Having fast, reliable internet has become a necessity for most people. However, as more and more devices, such as smart lights, get connected to a single Wi-Fi network many worry their internet will slow down.
Smart lights use minimal data on a day-to-day basis. Every month, a smart light will only use about 3% of a gigabyte of data (about 30 megabytes). This isn’t likely to slow down internet speeds; however, the more smart lights that are used, the more data will be necessary for operation.
Although one smart light will not use excessive data, if multiple smart devices are run on one router, you may see a decrease in internet speeds. Learn more about smart lights data usage as well as ways to boost your bandwidth without unplugging any of your smart devices below!
Smart Lights Data Usage
Smart devices come in many different shapes and sizes. Smart lights make it easier to change the mood in a room with the ability to dim and switch colors without even standing up. Although smart lights can make life a bit easier, you may worry about how much data these devices will use in your home.
How much data a device uses depends on how many there are and how frequently they are used. Additionally, different brands will use different amounts of data each month.
While the amount will vary by device, all smart lights only use data when running system updates or completing commands. Other than these instances, smart lights use a minuscule amount of data to remain connected to the internet. You could have a dozen smart lights but if they never get used then they do not need any data.
On the other hand, if you use your smart lights multiple times a day their data usage may start to build up.
Regardless of how frequently you use your smart light, very little data will be used. One smart light bulb, with normal usage, uses only about 20 or 30 megabytes of data each month. That amounts to about one megabyte each day.
If you are only looking at putting smart lights in one room, there will be nothing to worry about. This means you can run your light bulbs without your Wi-Fi even flinching.
Bandwidth only becomes an issue when multiple smart devices are being run on a single Wi-Fi network, all at the same time. Smart devices include Amazon Alexas, Echo Dots, Google Homes, Smart Lights, and Smart Locks.
If 20 or more of these devices are all operating at the same time, your internet speed could slow. The larger your home is, or the more rooms you choose to put smart lights in, the more strain you will add to your bandwidth.
Remember that even if you have 20 or more smart devices connected to your internet, they are likely running at different times. However, as mentioned earlier, smart devices are constantly using a minuscule amount of data to remain connected to the internet.
Although this amount may be small for each device, the more devices you have connected to the internet, the larger the sum of data usage will be.
If your home has 20 or so smart lights connected to the Wi-Fi, typical monthly data usage will be about 500 megabytes or half of a gigabyte.
How does this compare to your standard monthly data usage? Although half a gig may sound like a lot of data usage, a family of four typically uses about 200 GB each month. With this in mind, half a gig is only a drop in the bucket.
How this affects your bandwidth will depend on your internet plan. If your current plan has no data caps then there is nothing to worry about; however, if your current internet situation has a fixed data limit then you may decide to use fewer smart devices.
If you have a Google Wi-Fi network or another mesh network, you should be able to see how much data each device uses. When your internet speed slows, you can use this feature to see where the most data is being used. Chances are it will not be from your smart light system.
How to Boost Bandwidth
If you find that your collection of smart devices have started to overuse your data, you may see a reduction in internet speeds. Luckily, there are ways to “boost your bandwidth” and produce faster speeds.
The easiest way to reduce bandwidth usage is to downsize your smart device fleet. If you have two Alexas in your bathroom, you may consider letting one of them go. If your network allows you to see device data usage, check to see which smart devices are using the most data and determine if they are still something you want to keep.
However, if you are not ready to part with any of your beloved devices–and I mean who is–there is still a solution to slow internet. Surprisingly, the solution to too many smart devices is to purchase ANOTHER smart device, a hub.
A hub is a smart device that connects to all of your smart devices, regardless of what they are. The hub controls all of the devices in a single app on your smartphone. Because all the devices are managed in one location, less data is used.
As mentioned earlier, 20 or so smart lights can use about 500 megabytes (half a gig) each month. However, when all the smart lights are connected to a hub, data usage can be reduced to about 300 megabytes each month.
Not only will using a hub improve your data usage and internet speeds, but it will also make it easier to manage all of your smart devices. Rather than opening several different apps to use them, each can be controlled from within the hub’s app.
You may already own a smart hub and not even know it yet. Alexas, Echos, Google Homes, and other smart assistants have the ability to become hubs. Simply connect all of your smart lights to your smart home assistant and you will see your data usage decrease.
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