Lightify your smart home with Osram's new LEDs (pictures)

Osram's Lightify LED Starter Kit looks to compete with connected lighting kits from Philips, Belkin, and TCP. Click through to see how it stacks up.

The Lightify Starter Kit is pretty simple -- just one bulb and the plug-in Gateway that controls it. The bulb is color tunable, which means you'll be able to change the color temperature from a yellowy 2,700K to a bluish-white 6,500K or anything in between.

The Gateway communicates with the bulb using a built-in Zigbee radio, then translates that data into Wi-Fi and sends it along to your router. Since it has its own Wi-Fi radio, you won't need to connect it to your router -- just plug it into a spare socket.

Osram's app does a good job of walking you through the setup process.

You'll be able to control brightness and color temperature in the Osram app, and also schedule automated lighting changes.

You can add additional bulbs to your setup for a little over $30 a pop, or sync additional Lightify products with your system, including this color-changing Flex Strip.

Osram's Lightify products will work directly with WeMo, thanks to a partnership with Belkin. Belkin's WeMo Link is nearly identical to Osram's Gateway -- if you have one, you won't need the Gateway at all, and can control your Lightify LEDs through the WeMo app.

The Osram Lightify LED Starter Kit is available now for pre-order on Amazon, and will arrive at retail outlets like Lowe's by the end of March. It'll cost you $60 (roughly £40, or a little over AU$75). That makes it slightly more affordable to get started with than competing kits from Philips and Belkin. Does that make this smart kit a smart buy? Read the full review for the full story.