Smart lights are a bright idea, with Alexa and Siri
Light switches are so last century. Geoffrey A Fowler explains the right — and wrong — ways to improve your home lighting with connected bulbs, plugs and switches
On movie night, you could peel yourself off the couch to turn off the lights. You could also churn your own butter for the popcorn. In 2017, I just say, "Alexa, turn off the lights in the living room." OK, it’s a first-world solution to a first-world problem. But take it from a guy who tests a lot of gadgets: the future involves talking to your tech, and your lights are the first part of your home ready to make the leap. For years, internet-connected lights have been the kind of tech only a geek would tolerate. Bulbs and outlets were connected to apps, so you had to fiddle with your phone just to flip on a light. Amazon changed the game with Alexa, the voice assistant in its $180 Echo speaker that’s learning how to operate a house full of connected appliances. Talking can be way simpler than tapping on screens. With lighting, it’s sometimes even an improvement over hitting switches.Last year, Google got into this game with its own $130 talking speaker, Home. And Apple upped Siri’s c...
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