One of the fastest upgrades you can make to your home aesthetic is to change our your lightbulbs. Adding a smart bulb that changes color, dims, and responds to your voice can really set the right mood. But not all smart bulbs are created equally, so when I was given the opportunity to review the Linkind brand smart bulbs, I wanted to see how easy they are to use.

Key Features and Findings

I’ve used Linkind-branded smart home products in the past, so I’m not unfamiliar with the brand. I was curious, however, if the bulbs the company sent would be as easy to use and would work as well with my Amazon Alexa devices and Google Home. Here’s what I found:

1. Ecosystem. The first thing I noticed as I unpacked these smart home bulbs is that there isn’t just one type. The range of smart bulbs from Linkind covers everything from your standard A19 and A21 bulbs to BR30 (designed for canned lighting) and light strips. That means I could install a complete lighting package, using all the same brand. That’s a plus in my book because, over the years, I’ve gotten weary of having 15 different apps for products that all do the same thing.
2. Matter Compatibility. I don’t know if the Matter compatibility standard is something that’s stressed enough in smart home product reviews. Matter has made everything easier. To get a bulb connected—regardless of what type of bulb—was as simple as scanning a QR code or typing an alternative numerical code into the app, and it was connected. It really was that simple.
3. Connecting. One thing you need to know is that you’ll need an app to get these bulbs connected. I have the AiDot app; it works well with these Linkind bulbs (which are an AiDot brand). It took less than 10 minutes to get several bulbs connected and functioning in the AiDot app. Then, adding them to the Amazon Alexa app and Google Home app was just as easy, if a little redundant on Amazon’s part. I still had to scan the QR code a second time (in this case, I typed in the numeric code because the QR code is awkward for scanning once the bulbs are installed) to get them working with Alexa, but still super easy to do. In the case of Google Home, it was even easier. I scanned for the bulbs and added them to my home.
4. Controls. Once the bulbs were installed and connected to Alexa and Google Home, controlling them was easy. I use voice controls with Alexa or ‘Hey Google,’ and I control them using my television remote with the Google TV streamer. Commands I tried included turning the bulbs on and off, adjusting the brightness, and changing the color of the lights. It was so easy to change the aesthetic of my home with one simple voice command.
5. Features: These aren’t just white-colored bulbs. You can choose the color you want from a color wheel or use a variety of pre-set colors. There are also automations that change the color of your lights throughout the day and turn them on or off at a specific time. I’ve found this helpful when getting up in the morning. Another cool feature is the ability to sync the lights with music from your device. I found this especially helpful when entertaining or trying to get someone’s attention.

Important Specs to Know