If you're all-in with Android and the Google ecosystem, there are some smart lights that may work better with your setup than others. Once set up, these smart lights play nice with Google Home, so you can manage all of your connected devices under one roof, and issue hands-free commands by way of Google Assistant.
Google Home is a great platform to work with for home lighting, especially if you have lights that span between multiple manufacturers and you want to look at everything in one spot. By using Routines, Google Home can fire off multiple commands all at once, including setting lights in certain rooms to go on, go off, dim, or change color.
Philips Hue
Best overall smart light for Google Home
- Sync with music and PC
- Set schedules
- Group lights with Google Home
- Expandable system
- Hub required
Philips Hue remains one of the most popular options for smart lighting. With a central hub orchestrating a home full of bulbs, you can issue commands to dim, set schedules, and group lights into rooms with Google Home. Philips Hue enjoys advanced features including music and PC sync too, which can really bring your home to life. If you want to expand your lighting, Hue has a wealth of options including lightstrips, corner fill lights, and outdoor bulbs.
Philips Hue
Nanoleaf Shapes
Best wall panel smart light for Google Home
- Create interesting patterns
- Touch sensitivity
- Sync to music or shows streaming on a PC
- Some challenges with mounting and installation
Nanoleaf wall panels have become an iconic presence behind Twitch streamers all over the world. Once you install them in your home, you'll see why. These modular panels allow you to construct an infinite range of patterns, then animate them with colors, use touch sensitivity on the tiles themselves to trigger events, and sync them to music or shows on your PC. Nanoleaf Shapes as well as the rest of their range play nice with Google Home, and they operate as Thread border routers, a promising smart home wireless standard, which will be helpful for futureproofing.
Nanoleaf Shapes
GE Lighting Cync
Best made for Google smart light
- Made for Google
- No native app required
- Iffy Alexa implementation
GE's Cync lineup of bulbs are certified Made for Google, ensuring a seamless, hubless installation process and day-to-day operation. You don't even need a native app from GE to install the light, you can just go right to Google Home. Once it's all set up, you have full remote control of the lights, and can equally control the bulb with voice using Google Home or Android devices.
GE Lighting Cync
LIFX (A19) Wi-Fi Smart LED Light Bulb
Best hub-less smart light for Google Home
- Supports up to 1,100 lumens
- Compatible with Google Home, Alexa, and Apple HomeKit
- Some difficulties with app set up
For those wanting a plug-and-play experience, Lifx color bulbs check all the right boxes. They go all the way up to 1,100 lumens with a healthy temperature range of 1,500K to 9,000K. Lifx bulbs don't play nice only with Google Home, but with Alexa and Apple HomeKit as well. This way you can issue voice commands from any major platform that you like. Google Home also lets you organize the lights by room, and set schedules that work best for you.
LIFX (A19) Wi-Fi Smart LED Light Bulb
Kasa Smart Light Bulb
Best budget smart light for Google Home
- Solid color range
- Supports Google Assistant voice control features
- Challenging Wi-Fi set-up process
Kasa bulbs continue to be a fine budget option for those looking to modernize their home lighting without breaking the bank. With Google Home, you can group these light bulbs together, set schedules, and enjoy full voice control either with Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa. With 800 lumens of brightness and a color range from 2,500K and 6,500K, you can count on having all your lighting bases covered.
Kasa Smart Light Bulb
Google Home smart light shopping and setup tips
How to connect smart lights to Google Home
Connecting smart lights to the Google Home app is easy. First, you'll need to install the bulb manufacturer's own app and follow their setup instructions. Once that's done, all you have to do from the Google Home app is tap the + button to add new devices. You can read our guide on how to connect smart lights for more details.
Can you use Google Home to turn on lights?
Yes, Google Home can be used to turn on your smart lights. The easiest way is to use Google Assistant and say a command like "set the living room lights to 50%" or "turn off the kitchen lights." Within Google Home proper, tapping on the light icons provide full dimming, toggle, and color control. For more complicated animated scenes you'll need to go back to the native app.
Can Google Home control smart lights?
Google Home can control smart lights, smart plugs, smart switches, and most connected home devices. Smart switches are a great option for hard-to-reach lights, or those that are outside of wireless range.
Hopefully, that provided you with everything you need to build out the perfect lighting solutions in your own Google Home. Be sure to dig into our Google Home tips and tricks to learn more about how to tie everything together.
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