There are numerous options for HomeKit native lights that you can purchase to completely transform how your smart home functions. The problem for many people is that if you want to change your entire home from traditional lights to HomeKit lights, it can quickly get pricey. Options like Philips Hue are great, but they are more expensive. What if there was an option for a cheap bulb that worked great with HomeKit? That's what I found in the SYLVANIA SMART+ Bluetooth Soft White A19 LED Bulb. It is HomeKit compatible at a price not much higher than normal LED bulbs. HomeKit Weekly is a series focused on smart home accessories, automation tips and tricks, and everything related to Apple's smart home framework. Socket adapters versus smart bulbs? I get a lot of questions about determining which route to take to upgrade lights to become HomeKit compatible. We use a lot of lamps in our house, and I prefer them to ceiling lamps. For lamps, you can easily upgrade them with a HomeKit-compatible socket adapter. You simply connect the lamp and then the socket adapter into your socket. Socket adapters are especially useful if you prefer the warmth of the lamp you have now and simply want to 'freshen up' the lamp. If you want a faster overall experience, I'd probably lean towards HomeKit native lights, as these unlock additional options around dimming, adjusting the heat throughout the day, etc. Either way, you'll get a nice experience, but it's something to talk about to think about, depending on the setup you have at your location. Installation of SYLVANIA SMART+ Bluetooth LED Bulb Priced at around $10, the SYLVANIA SMART+ Bluetooth Soft White A19 LED Bulb is one of the most economical HomeKit bulbs on the market. However, there is a catch. The onboarding experience was a little more cumbersome than other HomeKit lights I've tried. It has the HomeKit code on it, so I scanned it in the Home app first and then immediately plugged it into a lamp to get power. The Home app tried to connect for a few minutes, but I eventually canceled it. I've tried this a few times with the same result. I then downloaded the SYLVANIA Smart Home app to try my luck. I plugged in the lamp, started the app and found it almost immediately. I was asked to upgrade the firmware and then told to choose your Smart Speaker. It would probably have to lean on the wording of the smart home ecosystem versus Smart Speaker, but I eventually found my way back to the Home app. I went to add an accessory, let the app scan the environment and found the lamp. I manually entered the HomeKit code on the bulb, which connected immediately. It's entirely possible I could have scanned it after upgrading the firmware, and it would have worked fine, but it was cumbersome. Did I finally find out? Yes, but I can imagine a less technically minded customer getting frustrated and sending it back for a return. Once it was connected to HomeKit, I didn't experience any problems. It turned on quickly and could be dimmed. What can you do with the SYLVANIA SMART+ Bluetooth Soft White A19 LED Bulb? Once you have the SYLVANIA SMART+ Bluetooth Soft White A19 LED Bulb in HomeKit, you can do a few things: Turn it on/off via Siri and a HomePod ("Hey Siri, turn on my office lights") Turn it off/on/dim in the Home app Use a HomeKit motion sensor to automatically turn on the light when it detects motion Use HomeKit automation to automatically turn it on/off at a specific time of day Wrap-up on SYLVANIA SMART+ Bluetooth Soft white A19 LED bulb Is the SYLVANIA SMART+ Bluetooth Soft White A19 LED Bulb the best HomeKit bulb? No, probably not. A clumsy onboarding caused some frustration. Is it the most affordable and incredible value? It is. It has a soft white color at 2700K and an output of 800 lumens (60 watt equivalent), which is ideal for pendant lights, fixtures, table lamps, floor lamps and more. I use it as a lamp on my desk lamp and I love the warmth of it. SYLVANIA claims it will last 13.7 years and only costs about $1.02 to run year-round. If you're looking to upgrade your entire house (or even entire rooms), getting an affordable HomeKit bulb at a low cost isn't a bad option. Please note that the onboarding experience is somewhat clunky. The SYLVANIA SMART+ Bluetooth Soft White A19 LED Bulb can be purchased from Amazon. FTC: We use monetized auto-affiliate links. More.