I’m not going to lie. I have been a fan of smart light bulbs for several years now. Originally, I was definitely hesitant.smart home“(you TRUE Should everything be WiFi enabled?) — but when I first tried smart light bulbI was absolutely hooked.
Oddly enough, my first foray into smart lighting was terrible. My partner bought any brand from his Amazon, but the bulbs were cumbersome, difficult to set up, and barely lit. But it was clear that there was potential. I liked the ability to change the lights to suit my mood, but when it came to smart lighting, the brand of choice was immediately apparent. absolutely It is important. So is LIFX one of those brands? Here’s what you need to know.
What is a LIFX smart bulb?
LIFX (pronounced LIFE-ex) offers a selection of WiFi-enabled smart lighting that rivals big name brands like Philips Hue.The company offers a wide range of different types of bulbs: including traditional color changing E26 light bulb(opens in new window)(opens in new tab) — The kind that fits most “traditional” lighting fixtures — LED light strips, candle-style bulbs, and even modern products LIFX Clean(opens in new window)(opens in new tab)Marketed as “the smart light that taught you how to clean”, LIFX Clean bulbs use high-energy visible light (also known as HEV) to clean and disinfect surfaces with the click of a button. To do.
LIFX has a lineup of color changing balls and disinfecting balls.
Credit: RJ Andersen / Mashable
First impression
To be honest, I’ve been using LIFX lights for years. My partner and I ditched our first smart bulb for a 1100 lumen E26 bulb from LIFX and fell in love instantly. They are incredibly bright and the colors are amazing. Easy to set up. Just attach it to your fixture, download the LIFX app and follow the on-screen instructions to pair.
even better? They are pretty beginner friendly. LIFX bulbs don’t require hubs or bridges to connect to WiFi, so you don’t have to worry about buying extra for home use. Installation is quick and easy. The hardest part for me was trying to stick one of his LIFX color-changing LED light strips behind my desk. Installation is complete and ready to go in minutes. I’ve seen Amazon reviewers talk about how difficult it is to install, but that’s not my experience.
The LIFX app is even better than similar apps I’ve tried. This is impressive to anyone who has experienced the frustration of poorly planned companion apps. I’ve used MagicLight and Govee smart lighting, but LIFX’s app is definitely my favourite. It’s easy to use, has a wide variety of lighting themes to choose from, and LIFX recently added the ability to “paint” the LED light strips to display multiple colors as desired. .
LIFX lights are compatible with Apple’s HomeKit, Hey Google, and Amazon Alexa, but I found myself looking more towards the LIFX app than anything else. HomeKit worked reliably and was easy to set up—he had to unscrew a LIFX light bulb to get the config code out the side unless you threw away the package like I did—but I had a LIFX I like the color selector. Improved scheduling tools.
What I liked about LIFX Lights
beyond the ordinary vibe By switching out all the traditional bulbs for LIFX color-changing smart bulbs, we love the color vibrancy the LIFX bulbs offer. Other smart lights I’ve used get disappointingly dim when switched to a fun color, but the LIFX bulb stays bright no matter what color you choose. Plus, they’re easy to install, the app works well, and they’re relatively affordable compared to other high-end smart lighting options on the market.
What I didn’t like about LIFX Lights
Honestly, not much. There are certainly cheaper smart lighting options on the market, but the ones I tried didn’t hold up. shape of nanoleaf(opens in new window)(opens in new tab) — but they stopped offering these products a few years ago to focus primarily on smart light bulbs. I put off buying Nanoleaf Shapes just because I didn’t want to use two different smart lighting apps, but that might not be on the cards for me.
The LIFX Clean bulb just wasn’t worth it to me. The lights are cool, but I wasn’t sure if they really do what they claim to do. Third party report(opens in new window) For the effectiveness of the LIFX Clean HEV light and its antibacterial properties, and — according to the study — the light should be placed very close to the surface to be disinfected or left on for long periods of time (8 hours or more). I’m not sure if it really sanitizes my bathroom because it’s so effective.
“Some studies seem to indicate that certain wavelengths of HEV have some disinfecting properties.” Center for Health Security, Johns Hopkins University(opens in new window).[However]…I do not consider regular disinfection of household items with these types of instruments to be of much value and is not something I generally recommend. ”
Conclusion
Obviously, I’m a fan of LIFX’s smart lighting. I have a LIFX Color E26, a LIFX Color BR30 (similar to a large outdoor floodlight), a LIFX Clean, When A 40″ Lightstrip…will buy more in the future. About half of the bulbs in my house have been converted to his LIFX bulbs. Considering his standard E26 color bulb is about $15 cheaper than Philips Hue, I was able to make the transition without feeling overused. money on the way.
We used the LIFX app to schedule all the lights. So when it’s time to go to work, the lights in his home office turn on, and when it’s time to relax, the lights in his bedroom turn red. Also, if you forget to turn off the lights all day, the whole house will “turn off” at 11pm.
So would you recommend them to anyone looking to tiptoe into smart lighting? Absolutely. They’re beginner-friendly, convenient, and offer incredibly smart lighting.
