7 Light Bulbs That Work With Alexa Without a Hub

When you reach home late at home, or, you just dream about some extra- assistance at home, like I do all the time, Smart Light Bulbs are always available to help without any fuss. Who wants to fumble around the house looking for the wall switch in the dark? No one!

Smart Light Bulbs look like any other regular bulb but they have so much to offer. You can control them with voice, bluetooth or mobile applications as well. 

If you have been dreaming about a Smart Home but don’t know where to start from , Smart Light Bulbs can be a great choice to begin with. 

I cannot be tired praising dear Alexa. No one obeys me like she does. She’s always available to lend an ear, assist me with mundane tasks and offer suggestions when I need one desperately. 

Now, I have something interesting for Alexa. There are Smart Light Bulbs which work with a hub and without a hub and both work in communion with Alexa.

In this article, I have made a smart choice of Smart light bulbs that work with Alexa without a hub. They are far less – expensive, come in great variants, offer great colours as per your mood and are extremely easy to control.

What is a Hub? What Does It Do ?

To recommend light bulbs that work with Alexa without a hub, I find it extremely important for you to know what a hub is. It will help you a great deal in selecting the Smart Light bulbs of your choice and will amplify the advantages of choosing a Smart bulb without hub.

Basically , a ‘hub’ is a loose term used for ‘ connector’ or a ‘ bridge’ when we talk about Smart Light devices. It connects networks with each other in the context of Smart devices.

It is commonly used when the Smart devices are connected with a protocol other than Wi-fi but need to be controlled using a smartphone, Smart Home controller , or the internet. 

In short, It is the middle man between your bulb and the wireless router. When you connect this ‘hub’ or ‘bridge’ to your wireless router, three small lights show up on the hub. It means, it is installed correctly and you can proceed downloading the app for the Smart bulbs which you have purchased. 

Smart Bulbs That Don’t Need a Hub

If you are amazed by the advantages of Smart Bulbs over regular bulbs, the variety they are launched with will leave you awestruck! There are millions of designs and hues to choose from.

If you have been a fan of the Philips range, check out this article on creative Hue set up ideas. They offer some mind blowing colour range which will transform your space completely. 

Below are some ranges of Smart Light Bulbs which I have personally selected keeping in mind the non- requirement of a hub. For these Smart Bulbs, you won’t need to purchase a hub additionally. Here again comes dearest Alexa. Just tell her,’ Alexa, Switch on the dining room lights’ and it’s done just like that! 

Outstanding Features Based on Which These Bulbs Made it to the List

As an expert, my duty is to bring forward the best choices after a detailed comparative analysis and quality-testing. 

The Smart Light Bulbs which you’ll be reading about, have been meticulously reviewed and selected on the basis of several important factors which you should keep in mind before you head out to add Smart Light Bulbs to your home. 

They are :

1. Lumen, not Watt 

Lumen is the true measurement of the brightness of a bulb, not Watt. Wattage is the indication for consumption of energy by the bulb. Higher the Lumens are, brighter the bulb is. Higher the Wattage is, higher goes your bill on the electricity metre ! The selected Smart Light Bulbs are high on Lumens and lesser on Wattage. 

2. Right Choice of LED Colour

These Smart Light Bulbs are capable of displaying an impressive colour spectrum ranging from purple to red, the bright whites to the warm yellows. They can prove to be a value addition in revamping each corner of your space with a tint of individuality. 

3. Efficiency of the Bulb

This is one of the most important factors that decides a good buy. No matter what Smart Bulb you buy with umpteen special features, the basic is that the Light Bulb has to be efficient. The Smart Light Bulbs chosen for you are LED bulbs, basically which are any day more durable and efficient than the incandescent bulbs. They also consume less wattage of electricity.

