You’ve automated every bulb… except that one. Here’s how to finally add that stubborn fluorescent fixture to your smart home.

You’ve done it. You’ve replaced nearly every bulb in your home with a smart one. You can dim the living room for movie night with a word, and your bedroom lights gently wake you up in the morning. Everything is connected, seamless, and smart.

Except for that one light.

For so many of us, it’s the kitchen light. A relic from another era: the double-tube fluorescent fixture. It’s the last holdout in your otherwise brilliant smart home, and you’re starting to wonder if you’ll ever find a smart fluorescent light solution.

I’ve been there. You look online for smart tube-style bulbs and come up empty-handed. It can feel like a dead end, especially if you’re renting and can’t exactly call an electrician to rip out the fixture.

But don’t give up just yet. While “smart” fluorescent tubes aren’t really a thing, there are fantastic and simple ways to bring that old fixture into your automated world.

So, Why Can’t You Find a Smart Fluorescent Light Bulb?

Let’s get this out of the way first. The main reason you can’t find a smart fluorescent tube is that the technology is on its way out. Fluorescent lighting is being rapidly replaced by LED, which is more energy-efficient, longer-lasting, and offers better light quality.

Manufacturers are investing their smart technology R&D into the future, which is LED. Creating a complex smart bulb for a dying format just doesn’t make sense for them. So, instead of trying to make the bulb smart, we need to make the switch that controls it smart.

Your Best Options for a Renter-Friendly Smart Fluorescent Light

If you can’t change the fixture, your options are all about controlling the power going to it. Here are the best ways to do that, even if you’re in a rental.

1. The Smart Light Switch

This is, by far, the best and most seamless solution. A smart light switch replaces the boring old toggle on your wall. It connects to your Wi-Fi, allowing you to control the entire fixture—fluorescent tubes and all—through your phone or with voice commands via Alexa and Google Home.

The fixture itself doesn’t know it’s smart. It just knows when the switch tells it to turn on or off.

A Quick Note for Renters:
Installing a smart switch does involve turning off the breaker and swapping a few wires. It’s a simple 15-minute job for someone comfortable with basic wiring. However, because you’re in a rental, you absolutely should get permission from your landlord first. Frame it as a minor, reversible upgrade. Many landlords are fine with it, especially if you offer to leave it there or reinstall the old one when you move out.

There are tons of great options out there, but brands like TP-Link Kasa make reliable and affordable smart switches that are perfect for this.

Upgrade Your Bulbs Anyway: The Fluorescent to LED Conversion

While you’re at it, this is the perfect time to get rid of those flickering fluorescent tubes. You can replace them with “plug-and-play” LED tubes.

This is the easiest upgrade imaginable and a fantastic improvement for your quality of life.

• No humming or flickering: Just instant, quiet, high-quality light.
• Massive energy savings: LEDs use significantly less power than fluorescents, which is a nice little bonus for your electricity bill. The U.S. Department of Energy has great resources on the benefits of switching.
• Easy to install: You just buy LED tubes that are “ballast-compatible” (often called “Type A”). This means you don’t have to do any rewiring at all. You literally just pop the old fluorescent tubes out and pop the new LED tubes in. The whole process takes less than five minutes.

Combining new plug-and-play LED tubes with a smart switch gives you the ultimate solution: modern, efficient lighting that’s fully integrated into your smart home.

Putting It All Together for Your Smart Fluorescent Light Fixture

So, what’s the plan?

1. Ask for Permission: First, email your landlord and ask if you can install a smart light switch. Explain that it’s a minor, reversible upgrade.
2. Install the Switch: If you get the green light, pick up a smart switch and install it. Now, you officially have control over the fixture. You’ve solved the main problem!
3. Upgrade the Bulbs: Take five minutes to swap the old fluorescent tubes for new, ballast-compatible LED tubes. You’ll get better light, save energy, and eliminate that annoying hum.

And just like that, the last stubborn light in your home is finally part of the system. You can walk into your kitchen and say, “Hey Google, turn on the lights,” and for the first time, every single one will obey. Problem solved.