CES 2022 is rapidly drawing to a close, and in the midst of it all were a few new smart lights that caught our eye. Let’s see what’s new from the show and what you might want to include in your next smart lighting upgrade.
GE Cync
GE’s lighting brand Cync unloaded 11 new smart bulbs, covering all the form factors you could ask for, including filaments, candelabras, and globes. It pledged to support Matter in the future, too, which is good news for playing along with your other smart home devices. Expect to see these on store shelves at Lowe’s, Best Buy, Target, and Amazon in March, with price points starting at $12. You can read up more about Cync’s other announcements, including smart thermostats and security cameras.
Sengled
Defying any notion of “stay in your lane,” Sengled has made a smart bulb that proposes to keep tabs on your health. Using short-range radar, this bulb can report on sleep quality, heart rate, and body temperature. You can even pair up multiple bulbs to build a map of the room. Outraged fitness band manufacturers were too flabbergasted to provide comment.
Abode
Abode used CES to mark the launch of its first color LED bulbs. The standout feature with these is a subscription service that gives access to a range of advanced automation features. That way. you can set multiple layers of conditions for the lights to be activated, set blackout periods, and tie in with other Abode smart home products. On that note, you should read up about its new security camera.
Twinkly Dots
Gamers have a new option for their streaming setup with the new Twinkly Dots string lights. In addition to checking off the usual boxes for Google Assistant, Alexa, and Siri control, the Twinkly Dot lights also play nice with Razer Chroma and Omen Light Studio. With a USB-powered option and the ability to mirror on-screen action, these are shaping up to be a fine backdrop for your next Twitch session.
Govee
Govee is upgrading its hex wall lights to have a cool cube effect on them. With three separate sections per tile and independent LED controllers throughout, you can generate some pretty cool combinations. The Glide 3D Hexa wall panels should be coming out this summer.
Tapo
TP-Link’s smart home brand is making its American debut with a host of products. On the lighting side, it has a light strip and a bulb, both of which are HomeKit-compatible and have music sync functions. The real value-add here is the wide range of supporting accessories on offer, including a dedicated smart home hub and a wireless control button.
Nanoleaf
While Nanoleaf didn’t launch any new lights, it did announce a healthy upgrade to its Elements, Lines, and Shapes series so that they provide Thread border routing with HomeKit. This way those fully entrenched in the Apple ecosystem can properly enjoy the benefits that a low-power mesh smart home network can offer.
That’s a quick pass at what’s new in the smart lighting world, but there’s loads more CES 2022 coverage to check out!
