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Written by Richard Oldale on December 16, 2020

Everything You Need To Know About Yeelight Smart Lighting

Yeelight is a world-class leader in smart lighting technology with over 11 million products - all of which are compatible with Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Xiaomi Mijia, and all major IoT platforms. The smart lighting system works on Wi-Fi and is easy to setup.  

As a matter of fact, for a budget-friendly brand, Yeelight delivers a remarkable package that offers great value for money. Having said that, consumer reviews are a mixed bag so we can only assume Yeelight are a little hit and miss, but much of that will depend on your WiFi setup - Yeelight only works with 2.4Ghz networks. 

Naturally, if you have Wi-Fi connectivity problem areas in your house where the Yeelight devices are located, the Yeelight devices will also have problems connecting.

Let’s take a deep dive!

What is Yeelight Smart Lights Bulb?

Yeelight Smart bulbs change colour and can be controlled via a timer. You can even talk to it as well. PC Mag chooses it as a Top Pick in the Best Smart LED Bulb category, mainly thanks to its affordability. All told, it provides an elegant solution for your home smart lighting system and does not require a hub to operate - which is a cost-effective bonus! Simply hook it up to your home Wi-Fi network and away you go. 

Yeelight smart bulb

Yeelight smart bulbs have a range of brightness settings, enough for everyday use and yet are not blinding. Some bulbs are up to 1000 lumens which is the equivalent of a 90W incandescent light. Actually, Yeelight bulbs are brighter than most smart bulbs—brighter even than the industry-leading Philips Hue

Another cool feature is the Yeelight Colour Picker, which works by simply pointing your smartphone at any colour. Yeelight will match it. You can use it for fun, parties or festive occasions. 

Yeelight Set-Up process

Yeelight Smart Lighting is easy to setup. Follow these steps: 

  1. Register for an account with Yeelight
  2. Download the Yeelight smartphone app to start the set-up process. 

(A good Wi-Fi connection is essential for pairing your smart lightbulb.) 

3.Once your Wi-Fi is found you can proceed and connect your smartphone’s default Wi-Fi to the Yeelight Wi-Fi (that will be a new network)

4. Read and follow the instructions as per the app.

5. Select the bulb you want to pair by tapping the “+” button then turn the bulb on and off five times  

The smart lights can be turned on and off via voice command or via the app on your phone. You can even install accessories such as a wireless remote for easier control or set up a motion sensor that turns them on when you walk into a room.

Other options:

  • Toggle on/off
  • Turn on your bulbs when evening comes
  • Toggle on/off with your voice
  • Activate scene using Google Assistant
  • Wake up gently by using sunrise
  • Automatically turn your lights on at sunset
  • Lights off when you exit home
  • Turn on light when entering a location
  • Wake up gently using sunrise 
  • Gently fade out lights when you sleep
  • Alexa assistance
  • Set a lighting scene when you enter an area
  • Turn off lights when you go to bed
  • Set and change the brightness
  • Turn on light scene depending on weather condition
  • Blink Yeelight when someone rings your Ring doorbell

How Long Do Yeelight Bulbs Last?

The life expectancy of the Yeelight LED Bulb 1S is approximately 25.000 hours or 22 years based on three hours of use per day.

The bulbs are dimmable with a 16-million colour palette, a 1700K to 6500K white colour temperature range, and an 800-1000lumen brightness rating equivalent to a 60-90watt incandescent bulb. It uses an E26 base and will fit any standard lamp socket. 

Find out more about Yeelight bulbs here.

Advantages of Yeelight Smart Lighting

  • Reasonably priced.
  • Advanced lighting effects.
  • Works with all major voice-assisted hubs and IFTTT.
  • Supports Alexa, Google, and Siri voice commands.
  • Scheduling and timer options.

Disadvantages of Yeelight Smart Lighting

  • Doesn't support as many smart home platforms as Philips Hue.
  • A lot of smart home bulbs have an Away mode. That means whenever you leave the house, it can be set to trigger and do certain things. The Yeelight doesn’t have that feature yet, but a software update may bring it in the future.

Yeelight Smart Lighting works persistently to integrate cutting-edge technology, distinctive designs and professional optical research into their products. They are AI-ready, Wi-Fi enabled and remotely controllable, empowering your home with multiple smart potentials. 

Should you get Yeelight Bulbs?

According to professional reviews and testing by so-called reliable journalists then YES. Consumer reviews, on the other hand, have mixed views but this is mostly due to Big Brother paranoia about Yeelight requesting to have access to your WiFi. Every other smart lighting brand that you can operate via WiFi does the same thing.

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But if you want to take advantage of Yeelight's broad smart lighting range at an affordable price, Yeelight offers great value for money. And the brand's devices are easily controlled with a click of a button or a voice command.

Yeelight also brings the magic of smart lighting to your home with a wide spectrum of colours and cool features. You can program the lights to come on when you enter the room or off when you exit, to dim when you are cosy on your sofa watching a movie, to gradually dim when going to sleep, and gradually turn on when waking up. You can even program them to switch on and off automatically when away on holiday so would-be burglars think you’re at home. 

If you can plan it, it’s all possible and easy. 

If you’re looking to add colourful smart lighting to your home without having to connect a hub to your router, the Yeelight Smart LED Bulb is one of the smartest on the market and represents a cost-efficient solution. And Yeelight has an incredible range of lighting options. 

Final Verdict

Since its inception in 2012, Yeelight has produced high-quality bulbs at low prices. It would appear the company’s smart lighting is following the same track. We like that Yeelight smart bulbs are a cost-friendly option but still offer a wealth of features that you expect from mid-range to high-end smart lighting. 

The user-friendly app and hub-less functionality is also a bonus. Lighting effects and scenes are easy to configure and setting up lighting schedules are intuitive. 

We also like that you can connect Yeelight to IFTTT which enables you to pair lights with third-party devices such as security cameras, doorbells and, of course, personal assistants. Using the scenes option on the app allows you to take your lighting scenes and use them in IFTTT.

On the downside, Yeelight's forced firmware updates are unpredictable. Unsurprising really as they are owned by Xiaomi which also has a problem with updates on their mobile phones. The best option is to ignore the updates if you can avoid getting annoyed by the reminder messages. 

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