So, I finally caved. After months of watching my neighbor control his entire house with his voice while I fumbled for light switches in the dark, I decided to dip my toes into the smart home waters. The problem? I'm cheap. Like, really cheap. So when I saw Amazon Basics had their own smart bulb for way less than the fancy brands, I thought, "What's the worst that could happen?"
Turns out, not much. And that's actually a good thing.
The Setup: Easier Than I Expected (Mostly)
Let me start with the part I was dreading: the setup. I'm not exactly tech-savvy, and the thought of connecting something to Wi-Fi and making it talk to Alexa made me break out in a cold sweat. But here's the thing—it was almost embarrassingly easy.
I screwed the bulb into my living room lamp (standard A19 shape, fits perfectly), opened the Alexa app, and within minutes, I was telling Alexa to turn my lights on and off like some kind of wizard. No hub required, which was a huge relief because I definitely wasn't buying another gadget just to make my light bulb work.
The only hiccup? My Wi-Fi router is in a crowded apartment building, and I did notice the bulb occasionally taking a second or two to respond. Not a dealbreaker, but worth mentioning if you live in a Wi-Fi-dense area.
The Light: It's Actually Pretty Good
Here's where I got pleasantly surprised. This thing puts out 800 lumens, which is bright enough to light up my entire living room without feeling like I'm being interrogated. It uses only 9 watts of power (equivalent to a 60W traditional bulb), so my electricity bill isn't going to bankrupt me.
The brightness control is smooth—I can dim it all the way down to 5% for those late-night reading sessions, or crank it to 100% when I need to find that one missing sock. The only catch? You can't use a physical dimmer switch. Everything has to go through Alexa or the app. For me, that's fine because I'm lazy and prefer yelling at my speaker anyway.
Colors: The Fun Part (With Limits)
Okay, so here's where things get interesting. The bulb has 16 preset colors, which sounds like a lot until you realize some smart bulbs offer millions. But honestly? I'm not an interior designer, and 16 colors is more than enough for me to feel fancy.
I've cycled through all of them, and my favorites are the warm white for reading, the cool blue for when I'm trying to feel productive (it doesn't work, but I try), and the deep red for movie nights. The colors are vibrant and change instantly when I ask Alexa, which never stops being cool.
The Alexa-Only Thing: A Blessing and a Curse
Here's the elephant in the room: this bulb only works with Alexa. No Google Assistant, no Apple HomeKit, nada. If you're already in the Amazon ecosystem (like I am, thanks to my Echo Dot that I got on sale), this is perfect. But if you're a Google or Apple person, you're out of luck.
For me, it's actually a plus. I don't have to juggle multiple apps or worry about compatibility. Everything just works together. But I can see how this would be frustrating if you're not already committed to Team Alexa.
Real Talk: What I Wish Was Different
Look, it's not perfect. The 16-color limit might bug you if you're the type who needs exactly the right shade of lavender. The occasional Wi-Fi hiccup is annoying, especially when I'm trying to impress guests with my voice-controlled lights and they just... don't respond. Awkward.
Also, I wish it worked with physical dimmer switches, but that's a minor gripe. The app control is so easy that I don't really miss it.
The Bottom Line: Should You Buy It?
Here's my honest take: if you're like me—someone who wants to feel fancy with smart home tech without spending a fortune—this bulb is a solid choice. It's affordable, easy to set up, and does exactly what it promises. The light quality is good, the colors are fun, and the voice control works well (most of the time).
Is it the best smart bulb on the market? Probably not. But it's definitely the best smart bulb for the price. And sometimes, that's exactly what you need.
I've had mine for a few months now, and I'm not going back to regular bulbs. There's something oddly satisfying about lying in bed and telling Alexa to turn off the lights instead of getting up. It's the little things, you know?
Would I buy it again? Absolutely. In fact, I'm thinking about getting a few more for the rest of my apartment. My wallet might not thank me, but my lazy self definitely will.
Note: This bulb requires a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network (5 GHz won't work) and is suitable for indoor use, including damp locations like bathrooms. Just in case you were wondering.
