Overall and Final Verdict
So is the LB130 Smart Bulb from TP-LINK going to turn your house into the house of the future? Well, I think these bulbs have a lot of uses and I would love to have more installed around the house. This specific bulb though with the RGB is more of a special bulb for specific uses. Having RGB mixed in with the whole range of white light could be great in a kids room, for special theming especially during the holidays, and when programmed correctly it could be great for notifications or reminders. In most rooms, I would be looking for something simpler like the TP-LINK LB110 or the LB120 if you need to be able to tune the color temperature. That said I did really like this bulb. I had too much fun messing with people when they went into the office and I found the app really easy to use. All of the bulbs have a good form factor that fits in a normal light socket and being LED they can save you a lot of money. You can even track usage, imagine a time when your parents let yell at your for staying up too late because they can see your light was on longer last night. With Alexa and Google Home support integrated as well you can turn your controls to hands-free as well.
For the LB130 that I tested today, the price is also a concern. Frankly I would be all for having the RGB lighting in every room if it was priced similarly to the other bulbs. Even if I rarely need to use the colors. But this bulb is going to run you almost $50. The LB120 with its full color temperature selection is $35 and the other bulbs are $20 or $50 in a set of three. So for the same price, you can get three dimmable bulbs from TP-LINK and you still get the same app, same power savings, and same form factor. So yeah I think the time is here to start upgrading your lighting with smart bulbs but save the RGB option just for areas where you might need it unless you have the money to blow.
Live Pricing: HERE
