into a calibrated integrating sphere, which is connected to a light meter that records the lumens output of the bulb at five-second intervals. 

Each bulb is run for a minimum of two hours so that it can reach a period of stability across two consecutive 10-minute periods, and we average out the light output during this period of stability. 

The lumens figure we obtain is then compared against the claim on the box as a percentage, and a scale is used to assign a score based on that percentage difference. 

We make a point to test each bulb with its out-of-box, default hue, at maximum brightness, but note that the luminosity will be different when different colours are used.

Our measure of “initial” average brightness refers to each bulb being fresh out of the packaging. It’s possible for bulbs to lose luminosity over time. We didn’t test this for smart lights.

Energy efficiency and power consumption

We measure each light bulb’s energy efficiency, rated in lumens per watt – the amount of light put out per watt of electricity used.

We also compare energy usage cost, estimated at 30 cents per kilowatt hour, assuming each bulb is active for five hours per day and in standby mode for the remaining 19.

Heat

Heat, measured in degrees Celsius using a thermal imaging camera, records the hottest part of the bulb (usually near the base) after a bulb has been active for more than an hour.

Set-up

We rate how easy the set-up process is for each product, taking into consideration installation, app design, connecting each light to Wi-Fi or its wireless bridge, allotting rooms, and creating an account online.

All LED smart bulbs are tested on a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network with an ADSL2+ internet connection.

App layout, functions and responsiveness

We rate how easy each smart light app is to use, and app-responsiveness. We also record features such as sunrise/sunset controls, away mode and geofencing. 

App responsiveness is evaluated in a same-room scenario (the router is in the same room as the bulbs), and we judge not only the responsiveness of the bulb turning on and off, but also its dimming and changing of colour.

Test criteria

The overall score is made up of:

• Ease of use score (60%)
• App responsiveness (25%)
• Luminosity (10%)
• Energy (5%)

The ease of use score is made up of:

• Set-up and documentation (45%)
• How easy it is to reset each bulb, for the purposes of installing the bulbs on another network or for troubleshooting (10%)
• The layout and functionality of the app through which these bulbs need to be controlled (25%)
• How easy they are to use remotely (20%)

Additional tests

We also conduct tests from 40 metres away (lights are installed 40 metres away from the router in a line-of-sight scenario), and from two non-line-of-sight scenarios. 

These tests don’t factor in our scoring. They are conducted in order to identify any performance issues across large areas. 

We observed no issues with the performance of the lights in these tests.

Ready to buy?

Check out our latest smart light reviews and see our buying guide for information on the different types and features to look for.

The post How we test smart lights appeared first on ÌÇÐÄVlog.

Smart lights are always ‘on’ – even when they’re not illuminated, they’re connected to your WiFi, so they’re effectively in standby mode. So it seems like they’d draw more energy than a regular LED bulb that turns off when it’s switched off at the wall – and hence cost more to run.

But that’s not what we found: there’s actually very little difference in running costs between smart and non-smart LED lights. It was a surprise to us.

“We were really expecting the regular LED bulbs to be way lower,” says Alex Angove-Plumb, one of ÌÇÐÄVlog’s resident tech experts.

“The standby mode of some smart lights must be absolutely fantastic.”

Are smart lights more expensive than standard LEDs?

Our testing revealed that a standard LED light costs around $5.14 each year to run. Smart lights weren’t a great deal more: the cheapest cost just $5.17 per year. Some models do cost more – the most expensive to run comes in at $7.77 a year, but that’s for an adjustable colour bulb. A plain white smart LED probably won’t cost you more than $6.65 a year to run.

Want to know how the different brands compare? Check out our LED smart lights review.

The smart way to save

In fact, using smart lighting could even reduce your power bills, our digital home expert Denis Gallagher says.

“If you create the appropriate profile for the way that you live in your home, the cost should theoretically drop – you’ll never get that forgot-to-turn-the-lights-off-before-going-away-for-two-weeks feeling again,” says Denis.

“If it’s installed correctly, the lights will only be on when you actually need them so you’ll use less electricity.”

Build a bridge

Choosing a smart light? To bridge or not to bridge: that is the question.

If you opt for the Philips brand, you’ll need a ‘bridge’. Each Philips Hue light connects to the bridge, which in turn connects to your home Wi-Fi network and controls your smart lights.

The bridge costs around $90 on its own, but you can pick up a starter pack of three globes and a bridge from under $200. So for only a few lights, the Philips Hue system may not be great value, but if you plan on having a dozen or more smart lights it can be a good option.

Bridge-free

Another alternative is a system like LIFX, where each bulb communicates directly with your home Wi-Fi network without needing a bridge.

“This is a good option if you only want to install a few smart lights, because you don’t need to pay extra for a bridge,” says Alex.

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On this page:

• LED lifespans
• LED light output
• Tested light bulbs

LED lifespans

Our tests show that most LED light bulbs do last for a very long time. We’ve had some samples last nearly 30,000 hours of use – that’s over 16 years at five hours’ a day.

