Honestly, I get the appeal of the color-changing bulbs—especially for holidays or just making the space feel fun. But from my experience, the novelty wore off pretty quick. I ended up sticking with warm white 90% of the time, and the rest of the time, I was fiddling with an app that didn’t always want to cooperate. For me, the “set it and forget it” aspect of smart switches just wins out. Less tinkering, more reliability. I do see the flexibility angle, though—just not sure it’s worth the hassle if you’re not into changing things up all the time.
I get where you’re coming from—
—I’ve seen that happen a lot with clients. Folks get excited about all the colors, but after the first few parties, it’s just back to warm white. That said, I’ve had a few people swear by color bulbs for outdoor movie nights or when they want to highlight plants. Ever try using scenes for different yard zones, or was it just too much hassle?the novelty wore off pretty quick
That said, I’ve had a few people swear by color bulbs for outdoor movie nights or when they want to highlight plants.
I totally get the “novelty wore off pretty quick” thing—same here after the first summer. But I did mess around with scenes for different zones, like having the patio lights dimmed and the garden beds in a soft green. It took a bit to set up, but once it was done, it was actually pretty slick for BBQ nights. Did you find the app controls annoying, or was it more about not needing all those options day-to-day?
Did you find the app controls annoying, or was it more about not needing all those options day-to-day?
Honestly, the app controls drove me nuts after a while. Too many taps just to turn on the dang lights. I ended up setting automations for the basics—on at sunset, off at midnight—so I barely touch the app now. For special stuff like BBQs, I’ll tweak scenes, but day-to-day? Just want it simple and reliable. If you’re not into fiddling, smart switches might be less hassle.
I hear you on the app controls—honestly, I’ve had clients who just gave up on using them after a week. There’s something about having to dig through menus just to flip a light that feels... backwards? For most yards, I lean toward smart switches for exactly that reason. You still get the “smart” part, but you can just hit a button when you’re carrying groceries or wrangling kids. Unless you’re really into mood lighting or color scenes, switches are way less fussy.
