Ilumi A19 Smart LED Review – The Best Affordable Smart LED?

Ilumi A19 Bluetooth Smart LED Light Bulb is one of those Bluetooth-connected lights that do not need a hub to function.  It changes color depending on the schedules you set and even syncs with your favorite beats.  It will also automatically turn on when it senses your smartphone nearby.

The Ilumi A19 Bluetooth Smart LED Light Bulb is available here or 6-pack’s available here.

Features of the A19

The different features and benefits that the Ilumi A19 Bluetooth Smart LED Light Bulb brings to the table include:

• Energy-saving.  Ilumi A19 Smart Bulb gives you an output of 800 lumens and consumes less than 10 watts.  You get to brighten up your room as if you are using a 60-watt incandescent bulb without deflating your wallet.
• Easy installation.  All you need to do to start using your Ilumi A19 Bluetooth Smart LED Light Bulb is to screw it on any light fitting.  Download the mobile app and use it to pair your smartphone with the light bulb.  Ilumi A19 uses Bluetooth Smart to connect to your smartphone, and this could be a lot easier than using a Wi-Fi connection.
• Dimmable and color changeable.  With the Ilumi A19 Bluetooth Smart LED Light Bulb, you are not stuck with just one bright white bulb.  You can dim it anywhere from 2,000K to 5,000K and you can change the light’s colors using the mobile app.

Mobile app

The mobile app allows you to control your Ilumi A19 Smart LED Bulb.  You can access several menus by sliding your finger from the left side of your smartphone screen.  Some of the menus are:

Groups.  If you have multiple bulbs, you should open this menu in order to name and arrange your bulbs according to the room they are in.  The mobile app can accommodate up to 50 bulbs.

Another good news is that everything is grouped automatically, saving you the time and effort to set up your lighting system in the app.

Experiences.  This is probably where you would spend more time with your mobile app.  Experiences give you simple automation for your Ilumi bulb.  For instance, it allows you to synchronize your Ilumi A19 to your music playlists.

Then you have Rise and Shine, which simulates the brightness of sunrise to help wake you up in the morning.  There’s also Torch mode which uses Bluetooth to detect your smartphone.

While Torch mode is on, the bulb will automatically light up when you enter the room with your smartphone and then turn off when you leave.

Meanwhile, Circadian automatically adjusts the light’s brightness throughout the day and Scene Scheduler recreates lighting scenes according to your pre-set times.

There is also Simon, which is a fun memory game, and Vacation mode, which makes it look like somebody’s home when you go on vacation.

Power on default.  You can use the light setting that you like as the power on default.  Every time you turn on the light bulb, it will always use this default setting.  No need to adjust your bulb to your preferred light setting each time.

You can also use the app to change the color of your bulb’s light.

What I Liked About the Ilumi

The Ilumi A19 Smart Bulb can help you save money even without thinking about it.  It delivers the brightness equivalent to a 60-watt incandescent bulb but uses only a sixth of the energy required to light that.

In addition, with the Torch mode, you do not even have to turn the lights on or off because the bulb does it for you.  If you live alone, that is quite an awesome feature to have.

You can also get the perfect lighting for any situation.  If you want to achieve the feel of candlelight dinners at home, or get up to bright sunshine, or be in the mood for some serious reading, the Ilumi A19 can do it for you.   It can even mimic the changing colors of sunset inside your house.

The Ilumi A19 Bluetooth Smart LED Light Bulb is perfect for those who do not like complicated setups and hubs for their smart bulb.  It has eschewed using Wi-Fi connectivity and it has added integrations with the view of making setup and installation easy and simple.

Alternatives to Ilumi

The Ilumi A19 Bluetooth Smart LED Light Bulb is not the only smart bulb available in the market.  Some of its notable competitors include the MiPow Playbulb Rainbow, Philips Hue Connected Bulb, and the GE Link Connected LED.  So how does Ilumi A19 compare to the others?

