TP-Link 60W Smart LED Light Bulb, 2-Pack

NOTE - Before I start this review I am going to say one important thing - these are IP enabled light bulbs that require a good WiFi network. If you have a standard home wireless router - particularly the low performance crap handed out by most ISP your performance may be hit or miss. These are probably the best smart bulbs available today - when we started looking at converting to a smart home configuration we bought an Echo and a few bulbs to try various configuration - Hue, Osram Lightify, Cree and GE - all of which require a hub. While this isn't bad, we have found that hubs tend to respond slower, particularly when there are a large number of lights, sensors etc. The TP-LINK bulbs require no hub, they are IP connected - meaning directly to your wireless network, not using Z-Wave or Zigbee protocols and you configure and control them using the Kasa app or with Echo / Echo dot. Yes they are a bit more expensive but they are much more responsive. The only downside is that TP-LINK as of yet does not offer a flood light bulb - we have a couple of flood lights and can lights that I am having to use zigbee protocol bulbs with a hub. A couple of things to keep in mind - you need a robust wireless network to ensure connectivity. I am currently using a Ubiquiti WiFi solution with four 802.11AC access points to provide coverage for 2800 sq. feet of house. Right now we have 28 TP-LINK bulbs, 8 TP-LINK smart plugs plus 3 Wemo Belkin smart plugs (which are essentially the same thing - IP enabled, no hub devices). Integration with Echo is fantastic, bulbs respond quickly and it's easy to dim remotely. We even have placed two of the bulbs in outside lights on either side of the front door and they work very well - no problems with connectivity (though your mileage may vary depending on the strength of your wifi connection). The bulbs aren't rated for outdoor, but these are under a porch and in containers so essentially weather proof. Update 1/19/2017 - Just a further update on a couple of items. 1. Several folks have stated that it is not possible to group bulbs by room using the Kasa app - not true. You can use the scene feature in the app to group bulbs by room and control them in groups. However, these bulbs are really intended to be used with Echo or Echo dot. Alexa controls them with ease. As stated before - make sure you have a robust functional wireless network - if you have wireless coverage issues you are going to have problems with the smart bulbs. Strongly recommend this product - just wish they made flood & can lights. Update 08/18/2017: I have been using these bulbs for several months, along with a few LFIX series bulbs (primarily flood lights since TP-Link does not make them). I haven't had any issues except for a bulb in one ceiling fan that would occasionally disconnect - and that problem was eventually traced to a faulty socket, not the bulb. My entire house has been converted to TP-LINK bulbs, a few smart plugs and a few LFIX bulbs, all Alexa controlled - zero issues. Lights can be grouped, or controlled individually. Going to emphasis here - if you are going to use more than a half-dozen bulbs, you need to have a robust wireless network. A simple SOHO wireless cable router you get from your ISP is not going to be sufficient - that is very often the issue who complain about bulbs disconnecting have. Either the router gets overwhelmed and drops connections, or simply there isn't sufficient signal to keep bulbs connected. You need to have at least -65bB of signal strength at the bulb's location. If you are going to create a smart home environment, your first investment should be in a robust wireless network. Personally, I have installed Ubiquiti wireless access points - 2 of their AC pro and 2 of there AC Lite, along 2 AC in-wall and an outdoor access point for the back yard. A smart home configuration - with multiple user devices (computers, phones, tablets, etc), plus internet of things devices (lights, appliances, alarm system, etc) can quickly add up to 150-200 devices - a SOHO wireless router can't handle that.