When I’m looking for smart bulbs, there are a few things that matter to me. Top of the list is ease of use, and then features like the ability to change colors, control the lights with my preferred smart home platforms, and overall value come into play. So, when offered the opportunity to test the Roku Smart Bulbs SE, I figured I’d give it a shot. I’m always looking for a better bulb.
My Favorite Things
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Very bright white
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Color changing and dimmable
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Easy to install
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Compatible with Roku Home, Google Home, and Amazon Alexa
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No hub required
Lifewire / Jerri Ledford
Key Features and Findings
I’ve never used a Roku smart home product before, and great entry point into smart home devices is lightbulbs. I’ve used a few of those in my time. The Roku smart bulbs looked like they could be useful since they’re compatible with my smart home setup, but I did notice as I unpacked them that they’re heavier than some other smart bulbs I’ve tested. Here are some other things I found while testing them:
- Ecosystem. Roku offers a few smart lighting choices—colored bulbs, white bulbs, and smart light strips. I only tried the colored bulbs, but it’s nice to know there are other products available if I need to add them to my setup.
- Matter Compatibility. The Matter standard is an important feature of smart home devices today. Matter compatibility means your smart home devices will work seamlessly with any smart home platform. Unfortunately, the Roku smart bulbs don’t work with Matter. Still, they’re compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Home, so you have some options.
- Connecting. Despite the lack of Matter compatibility, these bulbs were easy to connect. You have to download and install the Roku Smart Home app, which means you’ll also need a Roku account if you don’t already have one. Once the app is set up, it has a feature that I absolutely love—you can connect multiple devices at the same time. Getting two lightbulbs set up took minutes, and having the ability to do them both at once just made that whole process so much easier.
- Controls. Once the bulbs were installed and connected to Alexa and Google Home, I could use Alexa or ‘Hey Google’ to control the lights. Both voice assistants worked for turning the bulbs on and off, dimming them, and changing their colors. I didn’t try the Roku app on my TV to control them, but according to Roku, you can use that as well.
- Features: Roku claims the bulbs offer 16 million different color options. There wasn’t a color I wanted to try that wasn’t available. You use the color wheel to pick the desired color, or you can select from color scenes and color temperature scenes to fit your vibe.
Important Specs to Know
| Light Type | LED |
| Special Features | Color changing |
| Wattage | 12W |
| Lumens | 1100 |
| Size Options | A 19, Light strips |
| Indoor/Outdoor | Indoor |
| Smart Home Connectivity | Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Roku Home |
| Control Method | App / Voice |
| Matter Support | No |
| Average Lifespan | 25,000 Hours |
The Bottom Line
You might think a smart bulb is a smart bulb is a smart bulb, but that’s not necessarily true. One thing that makes the Roku bulbs stand out is the ability to connect multiple bulbs at one time. If you’re setting a room with smart lighting for the first time, this is a feature well worth having.
However, if you use a smart home platform other than Amazon’s Alexa or Google Home, these might not be the bulbs for you. Although, for the price ($14-18), they’re fairly affordable, so it might be worth giving the Roku app a try if you don’t mind having disparate home controls.
Overall, these are a good deal with some nice capabilities. They’re perfect for anyone just getting into smart home lighting to create the perfect home aesthetic.
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