I’m not gonna lie, I’ve been a fan of sensible bulbs for a number of years. Initially, I positively hesitated — I’ve at all times been somebody who didn’t actually see the purpose of going full “smart home” (as a result of do you actually want every part to be WiFi-enabled?) — however as soon as I attempted my first smart bulb, I used to be completely hooked.
Weirdly sufficient, my first foray into sensible lighting sucked. My companion bought a random model from Amazon, and the bulbs had been finicky, arduous to arrange, and barely produced any gentle. Nonetheless, it was apparent that there was potential there. We cherished the power to alter the lights to swimsuit our temper, however we rapidly realized that — in relation to sensible lighting — the model you select positively issues. So is LIFX a type of manufacturers? Right here’s what you could know.
What are LIFX sensible bulbs?
LIFX (pronounced LIFE-ex) presents a number of WiFi-enabled sensible lighting that rivals bigger, well-known manufacturers like Philips Hue. The corporate presents a complete vary of various bulb varieties: together with conventional, color-changing E26 bulbs — the type that slot in most “conventional” lighting fixtures — in addition to LED lightstrips, candle-style bulbs, and even their latest providing, LIFX Clean. Marketed as “a light-weight so sensible we taught it the right way to clear,” the LIFX Clear bulbs use high-energy seen gentle (also referred to as HEV) to scrub and disinfect surfaces on the click on of a button.
The LIFX lineup consists of color-changing bulbs, disinfecting bulbs, and extra.
Credit score: RJ Andersen / Mashable
First impressions
Right away, I have to be trustworthy — I’ve been utilizing LIFX lights for years. My companion and I ditched our first sensible bulbs for LIFX’s 1100 Lumen E26 bulbs, and we instantly fell in love. They’re extremely brilliant and the colours are incredible. They’re additionally simple to arrange — simply pop them within the fixture, obtain the LIFX app, and comply with the directions on the display to pair them
Even higher? They’re fairly beginner-friendly too. LIFX bulbs don’t require any type of hub or bridge to attach them to your WiFi, so that you don’t want to fret about buying extras so as to make them work in your home. Set up is fast and simple — probably the most bother I’ve had was making an attempt to stay certainly one of LIFX’s color-changing LED gentle strips to the again of my desk — and it’s performed and able to go inside minutes. I’ve seen some Amazon reviewers speak about problem with set up, however that hasn’t been my expertise.
The LIFX app is even higher than comparable apps that I’ve tried, which is spectacular to somebody who has a historical past of getting annoyed by poorly deliberate companion apps. I’ve used sensible lighting from MagicLight and Govee, and LIFX’s app is unquestionably my favourite. It’s simple to make use of, there’s a wide selection of various lighting themes to select from, and LIFX not too long ago added the power to “paint” your LED gentle strip to show a number of colours nonetheless you need, which was a characteristic I didn’t know I wanted.
The LIFX lights are appropriate with Apple’s HomeKit, Hey Google, and Amazon Alexa, although I discovered myself turning to the LIFX app greater than anything. HomeKit positively labored, and it was a easy setup — so long as you don’t throw away the packaging like I did, that means I needed to unscrew my LIFX bulbs to get the setup code off the aspect — however I appreciated LIFX’s coloration selector and scheduling instruments higher.
What I cherished about LIFX Lights
Past the final vibes of switching all of my conventional lightbulbs to LIFX’s color-changing sensible bulbs, I like the colour vibrancy that LIFX bulbs supply. Different sensible lights I’ve used are disappointingly dim while you swap to a enjoyable coloration, however the LIFX bulbs keep brilliant it doesn’t matter what coloration you select. Plus, they’re simple to put in, the app works properly, and so they’re comparatively inexpensive in comparison with different high-end sensible lighting choices in the marketplace.
What I didn’t love about LIFX Lights
Truthfully, not a lot. There are positively cheaper sensible lighting choices accessible in the marketplace, however the ones I attempted didn’t maintain up. I used to be dissatisfied to study that the corporate used to supply further types of lighting — like gentle panels that rivaled Nanoleaf’s Shapes — however they stopped providing these merchandise a number of years in the past to focus totally on sensible gentle bulbs. I might like to see extra selection of their product lineup sooner or later — I’ve held off on buying the Nanoleaf Shapes just because I don’t need to use two completely different sensible lighting apps — however that may not be within the playing cards for me.
I’ll say that the LIFX Clear Bulbs weren’t solely price it to me. The lights are cool, but it surely was arduous to say in the event that they had been actually doing what they declare to do. LIFX’s web site has a third-party report on the efficacy of the LIFX Clear HEV lights and their antibacterial properties, and — in line with that analysis — the lights have to be both very near the floor they’re disinfecting or left on for lengthy intervals of time (eight-plus hours) to be efficient, so it’s arduous to say in the event that they’re actually disinfecting my toilet.
“It does seem that some research present that HEV at sure wavelengths does have some disinfecting properties,” explains Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar and assistant professor on the John Hopkins University Center for Health Security. “[However]…I don’t suppose that routine disinfection of home items with all these units supplies a lot worth and isn’t one thing I typically advocate.”
Backside Line
Clearly, I’m a fan of LIFX’s sensible lighting. I’ve tried the LIFX Coloration E26, the LIFX Coloration BR30 (which is extra like a big, outside floodlight), the LIFX Clear, and the 40-inch Lightstrip…and I’m planning on shopping for extra sooner or later. Roughly half of the lightbulbs in my home have been transformed to LIFX bulbs, and — contemplating the usual E26 coloration bulb is round $15 cheaper than the Philips Hue — I’ve been capable of make the transition with out feeling like I’m spending an excessive amount of cash within the course of.
We’ve even used the LIFX app to place all of our lights on a schedule, that means our dwelling workplace lights activate when it’s time for us to go to work, our bed room lights flip to pink when it’s time for us to wind down, and the whole home “shuts off” at 11 p.m. if we’ve forgotten to show off any lights all through the day.
So would I like to recommend them to anybody seeking to tip-toe into sensible lighting? Completely. They’re beginner-friendly, handy, and supply unimaginable sensible lighting, which makes them a win in my guide.
UPDATE: Jan. 23, 2023, 2:03 p.m. EST Correction: This story has been up to date to appropriate Dr. Adalja’s first identify. It’s Amesh, not Amest.
