Warentest sees a light
Smart lamps are rarely good
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Stiftung Warentest screws ten smart lamps into the laboratory sockets. Only two of them perform well overall. The best and most versatile bulb is also by far the most expensive, but one of the cheapest WiFi lights from the same manufacturer is almost as good.
For many people, light on and light off are enough, but smart lamps are becoming increasingly popular. Among other things, they can be controlled via voice assistants, light up in different colors at different times of the day or can be connected to motion detectors. Stiftung Warentest tested ten current models and found major differences. An expensive and a cheap WLAN light make up the test victory, all the others are just satisfactory smart lamps.
With or without base station
Basically, there are two competing solutions: There are WLAN lamps that require a base station. This can be a device from your own manufacturer, but they often also work with a competitor's bridge if they use compatible wireless standards. Zigbee is currently at the forefront here, but the common standard Matter, promoted by Google, Apple and Amazon, among others, is on the rise.
Other smart lamps connect directly to your home WiFi without a base station. They are less complicated and cheaper, but that doesn't necessarily mean they offer fewer functions.
The top dog, Signify, is at the top with a quality rating of 2.0 in the test Philips Hue White & Color Ambiance. With an average online price of 64 euros, it is by far the most expensive smart lamp in the test. The associated base station also costs almost 60 euros.
The testers found the lighting properties and extensive smart functions of the Hue light good, and the handling and safety even very good. The environmental properties, which consist of power consumption and light output, were rated as satisfactory.
Signify wins
The second smart lamp rated well overall (2.2) is this Wiz lamp 60W A60. It only costs 16 euros and also comes from Signify, which can celebrate a clear double victory. The Wiz does not require a base station, but still offers good smart functions. Light properties, handling and environmental properties also received good marks, and the safety of the lamp is very good.
3rd place was possible Ikea with the Tadfri LED bulbs ensure that the quality rating was 2.8. At a price of 18 euros, it is also very cheap, but requires a base station. The Ikea Dirigera costs 60 euros. The biggest disadvantage of the Swedish lamp is its satisfactory lighting properties and merely sufficient environmental properties. The testers gave good marks to the handling and smart functions.
It offers good lighting properties, but only satisfactory smart functions Paulmann Zigbee 3.0 LED bulb. It only costs 17 euros and also received a quality rating of 2.8. The handling is good, the environmental properties are at least satisfactory. You have to invest 57 euros for the Paulmann base station.
