Hive Lights Dimmable B22 Bayonet Smart Bulb, Works with Amazon Alexa, 9 W, White, Energy Efficient, F

If you are happy with the Hive ecosystem, then these bulbs are excellent. You don't need to have Hive heating (I don't), but if you haven't got that installed you do need to buy the Hive Hub for the Active Lights to work - have a look at some of the "starter packs" for best value on this. These bulbs are really easy to set up, and once connected to the Hive Hub they can be voice-controlled via Alexa through your Echo or Echo dot. This actually provides a bit more functionality than the Hive smartphone app, as with Alexa you can group bulbs together. In my setup I have 3 uplighters in the lounge, all grouped under one voice action. Similarly, the landing and hallway lights can be controlled individually using the names "hallway" and "landing" but I've also grouped them into one called "stairs". You can therefore simply say "Alexa, stairs on" to turn on both at the same time. I've also grouped every bulb in the house into the group "house" so when you leave home you can say "Alexa, house off" to turn everything off. The lights can also be used with IFTTT to allow even more flexibility - although at the moment, IFTTT triggers can only turn individual lights on or off. Using the Hive smartphone app you can set up schedules for each individual bulb which is very useful when you are away to make the place look occupied, and these timings persist even if you make manual changes until the next timer period. If you don't have an Echo then the control method is via the app, with a simple graphical control for on/off and dimming. There isn't too much flexibility in terms of grouping the bulbs at the moment, though - however given that you can add window/door and motion detectors you can get creative with triggers. The bulbs themselves are solidly made and have a quality feel about them. The light they produce is a pleasant warm white, and they are nice and bright when on full. They can be dimmed in increments of 5%.

My purpose for buying a smart bulb for the lounge was two fold; to be able to turn it off from the sofa (I often find myself far too comfy to want to get up) and to be able to dim it (a much easier solution for me than fitting a dimmer switch). I'm not particularly interested in the other aspects (such as schedules) and I didn't feel there was much use for having multiple colours, hence why I went for the standard bulb. For the lounge or bedroom I think this bulb is just fine, as the warm white is the colour I personally think is best for a room you want to feel homely, however for the kitchen or bathroom I'd probably go for the slightly more expensive bulb that can do bright white light. Setting up the bulb was very straight forward (worth noting I already had the hub setup with the Hive heating). I simply fitted the bulb (as you would a normal bulb) and hit a button on the app to search for new devices. Within a minute it had found the device, I named it accordingly and it was good to go. At full brightness the bulb is more than sufficient for properly lighting a room (even with a light shade) and the dimming works just as expected, with intervals of 10% to choose from (100% - 10%, 5% & off). I haven't personally performed any scheduling with the bulbs so I can't say for sure how well that works, however the interface for setting them up is nothing to complain about. In my setup I do find there is around a one or two second delay for changes I submit via the app to actually happen with the bulb which isn't a problem by any means, but it would be nice if it were a bit smoother. Any visitors in your home who cannot control the bulb via your phone can still turn the light on/off via the light switch (It will come on at full brightness when done via the light switch), however note that if the light switch is off, the bulb cannot be controlled via the Hive app -- the switch must be turned on. However, if this does happen, the Hive app wil quickly pick up that the bulb is back online after you flip the switch. Overall the bulb does exactly what i bought for it without issue and it was certainly worth what I paid for it (~£13 in the sale). I won't be getting thse bulbs to scatter all round the house just yet -- Maybe if Hive release a light switch that controls the Hive bulbs that fits over existing light switches I'd be more interested in putting Hive bulbs everywhere (similar to what Philips Hue have). For now, I'll just be sticking with the one.

These lights are great. You can dim them or brighten them from the touch of your hive app. Linking them to the app is also a doddle, it takes seconds. My favourite way to use them is away from home, such as leaving work, you can turn them on from your phone as a security feature. All in all, if you have hive, they are great.

