This is bulb meant to be seen, however, in part due to the shape, but also for the fact it uses LiFX’ own ‘Polychrome’ technology. This allows the bulb to display not just the now standard 16 million colours (it can offer billions apparently), but multiple colours at once. The specs state the T10 bulb has 104 individual LEDs with a massive 52 controllable zones. That’s insane for a light bulb! However, it’s just as well this bulb is meant for mood lighting, as it tops out at a mere 5.2W at full brightness, so this isn’t going to perform as well for decently lit areas.

As with all LiFX releases since it was obtained by US lighting company Feat Electric, this new bulb adopts the Matter standard, using Matter over WiFi for its method of connection/communication to you smart home. This means aside from a Matter Controller, no hub is required. Aside from supporting the four major Matter compatible platforms – Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings, it will also work with Home Assistant and even Razer Chroma for all the avid gamers out there.

Currently the bulb is available to purchase in the United States for US$39.98 at Home Depot. Whether it’ll come to other territories is not clear, although it does work with both 110~120V and 220~240V systems.

The post New Matter Enabled Tube Light from LiFX Now Available appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

Both are smart bulbs, but with considerably more brightness than you generally get with smart bulbs, with both the E26/A21  bulb and the PAR38 Floodlight both offering up to 1600lm. This is in addition to the company’s reputation for producing lighting with nicely saturated colours. The 1600 lumen output makes the A21 bulb the equivalent of a standard 100 watt bulb, with the PAR38 being a 150-Watt equivalent.

One thing to note is that whilst the A21 is a standard indoor light, the PAR38 can be used for indoor or outdoor use.

One thing that LiFX has taken onboard for a while after its resurgence, is the Matter standard, which makes their products compatible with all the major smart home ecosystems, even though they were compatible before this. The major difference is that the Matter lighting products no longer rely on a cloud connection to work with platforms like Google Home and Amazon Alexa, making everything local. This has always been the case with their products in Apple Home, although you would still have needed a cloud connection if you used the LiFX app, so this is great step forward, even if the company has opted for Matter over WiFi as opposed to Matter over Thread, presumably for wider adoption.

Currently in the US these two new products are only available at Home Depot outlets, priced at US$39.98 for the A21, and US$34.98 for the PAR38.

The post LiFX Release New Indoor and Outdoor Lights With Matter appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

The new outdoor lighting products comprise the LIFX Smart String Light, the LIFX Smart Round Path Light, the LIFX Smart Square Path Light, the LIFX Smart Neon Flex Light, and the LIFX Smart Spot Light, designed for outdoor spaces. The new outdoor products also feature compatibility with LIFX’s dynamic mobile app, accessible on iOS and Android platforms, allowing users to  craft outdoor lighting scenes. Once connected, users can make use of different colours and themes via the company’s own app, and synchronise effects on specific products, such as the Path and Spot.

“We believe that smart lighting should extend beyond indoor spaces, enriching outdoor environments and augmenting our interaction with our surroundings,” remarked Alan Feit, president of Feit Electric. “With our user-centric app and Matter-compatible ecosystem, our innovative outdoor lighting range from LIFX facilitates easier management and enhancement of outdoor living experiences this spring.”

Utilising Matter, the new universal smart home standard, these outdoor lights are compatible with Google Home, Amazon Alexa, Samsung SmartThings, and of course Apple Home. This comprehensive integration via Matter allows control of all devices through a single app, streamlining smart home management and eliminating the necessity for multiple apps.

LIFX’s complete range of outdoor lighting is exclusively available online and in stores nationwide at The Home Depot, commencing at the end of February 2024.

• LIFX Smart String Light,
  • Perfect for creating outdoor ambience, these weatherproof string lights provide customisable colours and effects to suit any occasion.
  • Specs: 7.3 metres long, 600 Lumens, Wi-Fi compatible (Matter compatibility coming soon), IP66 outdoor rating, available in-store or online at The Home Depot.

• LIFX Smart Round or Square Path Light
  • Illuminate pathways, walkways, and garden borders with these sleek and durable path lights. Both shape options include LIFX signature colour blending technology across six addressable colour-blending zones.
  • Round Path Light Specs: 10 inches high, 800 Lumens, Wi-Fi and Matter compatible, six addressable zones, IP66 outdoor rating, available in-store or online at The Home Depot.
  • Round Path Light Specs: 25.4 centimetres high, 800 Lumens, Wi-Fi and Matter compatible, six addressable zones, IP66 outdoor rating, available in-store or online at The Home Depot.

