How Do I Reconnect Smart Bulbs? Troubleshooting Guide

Smart bulbs are great when they work. When they don’t, they can lead to a lot of frustration. A common error that can occur with your smart bulb is that it loses connection with your app or hub. To fix this, you could try the following: 

There are several things you can try to reconnect your smart bulbs to their app. Check to see if your WiFi or Bluetooth is on and if your app is updated. Delete the bulb from the app and reconnect it. Turning your hub and/or your bulbs off and on again may help. Sometimes you must do a factory reset. 

There are many different things you can try when your smart bulb loses connection with your phone or hub. In this post, I have compiled a list of methods that have been successful in resetting smart lights. 

9 Ways To Reconnect Smart Bulbs

If your smart bulbs are not responding to prompts from your phone, you may have to reconnect them. Below are some methods you may want to try to get them to work again. 

Please take note that the following methods are not smart bulb brand specific. If you are unsure about whether or not a method will work for your bulbs, check your user manual first. Some methods may result in you having to reconnect all your light bulbs.

1. Check your WiFi and Bluetooth Connections 

• If your WiFi or Bluetooth connection is off, your smart bulbs will not work. Check this before uninstalling or resetting anything. 
• If your WiFi is off, fix that before trying anything else with your smart bulbs. 
• Also, check that your bulbs are connected via a 2.4GHz WiFi system. Most bulbs do not work on 5GHz WiFi. 

2. Check your power supply 

Remember, a smart light bulb will not turn on remotely if it does not have a power input (even when it’s not shining). Make sure that the wall switch to the smart bulb is turned on. 

3. Update your apps 

Make sure that you have the latest version of whichever app you are using to control your lights. If you don’t, update your app before uninstalling your lights. Then check if your smart light bulb is working. 

4. Check the environment in the room

Check if you have devices such as a Wi-Fi router, a cordless phone, a microwave, or a Bluetooth speaker near your bulb. These devices can cause interference. Try moving these devices further away from the bulb. 

5. Unlink the smart bulb from your app or hub 

• If your smart bulb is still listed on your app as a device, try deleting it from the app and then reconnecting it. 
• Take note that, in some cases, this will remove all the smart bulbs from the app. 
• For example, if you use C by GE smart bulbs on the Google Home app, removing one bulb from the app will remove all the bulbs. You will have to connect them all again. 

6. Reconnect the smart bulb to your app or hub

Each app will have slightly different instructions. But once you have removed a smart bulb from the app, you can install it again as you installed it initially. Sometimes just uninstalling and then reconnecting the bulb to the app is enough to make it work. 

7. Turn the hub off and on again

Switch off your hub for a few seconds and then turn it on again. See if your lights are working. 

8. Turn the bulb off and on again

• If your light bulb has lost connection to your phone app or hub, turn it off for 10 seconds. Turn it on again. Repeat this several times if necessary. This will reset your bulb to let you reconnect it to your hub or phone. 
• Most bulbs will flash if the reset is successful.
• Some light bulbs need to be turned on and off for a shorter time. For example, Belkin WeMo LEDs should be switched off for 1 second and then switched on for 3-4 seconds. This needs to be repeated two more times. 
• If the 10 seconds on and 10 seconds off method doesn’t work, refer to the bulb manual for specific times. 

9. Do a factory reset of your bulb

In some cases, unlinking bulbs from your app will automatically cause a factory reset. 

In other cases, you will have to hold a power button down for a specified time to reset the bulb. Check your bulb manual on how to do a factory reset. 

If you do a factory reset, you will lose any scenes and schedules you may have created for the bulb. You will have to create these again once you have reconnected the bulb to its app. 

Each brand of smart bulbs is different. Resetting a specific smart bulb depends on the brand and which app or hub it is connected to. Sometimes your specific home setup can also play a role. 

If none of the methods on the list above work, I suggest contacting the bulb manufacturer. If they cannot assist you in reconnecting your bulb, they may be able to replace it for you. 

The global Smart Lighting Market is estimated to reach USD 36.84 billion by 2026.

[Globe News Wire]

Can smart bulbs be used manually?

Smart bulbs can be used manually. Sometimes you lose the connection between your smart bulb and the app controlling it. You can still switch your light on and off at the wall switch. If the bulb is switched off at the wall it will not shine. But it also can’t be controlled remotely or scheduled. 

For a smart bulb to function as a smart device it needs to be connected to a constant power source. Otherwise, it cannot pick up a signal telling it to turn on or off. 

It must also be connected to a phone app or hub if you want to control it remotely. If you cannot reconnect your smart bulb to your phone or hub, you may have to replace it. 

How long does a smart light bulb last?

Smart light bulbs can last up to 25,000 hours. On average, they last 20,000 hours. If you leave the bulb on for 5 hours a day, it will last about 11 years. In comparison, incandescent light bulbs last from 750 to 2000 hours. Smart light bulbs thus last about 10 times longer than traditional bulbs. 

This is one of the greatest factors in support of buying smart light bulbs. They don’t need to be replaced as often as incandescent bulbs. 

Smart bulbs are also LED lights, which are much more energy-efficient than regular bulbs. 

If your smart light bulb stops working, you will have to replace it. You will also have to integrate it with your existing smart lights. 

How to integrate Existing LEDs and New Smart Lighting.

You can make existing LEDs smart by replacing a wall switch with a smart switch. The switch must be connected to an app. Existing LED lights can also be replaced with smart bulbs. A smart bulb can be screwed into a light fixture. When it is connected to an app, it can be controlled remotely. 

You can work towards smart lighting in your home by replacing old LED lights with smart light bulbs. Every time an old LED light breaks or stops working, a smart bulb can be installed. One room can thus have both regular and smart lights. 

I would avoid installing a mixture of smart bulbs and regular LEDs into a multiple bulb fixture. If you use a smart bulb together with a smart switch, you can run into some problems. 

Reconnecting Your Smart Lights After Installing New WiFi

I read of a case where a woman installed new WiFi in her home. She reconnected her hub to her new WiFi.

She struggled to reconnect some of her smart bulbs and smart plugs to the WiFi and left them. After a few days, her hub sought out the devices it had been connected to previously. 

Home Streamliner’s Take 

Sometimes, the problem can get sorted out in a few seconds. At other times, you will have to uninstall and reconnect every single smart bulb in your home. 

I recommend keeping a record of how often you have to reconnect your smart bulbs. If you have to do this more than a couple of times a month, you may want to consider buying other bulbs. Sometimes a bulb is just dysfunctional and there is nothing you can do about it. 

After all, these bulbs are meant to make your life more convenient!

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