The Best Matter-compatible Recessed Lights

Although there are a plethora of Matter-enabled smart bulbs and switches available, sometimes the best solution is to replace fixtures like recessed lights. While they require a little more effort, installing a Matter recessed light provides a cleaner, more complete look, and of course, it will also unlock many smart home benefits.

In this guide, we'll cover the ins and outs of Matter-compatible recessed lighting and give you our top recommendations.

What are Matter Recessed Lights?

Matter-compatible recessed lights—also known as downlights—are the modern adaptation of the classic fixture that typically sits in vaulted ceilings. Aside from just simply casting light downward, Matter-compatible recessed lights add smart home controls and extras like dimming and fun colors to the mix.

The majority of Matter-compatible recessed lights are intended to replace existing in-ceiling cans or LED wafers, so some electrical know-how is required for installation. The process isn't too complicated as it is similar to installing a smart switch, but you should call a licensed electrician if you aren't comfortable handling your home's wiring.

There are some exceptions though. If your current fixture utilizes light bulbs, you can swap them out with an all-in-one Matter-compatible solution that screws right into the socket. This style of recessed lights not only saves time on installation, but they also give the appearance of a completely new fixture.

Speaking of saving time, Matter-compatible recessed lights simplify the smart home connection process—especially if they connect via Wi-Fi or Thread. As with adding a device to Google Home, Alexa, or Apple Home, pairing a Matter-recessed light takes just a few minutes as it only involves scanning a QR code and a few organizational steps to integrate it into your smart home.

What to Look For in Matter Recessed Lights

To ensure that you get your lighting project right the first time, we believe that the following areas are crucial when shopping around:

• Budget: Matter-compatible downlights can be expensive. However, you can score discounts by purchasing a multi-pack.
• Features: Max brightness, color capabilities, and connectivity are just some of the things to pay close attention to.
• Platform: Sticking with the same vendor for your lights usually leads to better results when it comes to scenes that involve colors.

The Top Matter-Compatible Recessed Lights

Whether you need a complete replacement or are looking for an easy-to-use retrofit solution, there's a Matter-compatible option for almost any need. Here are our top 4 picks.

Nanoleaf Essentials Smart Recessed Downlight

Nanoleaf's Essentials Smart Recessed Downlight is the first in-ceiling light to support Matter-over-Thread connectivity. Having Thread onboard enables ultra-fast responses to commands and greater reliability over other wireless protocols, but it does require a Border Router to take advantage of its benefits.

Moving over to specs, the 4-inch Nanoleaf downlight illuminates areas with a 110-degree beam angle and 700 lumens max brightness. It also features color capabilities with the ability to display over 16 million hues as well as a 1-100% dimming range making it an excellent overall choice.

Philips Hue Smart Retrofit Recessed Downlight

As its name suggests, the Philips Hue Retrofit Downlight replaces traditional recessed bulbs with a slick all-in-one design that you simply screw in. Once installed, it instantly brightens up spaces with up to 1,100 lumens of light and it also adds ambiance with millions of colors and shades of white.

Like Signify's other Hue products, the Retrofit Downlight connects to Matter courtesy of the Hue Smart Bridge. While it is an additional expense, it is well worth the investment as it serves as a rock-solid foundation for larger smart homes thanks to ZigBee mesh networking technology.

WiZ Connected Slim Color Smart Downlight

Another smart solution from Signify—the WiZ Connected Slim Color Downlight—offers performance similar to the Hue line just without the need for a hub. Instead of ZigBee, the WiZ downlight relies on 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi for its Matter connection, which means it's ready to pair right out of the box.

WiZ's super-slim downlight measures just 1/2-inch thick, but still manages to pack a punch at 1,000 lumens peak brightness. Plus, it sports full color-changing functionality, and even tunable whites so you can switch between warm and cool temperatures at any time.

GE Cync Reveal HD+ Wafer Smart LED Downlight

Available in 2,4, and 6 inches, the GE Cync Reveal Wafer Downlight lineup covers the most typical recessed lighting sizes. GE's Wi-Fi lights are all wet-rated too, allowing installation in places where others cannot go—such as bathrooms.

GE's recessed lights are plenty bright, with max output ranging from 760 all the way up to 1,300 lumens. And, regardless of size, each GE downlight includes Reveal technology which can render white color temperatures between 2,000-7,000k while also supporting millions of colors.

Brighten Up Your Smart Home With The Best Matter Recessed Lights

Instead of replacing your downlight bulbs the next time they go out, consider going with a Matter-compatible recessed light for a clean, integrated look. They don't just look good either, as Matter downlights provide a ton of useful benefits including dimming, adjustable colors, and of course, app and voice control through your favorite smart home ecosystem.