 Side-by-side comparison

	Ilumi A19 Smart Bulb	MiPow Playbulb Rainbow	Philips Hue Connected Bulb	GE Link Connected LED
Price	$$ (check here)	$ (check here)	$$$ (check here)	$ (check here)
Connectivity	Bluetooth	Bluetooth	Wi-Fi, ZigBee	Wi-Fi, ZigBee
Integration	None	None	Amazon Alexa, IFTTT, Apple HomeKit, Nest	Amazon Alexa
Base Type	E26	E26	E26	E26
Size (HXW, in.)	4.5 x 2.5	4.6 x 2.8	4.2 x 2.3	5.1 x 2.6
Light Color	Color, White	Color, White	Color, White	White
Light Color Temperature	2,000K to 5,000K	3,000K	2,000K to 6,500K	2,700K
Output	800 lumens	700 lumens	360 to 600 lumens	800 lumens
Wattage	10	5	8.5	12
Watt Equivalence	60	40	40	60
Lifespan	20 years	23 years	15 years	23 years
Requires Hub	No	No	Yes	Yes
Dimmable	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Geofencing	No	No	Yes	No
Scheduling	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

 

MiPow Playbulb Rainbow

First, let us look at the MiPow Playbulb Rainbow, which is similar to Ilumi A19 in that it uses Bluetooth to connect to your smartphone, no integration features, and requires no hub.

The Mipow bulb is effectively $10 cheaper, but it has a rated brightness of only 700 lumens.  Even if the Mipow bulb is dimmer, it uses only half the wattage of Ilumi A19.

GE Link and Hue

If you have a smart home, or you are aiming for one, then you should consider the GE Link Connected LED or the Philips Hue Connected Bulb.  Both of these smart bulbs use Zigbee and Wi-Fi connectivity and may be integrated with Amazon Alexa.

Both also require a hub.  Between these two, you get a brighter bulb with GE Link, having a rated 800 lumens than the Philips Hue, which only has anywhere from 360 to 600 lumens.

The GE Link Connected actually has the same brightness as the Ilumi A19.  However, GE Link uses more electricity than Ilumi A19.

Over time, however, you get to save more with GE Link as it is estimated to last 23 years, same lifespan as the MiPow Playhub Rainbow, yet significantly more than Ilumi A19’s 20-year lifespan and Hue’s 15 years.

Out of all these smart bulbs, however, Philips Hue has the most integrations as it can work with IFTTT, Nest, Apple HomeKit, and Alexa.

What could be Better

The design of the Ilumi A19 Bluetooth Smart LED Light Bulb prevents it from spreading the light across the room.  Even with its rated output of 800 lumens, it looks a bit dim especially in bigger rooms.

It is perfect for small rooms, but you would need multiple several bulbs to adequately light bigger room and that could be a little costly.

The app is a bit clunky and it looks much cluttered.  There have been instances where there are noticeable lags.  What’s more disappointing is that the mobile app is not intuitive and easy to use.  It has a learning curve, especially for new users.

The mobile app also features a settings and support menu that does nothing except give you contact numbers and a link to the company’s store.

The music sync feature is a good feature, allowing you use your Ilumi A19 when you have a party.  However, while the bulb does pulse, it does not seem to be in tune with your music.

Lastly, Bluetooth has very limited range.  That means that you cannot adjust the bulbs when you are far from it.  The Ilumi A19 Bluetooth Smart LED Light Bulb also does not offer IFTTT integration, which severely limits its usefulness and functionality.

Final Take on the Ilumi A19 Bluetooth Smart LED

On its own, the Ilumi A19 Bluetooth Smart Bulb offers you a smart bulb that you can easily set up and install.

However, while it has the basic features you would want in a smart bulb: color changing, app control, convenience and energy saving features, it does not offer other benefits that would help it stand out in a growing market.

That includes its mobile app, which may prove to be a bit confusing at first.

The Ilumi A19 Smart Bulb loses more of its luster when compared to other light bulbs because of its shorter lifespan and double the wattage needed to power the MiPow Playbulb.

The GE Link Connected, which is the cheapest smart bulb mentioned in this review, goes for as low as under $15 and lasts 23 years while also integrating with Amazon Alexa.

Still, if you want to gain the benefits of a smart LED bulb and would not care about smart home integration and making the bulb work with other connected devices around your home, you can still find good value in the Ilumi A9 Smart Bulb.

Current Ilumi Pricing and Deals

• Individual LED: Available here.
• 2 Pack Bundle: Available here.
• 6 Pack Bundle: Available here.