Difficult to find the best smart lamps among all those offered on the market. This article will therefore help you see more clearly; without a bad pun.
Waking up to the sound of a howling alarm can be overwhelming; especially if you have to do it in complete darkness. That’s why some people have turned to smart health connected devices that mimic the arrival of daylight to gently wake up from sleep.
So-called sunrise or alarm clocks usually start with dim light. Then, they gradually light up until they reach full brightness in order to adapt to the circadian rhythms of your body. If you’re having trouble waking up, you probably still need an alarm. But the sunrise light should at least make it easier for you.
Smart alarm clocks, smart screens or simple smart health connected bedside lamps, we are going to take a quick look at all these little products.
Best smart lights: alarm clocks
Philips SmartSleep
Philips offers a whole range of sunrise alarm clocks, and the one that offers the most functionality is the SmartSleep smart health connected Sleep and Wake-Up Light.
The accompanying application allows you to program the times of sunrise and sunset and to set different alarms depending on the day of the week. You can also do it manually. But the app makes it much easier for you. You can use the app to record your sleeping and waking hours. The SmartSleep also offers several alarm sounds; as well as customizable sunrise themes and a red tinted light setting.
For a cheaper, more stripped-down option, consider Philips Wake-Up Light HF3520. It is not equipped with WiFi and therefore does not have an accompanying application; nor additional relaxation parameters of the SmartSleep. However, it still includes an adjustment of the light tinted in red; as well as similar sunrise and sunset functions and a decent range of alarm sounds.
Hatch Restore
If you have as much trouble falling asleep than waking up, consider the Hatch Restore. It offers a large number of sleep aid functions. It has Bluetooth and WiFi, which you can use to connect to a companion app. This app allows you to customize your sunrise and sunset routines. Also, this allows you to set different alarms depending on the day. In addition, the Hatch Restore offers several color lighting options, ranging from warm white to peach and raspberry.
As the name suggests, the Hatch Restore has several calming features that can help you fall asleep more easily. It has over 31 sleep sounds to block unwanted noise; as well as a library of over 50 meditations and eight sleep stories. The problem is, meditations and stories aren’t free. Hatch offers owners a free trial of the full library for six months. Then it costs $ 5 per month or $ 50 per year.
Best smart lights: screens
Lenovo smart clock
Almost all smart displays have some sort of sunrise alarm; especially those that are designed to sit on your nightstand. The Lenovo Smart Clock is one of our favorites; even if it does not have all the usual functions of smart screens, such as the ability to play videos.
It’s adorable, doesn’t take up much space, and is affordable. Plus, it comes with eight different clock faces and six alarm tones. You can hit the top of the device to take a nap or stop the alarm. When activated, the sunrise alarm gradually brightens the screen for 30 minutes before the scheduled time.
Since this is a device powered by Google, it also works with all the usual Google Assistant functions; like the five-day weather forecast or upcoming appointments.
It shows reminders of future events and offers to set alarms so you don’t miss them. You can use it to view your Google photos and it works with other health home automation devices that you may own; like Philips Hue lights or the Nest Hello video doorbell.
Google Nest Hub
As we mentioned, the Lenovo Smart Clock is more of a clock than a smart display. If you want a typical smart display, Google’s Nest Hub 2 is a much better choice.
It has all the features of the Lenovo Smart Clock and many more. The screen is crisp and colorful. Which makes it ideal for displaying photos and watching videos. The on-screen controls are also much more intuitive; with shortcuts to your smart health home devices and your favorite YouTube videos.
The Nest Hub sunrise alarm is also more customizable. You can make the screen light up gradually; like with a smart clock. But you can also make a soothing pre-alarm sound to play at the start of the sunrise alarm.
If you have smart lights installed, you can also make them light up gradually. Finally, you can set the sunrise alarm window between five and 30 minutes.
Amazon Echo Show 5
If you’re using other Amazon products, like Ring cameras or Alexa-powered microwaves, the Echo Show 5 might be a better choice.
The screen is bright and colorful. It has a sleek, clean design, and it can display photos just like the Nest Hub. It can also play videos from sources like Hulu and Amazon Prime Video. Then it has a built-in browser for surfing the web. Unlike the Nest Hub, the Echo Show 5 has a camera; which can be confusing if you don’t want a camera at your bedside. At the same time, it means that the Echo Show 5 is capable of making video calls.
The Echo Show 5 works well as an alarm clock, with multiple clock faces and the ability to tap the top of the screen to press the snooze key. There is also a sunrise alarm function, which slowly lights up the screen 15 minutes before the scheduled time.
Unfortunately, the Echo Show’s sunrise feature is a bit more limited than that of its rivals. Indeed, it only works when the alarm is set between 4 and 9 a.m. But if that’s fine with you and you’re an Alexa fan, the Echo Show 5 is quite an interesting product.
Casper glow
The Casper Glow is a unique lighting device that can be programmed via a companion app to light up at specific times; just like a sunrise clock… but there is no clock at all.
In addition, there are no speakers, so it also cannot play alarm sounds. Rather, it is a portable smart lamp. It can also be used as a reading light before bedtime.
Yet the Glow has several innovative features that set it apart. The Glow is very portable and can be easily held in one hand. To turn it on or off, just turn it over
You can rotate it clockwise or counterclockwise to adjust its brightness. At night, you just have to lift it and shake it so that it emits a soft glow. Bright enough light to guide you through a dark hallway.
If you have two Casper Glow lights, you can sync them to turn them on or off at the same time.
Glow is probably not a good choice if you need more than just bright light to wake you up. But if you already have an alarm clock, or if you prefer to use your phone for the alarm clock, the Glow could be a nice addition to your nightstand.
Best Philips Hue smart lights
Programmable smart lights like Philips Hue bulbs are another way to help you sleep and wake up a little easier. Plus, some white and colored mood lights offer color temperatures that mimic natural light, helping you sleep more naturally.
You can then set up routines in the companion app that slowly turn the lights on in the morning or gradually turn them off at night. Of course, Philips Hue bulbs can also be used in other lighting scenarios; you can ask them to turn on automatically at night or when you are not at health home.
Also, Hue bulbs are compatible with almost all smart assistants, so it’s as easy to turn lights on or off as it is to ask Google, Alexa, or Siri to do so.
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