Broadly, we think the lifespan claims for most models are fairly reliable, at least at the lower end claims of 15,000 hours. Other claimed lifespans can be as high as 50,000 hours.

How can manufacturers claim such long lifespans when clearly they can’t have tested the light bulbs for that long?

Even with our accelerated test program, where the light bulbs are on for a total of 22 hours a day, it takes nearly two years of testing to get to 15,000 hours. Most likely, the manufacturer’s claimed lifespans are based on stress-testing the components and the assembled light bulb, then projecting a likely lifespan based on that data. That’s not unreasonable – they need to get the products to market quickly, after all. But it means the lifespan is more of an educated guess, which is why we think it’s safer to believe the more conservative claims such as 15,000 hours rather than the more ambitious claims such as 50,000 hours.

Which brands die first?

Very few LED light bulbs die prematurely in our testing, especially when compared to older technologies such as incandescent and CFL light bulbs. We have found a few exceptions: 

• Some samples of CLA, Crompton, Sylvania and Viribright light bulbs burned out before reaching their claimed lifespan.
• The EcoChoice bulbs haven’t actually died, but they are now only giving out 69% of their claimed light output, which we consider a technical failure (see LED light output), so in effect these light bulbs have now failed, well short of their claimed 30,000 hour lifespan.
• The Osram LED Superstar Classic A60 Advanced bulbs are only delivering 82% of their claimed output, and are well short of their claimed 25,000 hour lifespan, which is not a good sign that they’ll last the distance.
• Some other Osram light bulbs burned out but only after exceeding their claimed lifespan.

LED light output

Since we began testing them in 2011, LED light bulbs have tended towards improved efficiency; that is, more light output for less energy used.

For example, the first LED bulb we tested – the Philips Master LEDbulb – used 12W to produce 806lm (lumens), the equivalent light output to a 60W incandescent light bulb. A current model would only use about 8W to produce that much light, while a 12W model would produce well over 1000lm, even up to 1500lm.

Which brands fade?

LED light bulbs do fade over time, though slowly. Lighting industry guides say that a light bulb’s lifetime is reached when it puts out only 70% of its claimed light output (or when it dies completely) – in other words, a 30% decrease in light output. By that standard, most of the LED light bulbs we tested are still fine. However a few have faded faster:

Less than 70% light output

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76–85% light output

• Brilliant
• Philips
• Osram LED Superstar Classic A60 Advanced
• Verbatim LED Classic A B22 9W 64477

The rest of the tested light bulbs are still delivering more than 90% of their claimed light output.

How far must a light bulb fade before you’d notice? You’d be unlikely to notice a 10% drop in light output, especially over several years. You would be likely to notice a 30% drop, though again, given the long lifespans of LED light bulbs, it might take a while to realise that the room seems dimmer than it once did.

Tested light bulbs

Our latest test

This is the most recent batch of LED light bulbs we tested which you’ll find in the current review. This test began in 2015 and most models are now superseded by newer versions.

• Brilliant 18539 LED A60 10W
• Crompton XL-12ES3KDIM Dimmable LED
• EcoChoice LED LED 9W B22
• Ikea Ledare LED1337G15
• Ikea Ledare LED1427G9
• Lucci LEDLux GLS SKU 120922
• Mort Bay E27-A 12843
• Osram LED Star Classic A100
• Osram LED Superstar CLASSIC A60 Advanced
• Philips LEDbulb 12.5W B22
• Philips LEDbulb 9.5W B22
• Sylvania YKA60C5-D-9.5W 026002
• Verbatim LED Classic A B22 9W 64477
• Verbatim LED Grand Classic E27 12W 64479

Still going

We also kept some older LED light bulbs on our test rig from earlier tests we performed between 2011 and 2015. This includes the first LED light bulb to go on sale in Australia, the Philips Master LEDbulb 12W, which we bought for a crazy $71.50 per bulb back in 2011. Those original Philips bulbs have now had nearly 30,000 hours of on-time in our test rig – well above their claimed 25,000 hour life – and are still working, though they are noticeably dimmer than when they started.

The rest of these older light bulbs have been on test for approximately 15,000 to 19,000 hours, depending on when we bought them. Only a few have failed, but all have faded noticeably over time.

• CLA Longlife LED Lamp 3000K
• Crompton Lighting XL-LED Performance LED lamp
• Crompton Lighting XL-LED Performance LED Lamp XL-7.5ES27
• Everglow 10W SanAn B22
• GE Lighting LED Snowcone A19 10.5W 3000K E27
• Ikea Ledare LED 660lm 10W
• Lucci Ledlux LED Dimmable GLS BC
• Megaman LED dimmable 14W
• Mort Bay E27 – A 9.5W LED
• Osram LED Star Classic A 60 LED 9W
• Philips LEDBulb 13W B22 220-240V 1055lm
• Philips Master LEDbulb MV 12W dimmable
• Sylvania Toledo LED GLS A60 dimmable
• Sylvania LED A60 GLS
• Verbatim Classic A E27 11W 810lm
• Viribright 10W Dimmable Mains LED Light Globe

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