Totally agree on the Wi-Fi thing—had a similar experience myself. A few months back, I grabbed some budget-friendly Wi-Fi bulbs thinking they'd be a quick upgrade. They worked fine at first, but every time my router hiccuped, I'd end up fumbling around in the dark trying to reset them. Got old pretty fast.
I've been curious about Zigbee bulbs too, but aren't they usually pricier? I've seen some decent deals pop up occasionally, but I'm still debating if the reliability is worth the extra cash. Also wondering if anyone's tried those Bluetooth mesh bulbs—supposedly no hub needed and less hassle than Wi-Fi. Might be a good middle ground for someone like me who's hesitant to invest in a full Zigbee setup...
I've messed around with Bluetooth mesh bulbs a bit, and honestly, they're kind of a mixed bag. On the plus side, setup is pretty straightforward—no hub needed, just pair them up and you're good to go. But the range can be iffy depending on your home's layout. I had one bulb in a lamp that was literally 10 feet away from my phone, but because there was a wall in between, it would randomly disconnect or lag when I tried to control it.
As for Zigbee bulbs, yeah, they're usually pricier upfront, but I've found them way more reliable in the long run. Once you bite the bullet and get a decent hub (doesn't have to be super expensive), adding bulbs is easy and they rarely drop connection. Plus, if your Wi-Fi goes down, your lights still work fine since Zigbee runs independently.
If you're hesitant about cost, maybe start small—grab a basic Zigbee starter kit on sale and test it out in one room first. That way you can see if it's worth expanding later without breaking the bank right away.
I've actually had pretty decent luck with Wi-Fi bulbs myself. Sure, they're dependent on your router, but if you've got solid coverage already, they're super affordable and setup's dead simple—no extra hardware. I get the appeal of Zigbee reliability, but for someone watching their budget closely, Wi-Fi bulbs can be a good middle ground. Been running mine for over a year now without major hiccups...maybe I'm just lucky with my home's layout?
Have you noticed any slowdowns when multiple bulbs are in use at once? I've tried Wi-Fi bulbs myself, and yeah, they're super easy to set up and cheap enough to experiment with... but when I loaded up my house with them (maybe went a bit overboard?), I started noticing occasional lag or bulbs randomly disconnecting. Could just be my router struggling with the load—I mean, it's not exactly top-of-the-line gear.
Anyway, ended up switching a few key areas over to Zigbee bulbs, and those have been rock-solid. Still keeping Wi-Fi bulbs in less-critical spots though, like closets and hallways. Curious if anyone else ran into similar issues or if I just need to finally upgrade my router...
I've definitely seen that happen, especially in larger homes or setups with lots of smart devices. Wi-Fi bulbs are convenient, sure, but the more devices you add, the more strain you put on your router. Even a decent router can struggle once you start hitting 20-30 Wi-Fi bulbs plus phones, tablets, streaming devices, and whatever else is hogging bandwidth.
Zigbee bulbs, on the other hand, build their own mesh network, so they're not competing directly for your Wi-Fi bandwidth. That's probably why they're working so much better for you. I've noticed the same thing on a few projects—clients who went all-in on Wi-Fi bulbs often regretted it pretty quickly. Switching to Zigbee or even Z-Wave in key areas made a huge difference.
But honestly, upgrading your router isn't a bad idea either. Most ISP-provided routers just aren't built to handle dozens of smart devices reliably. A solid mesh Wi-Fi system or a higher-end router can help stabilize things, even if you still keep a few Wi-Fi bulbs around.
