LifX, the hubless alternative to Philips Hue
4.12.2019
Translation: machine translated
LifX makes really nice smart LED lights that are really bright and offer a really nice light spectrum. I was only really annoyed about one thing: problems with the Wi-Fi connection.
They fit in the hand like a can of cola, are quite heavy and arouse curiosity. The LifX lights come in stylish round packaging, which doesn't promise the sky is the limit, but it does promise a lot. "Vivid colours and whites", for example. Or even "incredible colours and soft whites". Also still on sale would be "white daylight to amber evenings". As I can't make up my mind, I take them all with me to test them at home. I didn't yet have any lamps that can be integrated into the normal WLAN. Most of the lamps in our flat are equipped with Hue products from Philips.
Smart light sources have long been a dime a dozen. But once you have decided on a manufacturer and set up your lighting system, you generally remain loyal to it. Many end up with the market leader Philips Hue, set up the bridge and at most buy cheaper light sources from other brands that use the same Zigbee wireless standard and can therefore be easily integrated into the Hue world. In recent years, other manufacturers have focussed on products aimed at beginners. People who simply want to control a few lights remotely without spending a lot of money and installing additional devices.
At the beginning of the year, I tried out a few products from Eglo Connect, which network via Bluetooth and do not require internet access. It works really well and the range of functions is certainly sufficient for many people. The people at Philips seem to think so too, which is why the current Hue lights can now be controlled either via Bluetooth or the bridge. So this gap in the market has also been closed. Is it still worth looking beyond the lampshade and taking an interest in the products of other manufacturers? I think so. Especially when they are as stylish as the LifX lights. The obligatory test marks and notices are so close to the thread that nothing but the company logo catches the eye. I like the clean white colour and the heavy quality. And I have lamps in which the light bulb is visible.
LifX is not new on the market, on the contrary. Since a Kickstarter campaign in 2013, the hardware and software have been continuously improved. In addition to the in-house app, you can now also issue commands via Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit, Nest, IFTTT, SmartThings or Logitech Harmony. So there are plenty of options.
The setup
When you screw in a LifX LED and switch on the power, it lights up. That's already good. To control them remotely, you need to set up an account in the app and connect the lights to it. And there's a trap you can fall into. If you have a dual-band router, you need to make sure that you are on the "right" Wi-Fi network with your mobile or tablet. The right band for the LifX lights is 2.4 GHz. They can't do anything with 5 GHz. So far, my mobile has automatically connected to the stronger network. Sometimes to one, sometimes to the other. Since the connection is re-established several times during the LifX installation, this went wrong. Only since I banned my mobile from the 5 GHz band completely have I been able to reliably connect the lights to the app and control them remotely. When pairing, the app sends your Wi-Fi access data to the light bulb, then reconnects you to your Wi-Fi and carries out an update if necessary. This takes a while. In any case, too long to follow the strange advice in the app: "Hold on tight while we set up your new light and connect it to your wifi." I'd get bored. I also need my hands. Sometimes I get error messages, have to reset the light (switch it on and off five times) and try again. That diminishes my enthusiasm somewhat, because I'm quite taken with the look and feel of the LifX products.
The app
As tidy and functional as it is, you will quickly find your way around the app. As usual, you can name your light sources and assign them to rooms or groups. In the overview, you can see at a glance which lamps are currently switched on in which colour and how much they are dimmed. You can select the lighting mood using a rotating colour palette or a colour wheel. The connection is established quickly, even if the light source has been disconnected from the circuit for a short time. I don't notice any artificial pause, as was the case with the Eglo app. As I don't really like operating the light via the app, I use the automation function. I have placed the "Day & Dusk" mini light above the dining table, which promises me natural light that adapts to the course of the day.