• LIFX Smart Neon Flex Light
  • Versatility and easy installation enable users to quickly create captivating lighting designs along paths, fences, garden beds or planters, steps, and outdoor seating. Users can combine two strands for up to 9.75 metres of effortless brightness and colour.
  • Specs: 4.9 metres long, 2150 Lumens, Wi-Fi and Matter compatible, IP67 outdoor rating, available in-store or online at The Home Depot.

• LIFX Smart Spotlight
  • These weather-resistant fixtures offer precise lighting control for stunning displays, highlighting architectural features, landscaping, or outdoor décor.
  • Specs: 1600 Lumens, Wi-Fi and Matter compatible, IP66 outdoor rating, available in-store or online at The Home Depot.

The post LiFX Introduces Outdoor Lighting Range w/ Matter appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

The lights themselves can provide both colour and warm to cool whites, covering 1500~9000K, with a CRI of 90, to provide close to realistic natural light.

What sets LIFX’s string lights apart from the competition, besides the larger size, is that each light actually contains three separately addressable LEDs (via the LIFX app), using the company’s own Polychrome technology. All parts of the string light package are designed for outdoor conditions, including the power supply, WiFi controller, and the lights themselves, of course. The power supply is 3.2m/10.5ft long which whilst not as long as it could be, can be connected to an outdoor wall socket if available. You can also connect up to three of these kits, extending the lights to nearly 22m/72ft.

As with pretty much all LIFX products, the string lights utilise 2.4GHz WiFi, so no hub or controller is required. Where the company stands on things like Matter and Thread is unclear, but they do still work with the three main platforms – Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, and Google Home – SmartThings isn’t mentioned.

The string lights are available to Australian customers via their own store now, at a launch offer price of AU$215.99 (RRP AU$269.99).

The post LIFX Release New String Lights for Australian Consumers appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

This is reportedly the first product released by the company since being bought out by Feit Electric, another lighting company based in the US, which also makes a small range of smart bulbs. This new downlight, in its currently available form, comes with a standard Australian Type I plug (with no ground pin), which you can also see used in China, New Zealand, and Argentina.

the lamp itself offers 800 lumens and offers both full colour and whites in the 1500~9000K range, which uses 6.5W, or the equivalent of 60 watts with a standard bulb. The bulb, as with almost all of the company’s output to date, uses 2.4GHz WiFi for connectivity and works with the usual ecosystems – Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and of course Apple HomeKit. It’s available in a single or double pack too.

There seems to be no word on whether this will see a release outside of Australia, and nothing on the subject of Matter for either this new light or indeed any of the company’s range of products, which also includes smart switches, so it’ll be interesting to see if the recent Feit buyout will pull the brand forward to the standard that is increasingly making its presence known.

The post New LIFX Downlight Released in Australia appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

Like the previous-gen smart switches, these new models also feature backlit buttons to more easily find them in the dark, although the former did also offer 3 and 4-switch versions, which were only really available in places like Australia and New Zealand.

The main difference to these switches compared to products from the likes of Lutron for example is that these switches can also be programmed to control other smart devices in your home, instead of the switches they’re wired up to, which also includes smart bulbs. The switches can also be made to control other home appliances, like ceiling or bathroom fans.

The LiFX Smart Switch is compatible with standard US switch recesses and will fit other standard faceplates, including multiple gang plates if you want to mix and match this with other switches. LiFX is currently taking preorders for the switches via their website, offering a 20% ‘early bird’ discount, which brings the price of these down from the MSRP of $49, down to just US$39. Further discounts are available via other bundles they offer. More information can be found via the LiFX website.

The post New LiFX Smart Switch Coming For US Market appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

Oddly enough, not only were there originally two versions of the LiFX Filament, when they were first announced but neither of the designs of the actual filaments resembles the final version that’s available for pre-order. As with all currently available HomeKit compatible filament style bulbs, from the likes of Hue, Sylvania/Osram, and Yeelight, the colour temperature is fixed, and in the case of the LiFX model, that’s set to 2000K (warm white). It has slightly fewer lumens than the Hue version, at 500lm to Hue’s 530lm, and uses 6w of power (equivalent to a 40w traditional bulb), but according to the specs, can be dimmed to as low as 1%, with Hue only managing 10% (in our tests). It’s suitable for 110-120v and 220-240v  AC at 50/60Hz, so it should work practically anywhere, and uses WiFi 2.4GHz as standard.

