HomeKit-Enabled SYLVANIA A19 Bulb Needs No Hub To Be Smart

Smart appliances and Internet of Things products are growing to be quite myriad, but they sometimes speak different languages that you need hubs to translate them. Not so LEDVANCE's SYLVANIA Smart Multicolor A19 LED bulb. Everything it needs to be smart is inside it already. All you need to do is screw it in, connect it to your iPhone or iPad, and magic the light shine. The magic is all in Apple's HomeKit app and platform.

Although somewhat late to the IoT party, Apple's HomeKit still has a chance to make it big in the smart home market thanks to the company's usual clout. It also has a distinct advantage over its rivals. With HomeKit-enabled devices, you won't need additional equipment like hubs to talk with them. Your iPhone is your hub.

HomeKit acts as the conductor that keeps all these HomeKit-enabled appliances, like this SYLVANIA A19 bulb, in harmony. With the HomeKit app installed on your iPhone, you are not only able to turn the lights on or off, you are also able to schedule those actions in advance.

Even better, you can ask Siri to do it for you. Thanks to direct HomeKit integration, turning the A19 on to a specific hue at a specific time is as simple as starting with "Hey, Siri". And it doesn't even have to be the iPhone either. HomeKit is also available on the Apple TV so you can orchestrate your light show from the comfort of your couch.

The SYLVANIA Smart Multicolor A19 bulb is sadly not available yet in the US. It will land on Amazon sometime in early 2017 with a still undisclosed price tag. It will, however, be just the opening salvo of LEDVANCE's HomeKit-enabled lighting solutions.