The light
To get fit in the morning, you need daylight. Or at least a light that simulates this well. In the evening, warmer light stimulates the production of melatonin and gives us the necessary sleepiness. As for the morning, I have a critical tester. My four-year-old son complains almost every day that everything is too bright for him when he trudges out of bed and sits down at the table. This time he doesn't complain. He doesn't even notice that the lamp is slowly dimming up. And I enjoy the warm dim light that the LifX Mini "Day & Dusk" provides in the evening. I really like the spectrum. It could easily replace a light alarm clock, but with its 800 lumens it is also bright enough above the table.
The first experiences make me want more. I can still fit a GU10 spotlight in the corridor. The "downlight" is only to be used vertically. As promised, it delivers incredible colours, but is also incredibly large compared to a conventional spotlight and protrudes so far out of the lamp that it has no future in my home. I'd rather use a double pack of Hue white ambiance - it costs a similar amount to a colourful LifX spotlight and I can do without the play of colours in this application area.
I think the Mini is great. The spotlight does what it's supposed to, but for my purposes it's a flop - the most interesting variant remains. In purely visual terms, the large LED with its flattened head stands out. It looks a little as if it was designed to fit perfectly into the cylindrical packaging. Not to radiate the light evenly in all directions. I actually wanted to place it above the dining table. I think it has something. An unusual look and quite a lot of power with 1100 lumens.
For my son's sake, I prefer to try it out elsewhere and realise that it is worlds brighter than the Hue White and Hue White Ambiance, which usually light up my living room, at neutral white and 100 per cent. You can only get more smart light with an E27 thread with the Powerkugel from Eglo. Even if you don't like it so bright, it's nice to have reserves and be able to turn it up when needed. You won't get an unpleasantly bright surprise if the LED is disconnected from the power supply. It saves the previous settings.
To play with the colours and effects, I screw them into a different socket and sit in a dark corner. You can use the app to make it flicker like a candle or use it as disco lighting to accompany your music, as long as you give it access to the microphone and have your mobile close to the sound source. This is a simpler solution than with Philips, where you have to take a diversion via the desktop application with Hue Sync. However, it doesn't quite match the lighting effects of the Hue Play.
Despite this, from my subjective point of view in the dark, everything about LifX makes a very harmonious and high-quality impression. I also have no problems taking flicker-free photos. Even an older LED benchmark test came to the conclusion that flickering is probably not a topic with LifX.
I am impressed and eagerly reach for the last gadget: The LifX+, which also has an infrared mode. When this is switched on, the LED appears to be off. Night vision cameras show a different picture. There it clearly illuminates the scene and you can better see what your cat is up to at night or who has cleared out your home. I don't really have any use for it, but I want to try out the function. I'll dig an old baby monitor out of the cupboard that's equipped with a camera.
Spooky. It works. And the brightness of the invisible lamp can be adjusted to different levels. Of course, you can also switch it off completely. Although: I can't do it any more. From one moment to the next, all LifX lights are no longer accessible. Silence in the app. Nothing. Nada. It takes me a moment to realise that the baby monitor is to blame. It's interfering. And I suddenly look stupid with my super-smart lights.
Conclusion
The Wi-Fi connection is both the strength and Achilles heel of the system. If you have good coverage in all rooms at home, LifX is a great thing. They are absolutely high-quality light sources that can be integrated and controlled smoothly in many ways. I briefly tried it with the Google Assistant and it worked without any problems. The app is also well made. The system is easy and nice when everything works. But woe betide you if you have a source of interference somewhere and lose the connection. LifX says about this: "Place your LIFX lamp at least 8 metres (25 feet) away from microwave ovens, 2.4 GHz cordless phones or other sources of interference." I didn't have to move quite that far for it to work. And the lamp above the dining table didn't interfere with the microwave in the kitchen, which is nowhere near as far away. I reckon that in the vast majority of cases, LifX will run smoothly as long as your Wi-Fi is strong enough. If this limitation doesn't put you off, these smart lights are definitely worth considering.
Happiness is fleeting, so I keep moving. On the bike, on the ball (size and color do not matter) and in everything that comes from the imagination of two children. I love to live out my play instinct and give coincidences a chance.
