Your favorite smart lights: TP-Link is a Mashable Readers' Choice Award winner

The budget-friendly smart lights are a reader favorite.
 By 
Miller Kern
 on 
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TP-Link logo over a set of light bulbs
Credit: Ian Moore / Mashable Composite; TP-Link

Mashable's Readers' Choice Awards give you the chance to tell us about the products you use and love. With each survey you take, you're potentially securing a Readers' Choice Award for your favorite gadgets and gear.


In Mashable’s Smartest Home Readers’ Choice survey, we asked our readers about the smart home devices and gadgets they use. One of the easiest entry points into smart homes is smart lighting, thanks to its relative affordability and ease of use.

A winner among Mashable readers is TP-Link, a budget-friendly smart light brand.

Just a note: TP-Link has been under investigation for security vulnerabilities with its routers and predatory pricing.


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How Mashable readers rate TP-Link (Kasa)

Of all the smart light brands we asked about in our survey, only two were selected for a Readers’ Choice Award: Philips Hue and TP-Link. 

We asked readers to score their smart bulbs on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the best) on multiple factors, including lifetime of bulbs, routines and automation, and integration with smart assistants. Here’s how TP-Link (Kasa) fared compared to the competition. (Interact with the chart below by clicking the arrow buttons or using the dropdown menu.)

Testimony from TP-Link (Kasa) users

A couple of survey respondents mentioned that they have multiple TP-Link lights in their homes and businesses. One wrote, “We have our whole business lit up with Kasa plugs and light switches so we can control remotely as well as through Alexa. Really handy for when you have your hands full, or when you just got into bed and remember you forgot to turn off some lights. I can just tell Alexa to turn off all lights, and it is done without me getting out of bed.”

And another said, “I have a bunch of these bulbs throughout the interior and exterior of the house. The exterior ones had issues, but after upgrading to a mesh router, I haven't had any since. I can set them up for specific times, on and off at sunset/sunrise, and they have the ability to change colors. They integrate into my Google Home system without any problems.”

Compared to Philips Hue and other premium brands, TP-Link lights are more budget-friendly, with a four-pack of color-changing smart bulbs costing $26.99. On the cost, one reader said, “I had another brand before and found them so frustrating. I was glad to find these worked to my liking at a lower cost.”

TP-Link (Kasa) scored an 8.1 likelihood to recommend rating, and an even higher 8.6 overall satisfaction score.

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Miller Kern
Deputy Shopping Editor

Based in New York City, Miller Kern is the Deputy Editor of Shopping and Reviews at Mashable, where she writes and edits reviews, roundups, deals, and news stories about tech products, including headphones, skincare devices, laptops, sex toys, e-readers, robot vacuums, and more. She's been covering all things shopping and tech, including shopping holidays like Prime Day and Black Friday, for Mashable since 2019. Miller can tell you which products are actually worth your money. She also explores trends in the shopping sphere, such as dupes and viral TikTok moments.

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