4. Dimmable Lights

Dimmable lights are not only efficient but also ensure less energy consumption. The Smart Light Bulbs with dimmable light feature will help you create a soothing ambiance at your space. Each of the Smart Light Bulb mentioned below has this exquisite feature of dimmable lights

5. Affordability

No one would want to go bankrupt at the cost of creating a Smart Home, would they? You’ll be able to enjoy the addition of Smart Light Bulbs in your space only when they haven’t made your pockets lighter at the expense of a smarter home. 

The Smart Light Bulbs that I have brought for you will amaze you with some super affordable prices ( less than $20 ; Wiz Bulbs) to high-end products like Philips Hue range priced at $45-$60. Make your selection based on your preference. The quality won’t be compromised in any of the variants. 

6. Choice of extra features

When the Smart Light Bulbs offer different colours for each room in your house, then we as family members are also allowed to be choosy on the features they offer. 

I , being a mother , prefer warm white lights during the day whereas my daughter would love her room to be painted pink all day long. 

Some surprisingly great features like wake-up music, dance – lights mode, routine set up etc are offered with Smart Light Bulbs which will make it interesting to choose one for your room. 

Allow me to present the best Smart Bulbs for Alexa without hub :

Best Smart Bulbs for Alexa Without Hub

I have made a detailed and comparative mention of smart light bulbs without hub. Let’s check them out :

1. Philips Hue White and Colour Ambiance Starter Kit ( Gen 3)

 Undeniably, Philips Hues makes the best Smart Bulbs that work with Alexa. They are the brightest and the easiest to use with Alexa. You can easily access the wonderful world of about 16 million colours and adjustable whites . You can also set personal presets smoothly with different levels of brightness

are going with the Philips Hues Starter kit that comes with a bridge. 

Hub is a pricey addition and will be required to unlock some special features. In that case, Alexa can satisfy you by turning the Smart Bulb on/ off for you, adjusting its colours and brightness. 

Alexa will do exceptional work for you with the Philips Hue app.

In case you are wondering about the longevity of these bulbs, here is one article that James did sometime ago.

2. Geeni  Prisma LED Smart Bulb

If you are a total naive in the world of Smart Light Bulbs, then Geeni Prisma LED Smart Bulb is the perfect choice for you. It is the cheapest Smart Bulb that is compatible with Alexa, available at quarter the price of the Philips Hue Smart Bulb.

It works with the Geeni app which ensures two-factor authentication , making it very secure. Once it is set up and paired with Alexa, just say, “ Alexa, brighten the living room lights by 20%’ or ‘ Alexa, dim the bedroom light by 30%’. Consider it done. 

Beautiful preset colours like rainbow, cocktail, reading are offered with these Smart Bulbs which you can set up according to your choice. 

They are a complete value- pack Smart Bulbs which don’t require a hub and work with Alexa. 

3. Sengled Smart Light Bulbs

For Smart bulbs without hubs, Sengled Smart Light Bulbs has something great to offer. They bring forth a Smart Lighting system as a complete pack, in case you are not specifically looking for some features which the Philips Hue range offers. I won’t deny it is not flawless but if you want to run only basic functions like Switch on/off and dim the lights using Alexa, Sengled Smart Light Bulbs is a very good choice. 

This range impressed me with its quick and easy pairing , offering great functionality. The Smart Bulb is superfast in responding to switch on/off commands when using Alexa.

It’s a very smart (pun intended) Bulb with an open/close sensor and responds to sensor movements as well. It is perfect for any room , offering you very clean colour changes. Also, it doesn’t require a hub which makes a perfect buy.

4. Etekcity Smart Light Bulb

Etekcity is not a very renowned brand like the Sengled or the Philips but it has carved a niche for itself in terms of usage and brightness. It does not need a hub to work with and can easily be paired with Alexa.

The Etekcity Smart app lets you create different devices when you install it which will let you control the bulbs all together or separately as you wish. It lets you control the function of the Smart Bulbs using the sweet voice commands to Alexa which is one important feature we’re looking for. 

Colour shades or brightness metre for any room is completely your baby. It can easily be set using the app interface. And let me please stress upon the brightness of the bulb ! What a bright bulb !! 