The list price in Australian dollars is AU$69.99 (which works out at roughly US$50), which is considerably more expensive than Hue’s option, although being that it uses WiFi, there’s no requirement for a hub.

If you’re in New Zealand or Australia, you can pre-order the light bulb from LiFX own site HERE.

The post LiFX Filament Available for Preorder in Australia appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

LIFX Clean

It’s called the LiFX Clean and it is exactly as it sounds; It is the “world’s first disinfecting anti-bacterial smart light” that is capable of disinfecting surfaces and surrounding air. LIFX has said that this new light will “launch an entirely new category of smart lighting”. Not only can the light illuminate a selected area or room of the house, but can also abolish harmful bacteria.

Design

The LiFX Clean will be an extension of the design of the current LiFX A19/A60 bulbs, thus offering a white and colour light that can be controlled with the LIFX app, as well as smart home assistants like Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and more importantly… Apple HomeKit.

Summary

In a letter addressed to the Australian Share Market, the following points were made about the LIFX Clean:

• LiFX Clean is a fully functional white + colour smart light that also uses germicidal antibacterial light to disinfect surfaces and surrounding air
• In a smart lighting world-first, by using 405 nanometre High Energy Visible (HEV) light that is safe for humans, pets and plants, LiFX Clean offers an effortless way to maximise the cleanliness of home environments
• LiFX Clean has passed efficacy testing in laboratory testing conducted by the Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology at Australia’s Swinburne University of Technology, as well as IEC and safety testing at UL Verification Services in Guangzhou
• Whilst LIFX Clean is currently in the testing queue for efficacy against the SARS-CoV-2 virus (which can cause the COVID-19 disease), no claim is currently being made that the product is effective in an antiviral capacity of any kind, including on SARS-CoV-2
• Priced at A$99.99 / US$69.99 / CA$79.99 / €69.99 / £59.99, LIFX Clean is an affordable and accessible new anti-bacterial product, providing broad access to consumers in a time of enormous demand for cleaning products. It is expected to be released to the market in calendar Q4.

Cost and Launch

The LiFX Clean will be sold as a standalone bulb and will be priced at $99.99 AUD and will be sold initially in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Europe. Further safety tests are required for the US and Canada due to different regulatory requirements. So whilst the LiFX Clean won’t be sold at launch in North America, it will be coming soon.

The LiFX Clean will be launched via pre-sales on Lifx.com and is expected to be available at retail locations in the fourth quarter of 2020.

The post LiFX Announce New ‘LiFX Clean’ – World’s First Antibacterial Smart Bulb appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

The launch of this new product reinforces the Company’s relationship with these large retailers which sought a smart light product that could be sold in large scale quantities but that was priced for affordability and whole-home deployments.

The LiFX White is fixed at warm white (2700K), and as it uses WiFi, there’s no requirement for a hub. It uses 8 watts at full brightness and has a full voltage range 0f 100-240v at 50/60Hz. It works, of course, with HomeKit, as well as Amazon Alexa, Google Home, SmartThings and even Cortana (why??). As the bulb is a budget product, you only get 650lm.

The odd thing about this ‘new’ product, however, is that the specs line up with a product they already sell at double the price, namely the LiFX Mini White. Aside from the 10mm difference in height, all other specs are pretty much the same, although the original LiFX Mini did come with 800lm, which has since been reduced to 650lm. You can read our review of the LiFX Mini White below;

LIFX Mini White Bulb (review)

The more attentive amongst you may also notice the new style packaging, which seems to take many of its design cues from the company’s latest version of their app, hailed by many as one of the best smart lighting apps available.

The post LiFX to Launch Budget Friendly White Bulb appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

Using a motion sensor, I was able to create a motion-activated night light that would turn on my light strip between the hours of 1 AM and 7:15 AM when a motion detector detected motion. Lighting up the room just enough for me to see but not so bright that I was blinded.

The best part of this Automation is that it can be created solely in the Apple Home app with a time condition. Of course, if you wanted to take it a step further you could use the Home+ or Eve app, but that is for another day.

To see how I achieved this simple automation, check out my video below:

The post Creating a Motion Activated Night Light appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.