Lightinginside Matter Smart Bulb review

I love outlet adaptors for HomeKit, but if you still use them to automate lamps, it might be time to switch things up (sorry for the pun). Smart plugs are a great way to get started, but smart bulbs give you more control over the lighting experience and work with overhead lights. With smart bulbs, you can change the color, set different brightness levels, and group them by room or scene. It is an easy upgrade that adds flexibility without complicating your setup. This week, I am looking at the Lightinginside Matter smart bulb.

HomeKit Weekly is a series focused on smart home accessories, automation tips and tricks, and everything to do with Apple’s smart home framework.

Why Matter…matters

One of the biggest challenges before Matter was a “thing” was deciding which platform to commit to. If you started with Amazon Alexa for a wide range of accessories, you were basically locked into buying Alexa-compatible gear. The same goes for Google or Apple. That made it hard to switch platforms later without overhauling your setup or running a mix of apps and ecosystems.

Matter changed that. It created an industry for smart home devices so your lights, plugs, switches, and sensors can work across HomeKit, Alexa, Google Assistant, and SmartThings without needing a different app or new hardware. That means you are no longer locked into one ecosystem for the life of your products. You can use a HomePod with Siri today and switch to an Amazon Echo tomorrow and your gear comes with you. For HomeKit users, Matter has ultimately meant that more devices will be compatible out of the box.

Unboxing, testing, and thoughts on Lightinginside Matter smart bulb

Obviously, there’s not a lot to a lightbulb in the box. The Matter code is on the Lightinginside Matter smart bulb, so you’ll want to do the dance of scanning it within the Home app, screwing it in, and turning it on. As HomeKit onboards the bulb to your environment, you’ll pick a room and give it a name.

Feature-wise, you can dim and adjust colors on the Lightinginside Matter smart bulb within HomeKit. This is where HomeKit/Matter bulbs shine over outlet adaptors. With outlet adaptors, it’s simply off and on.

With bulbs, they become very useful within scenes and automations because you can set certain levels based on time of day, day of the week, or specific routines. You might have them turn on at twenty percent brightness in the early morning to ease into the day, then switch to full brightness as the day moves. At night, they can shift to a warmer tone and lower brightness to help wind things down. You can also tie them to HomeKit motion sensors so lights only come on when needed. All of it happens automatically once the bulbs are added to your HomeKit setup and the automations are made.

Key features:

• Matter-certified for HomeKit, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistsnt, and SmartThings
• No third-party app required when using HomeKit
• Full color and tunable white support
• 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi only
• Standard A19 bulb with E26 base
• Supports automations, schedules, and scenes in HomeKit
• Music sync and DIY scenes available with Smart Life app
• 9W LED with dimming via app or Siri

Wrap up on Lightinginside Matter smart bulb

So, does the Lightinginside Matter Smart Bulb do anything unique over the dozens of Homekit bulbs on the market? Not really. It supports Matter and generally works well. My main complaint is the lack of adaptive lighting support for HomeKit setups.

You can often find a four-pack on sale for $20 or so, making it a great option for augmenting your smart home setup with more HomeKit lights. You can buy the Lightinginside Matter Smart Bulb from Amazon or directly from the manufacturer on its website.