Many times, we blindly buy from famous manufacturers which beat loudly about the brightness of their Smart Bulb but it doesn’t seem that glowing when it is taken home. These Etekcity bulbs will never disappoint you that way. In the category of smart bulbs without hubs, it’s a great choice.

If you still haven’t been able to make up your mind about Etekcity Smart Bulbs, check out these reviews here.

Authentic Reviews on Etekcity Smart Bulbs 

5.  Gosund Smart Light Bulb

Gosund brand always has my heart because of its super – affordable range and products that are high on the quality.

What if you want to change the colour of a bulb in your room just instantly ? The Gosund Smart Wi-fi LED Light bulb A19 is happy to help. You can easily control one bulb or more with just one tap of your finger almost instantly.

There isn’t just one attraction with this Gosund range. It will cut down your electricity bill massively as it requires 80% less energy to function than the regular standardised bulbs. Plus, no hub or extra hardware is required since it connects easily to Wi-fi. 

So, anyone can access it easily using only their smartphone. It is friends with Alexa which we want as the prime feature. So, it’s a very good buy in an affordable and high-performing range. 

6.   Wiz A19 Smart LED Bulb

Signify is the owner of the Wiz, the same company which owns Hue, the Philips range. Again here we have a great addition in the category of best smart bulbs for Alexa without hub but is clearly more affordable than the pricey Philips Hue range.

They connect smoothly with Wi-fi and are easily controllable with Alexa and Google assistant. For a smart choice, I recommend at least a 60W base model. It offers a warm temperature of 2700K colours and brightness of 800 lumens.

7. Flux Wi-fi Smart LED

A great choice for lovers of colours and hard-earned money ! You simply just screw it in and viola ! The bulb will lighten up the space and brighten your smile. It works without a hub and pairs easily with Alexa. 

Not to forget, it has some special additional features like the wake-up mode, music- sync , the dance mode effects and schedules for lighting your home once in a while when you’re travelling. Interesting, isn’t it ! 

 The Flux Wi-fi Bulb gives tough competition to a 50W incandescent bulb in terms of brightness. There are also various variants of Bluetooth bulbs in this and also offer improved brightness.

To Summarise , I will now broadly divide the above mentioned Smart Light Bulbs in two categories – For beginners and For Advanced. After the detailed reviews above and the quick categorisation below, your pick will be very quick.

Best Choice of Smart Light Bulbs (For Beginners) That Work with Alexa Without a Hub

1. Geeni Prisma LED Smart Bulb 
2. Wiz A19 Smart LED Bulb
3. Etekcity Smart Light Bulb
4. Sengled Smart Light Bulbs 

Price range : $ 19- $30

Best Choice for the Advanced / the Geeks : 

1. Philips 
2. Flux Wi-Fi Smart LED Bulb
3. Gosund Smart Light Bulb

Price range : $ 50- $ 75 

FAQs

Q1. What is the meaning of ‘no hub required’ ?

Ans. When the companies claim that their Smart Light Bulbs do not require a hub, it means that the Smart Bulb will automatically connect to the Wi-fi and doesn’t require an additional connector or bridge. They have a built-in software which connects directly to the company’s interface using Wi-fi and you can easily set up the Smart Bulb using the Smart app.

Q2. What is the difference between a hub and a router ? 

Ans. A hub establishes a connection between networks in order to stabilise the data flow in between networks. A router is used in LAN as well as MAN. A router transfers data in the form of packets whereas a hub uses electrical signals or bits to transfer data. 

Conclusion

 I hope I made an easy and qualitative choice for you about light bulbs that work with Alexa without a hub.  The models of Smart Light Bulbs mentioned adobe in the article are chosen selectively keeping in mind the affordable price range but also not compromising on the quality and the smart compatibility of theirs with Amazon Alexa. 

All are great and unique in their functionality. Go for any option  which suits your range . Trust me, you won’t regret any of these choices .