If you’re using a Homekit Smartplug, why would you even need a smart bulb? In my Garage with all my T8 fluorescent tubes, I just use a couple of Homekit Smart Switches. Then I have my North Garage lights and South Garage lights. In fact using Apple’s HOME app, I have my south garage lights linked to my Garage Door opener when is Homekit supported. So I can just lift my wrist and say Open Garage and the garage door starts to open and the south garage lights come on. I can lift my wrist (I have a Apple Watch, no need to say Hey Siri!) say Close Garage and the door closes and the south garage lights go off. The best thing is I don’t even have to use Siri or Voice control. They are LINKED and so I can just push the garage door button on the wall and the light goes on/off with the door. Or use the normal Remotes and the light still goes on/off with the door. That’s one of the biggest improvements I’ve made for my Dad who is 73 and lives with me at my house. Much better light in the garage, espeally at night. Sometimes, not lately with the whole Covid thing, but he would go out and visit some friends and come back and be dark out. With much better light, he can better see where he is going and not trip over anything. I have the Ecobee 4 so he can easily adjust the home temp since he’s retired and so home most of the time. Which is my Home Security while I’m at work. Besides the PoE 5MP cameras all around the outside of my house
So I just think if you have a Homekit outlet and a Lamp holder to plug into it. Why would you need a smart bulb on top of that when you can just use a cheap LED bulb? Do you have an outlet that is up high where the bulb is not going to get hit?
I like Smart Switches over Bulbs anyway. If you want one that changes to different colors, OK, I get that for that reason. But for a normal bulb? If you turn the bulb off with the app or your voice, you can’t turn it on with the switch. With a switch, you can use the app or your voice or anyone and just operate the switch like always. I think all our is the best solution and you can use any light bulbs you want. I have an outside Garage light that is LED on a switch. Then I have a couple of Smart Switches for the North and South side of my Garage that handles a bunch of T8 Fluorescent tube type lights. For example, 1 switch controls 10 T8 bulbs. In time as they go bad, I’ll switch them out to LED Tube lights. I have a couple of them on the other side of my garage.
Figure out what works best in your situation. I have a number of WYZE products where Homekit support is not critical but would be nice, and other products of theirs I just refuse to get at this point because it lacks Homekit support. Then you have to look elsewhere. I have Siri control everywhere I go by lifting my wrist. That includes out back, out front, at work, etc. I don’t need to infest my whole house with smart speakers. My Dad uses his iPhone or iPad. A lot of this is really over his head. I wired my house with Cat6 Ethernet, have a fancy looking Network rack in my small closet. He has zero idea on any of it. The older generation really didn’t grow up with computers. My first was a Commodore Vic-20 with a tape drive!!! Does anyone remember X10 devices? This was way before Smartphones. It was a way to control your home devices also. But it was one-way communication. It was flaky. Really did not work very well.