REVIEW COVERS THE HIVE BULBS *AND* ACTIVE PLUGS If you already have the Hive system installed at home, these bulbs and plugs are a good addition, but if you don't have Hive these aren't for you. BULBS They are the same size as "normal" light bulbs and come in bayonet and screw fittings, so make sure you choose the correct ones for your lamps. The bulbs are made of a plastic material rather than glass so they're lightweight, and are fitted in the same way as you'd fit a standard bulb. You can obviously use them in table lamps, wall lights, ceiling lights etc. but they can only be used indoors according to the instructions. I have mine in coach-style lanterns in an enclosed porch. Once installed, turn the power on and the bulb will flash as it searches for your Hive hub. Open the Hive app or website and hit Install Devices, select Add Another Device, and the system will search for new devices. Your bulb will appear after a few seconds. You can rename the bulb if you wish, for example I could name mine "porch", and then in your Hive dashboard you can click the bulb to turn it on or off, as you can with your central heating, and you can also select a brightness setting as the bulbs are dimmable. The bulb operation can also be scheduled, and within the schedules you can also set a brightness level. They're great in our porch as we can now have the bulbs automatically switching on in the evening, off at around midnight, and if we go out in the evening and are coming back late we can turn the lights on via the app so the driveway is illuminated. One slight niggle is that there is no way to manually operate the bulbs without using the app. If for example you want to use them in a bedside lamp you will have to turn the lamp on and off via the app, as if you turn the lamp off via its power switch the bulbs will apparently "unpair" with Hive (according to comments I've read online, where people have said that after power cuts the bulbs just come back in "on" status as soon as the power returns), so in future a manual operation button or similar would be handy. Yes they're expensive, but as the bulbs use LEDs (they light up straight away - no slow warm-up) they will last for a long time. All in all we're pretty pleased with the bulbs, but I wish they made them in different sizes and shapes as well, eg candle style. PLUGS These are essentially the same kind of thing as regular time plugs but in this case they're controlled via Hive. Pairing is the same process as with the bulbs as described above, and is very simple. To use, simply plug your device - we use a few table lamps with ours - into the front of the Hive plug, turn the device on, and the schedule you set via Hive will turn the device on and off. As with other Hive products, you can manually override the schedule via the app or website, so if I wake up very early for work one morning and want to make a cup of tea, I can turn the kitchen lamp on via the Hive app rather than blunder downstairs in the dark and fumble around for the light switch. In addition, the top of the plug has a large, flat button which you can press to manually override the schedule from the plug itself, which is very convenient. Easier to schedule than time plugs and easier to operate, these have been a boon for us. We think they're great.

I had British Gas install Hive when I moved into my new home. The heating was great to use, so I decided to add lights. I now have six Hive smart light bulbs and some have been installed a year, whilst others just a matter of weeks. Before I go any further with this review, I just want to make this very clear, unless you have a Hive hub (usually installed when you have Hive heating installed - but available separately), you cannot work the light bulbs, they cannot function in isolation. The same is true of many other makes of smart light bulbs, they need their respective hubs to function, so if you do not have Hive, or are not thinking of having it installed, this is not the light bulb for you. They appear just like normal light bulbs, you switch them on & off with the wall switch. What makes them smart, is their features beyond that. You can program them to switch on/off on a routine whilst on holiday (Mimic - in the app), to provide an impression that the premises are occupied. You can switch them on/off remotely via the app if you are at home, or away from home. The two bulbs in my livingroom are on the same switch, so both come on at the same time. We wanted individual control, so we switch the lights on, then turn one off or down in the app. This stops glare on the TV, but allows the room to be lit perfectly well for evening TV viewing. The bulbs are dimmable and I initially thought that this was because they were intended for use with a dimmer switch. This is not the case, they cannot be used with a dimmer switch, they flicker and make noise when dimmed with a dimmer switch. I had the switch replaced for a conventional one and the bulbs work perfectly and can be dimmed via the app. Hive can be linked to Alexa and the bulbs can be controlled using your voice, such as "Alexa, Study light to 50%". This is great, but make sure you give your bulbs meaningful names as you add each one in the Hive app, or you will be trying to recall which room "Bulb2" is in! You can also control the bulbs via the Alexa app and include them in routines, which allows great Alexa integration. My review revolves around my personal experience with Hive bulbs. I have had the bulbs a year, so I have only given 4 stars for durability, as I cannot tell how long they will last. I hope they will perform well for many years to come and will be deserving of 5 stars for durability.

I have installed the Hive lighting eco system in my grandmothers house to help her with her mobility issues - she struggles turning on and off standard light switches. She has had these lights in her lounge, which she controls via Alexa for around a year, she asked me to instal them in the rest of her home so i ordered her come more. Installation of these bulbs requires a hive hub, but once you have that you can add more and more smart lightbulbs. The bulbs are standard bayonet fittings so very easy to instal in her pendant light sockets. Configuration of the bulbs with the hive app and Alexa again is very straight forward. They offer a nice brightness and enable my nan to voice control them. They are also dimmable and this can be done by voice also, ie 'Alexa, turn lounge to 50%'. I hope that you found my review helpful.

This light is very good. I have 7 in and outside the house - They work great. Easy to set up and easy to operate. They can work on manual intervention or work on schedules, even actions. The actions I use for the outside lights is to come on at sunset and go off at sunrise. You have to have the Hive app for them to work as intended.

These lights work better than i thought they would, although quite expencive they are definately worth the money. I bought 2 of these lights and have had no problems with them at all. They are very easy to install as they are the exact same fitting as standard lights so take less than a minute to install, the only downside to these is you need the Hive Hub to be able to use them which is also quite expencive, i already had a hub as i had the hive heating installed for free when i got my boiler replaced. The Hive app is good and easy to use, can switch these lights on and off even when not at home, or i can even dim them if i dont want them on fully. The light brightness can be set at 11 different settings, between 5% and 100% brightness. I would recommend this product