LIFX Beam

“LIFX Beam” This intelligent, color-changing light bar collection is compatible with Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant. It is the third brand-new Lifx product to enter the market in the past two weeks.

What is LIFX Beam?

Smart bulbs often fall into one of two groups. There are convenient bulbs that you can operate easily with a remote, and there are more entertaining lamps that can even change color. You could argue that there is now a third kind of lighting thanks to the LIFX Beam: artistic lighting.
You can create a fancy light art installation by arranging the pattern-changing plastic LED strips on your wall using clips.

The LIFX Beam is a novel and innovative method to illuminate your house since it combines high-quality illumination with a top app and support for Amazon Alexa, Google House, and Apple HomeKit.

Pros:

Enticing and enjoyable lighting
Fantastic app control
Easy to set up

Cons:

Comparatively pricey
Few layout choices

Key Particulars:
Review Cost: $199
Changes in temperature and color
Kit comes with six Beams and one corner app for iOS and Android.

Supports Google Home, Apple Home, Amazon Echo, and Nest

Design by LIFX Beam

You receive six Beams, which are hard plastic strips, inside the box. Each one is 300 x 35 x 20 mm in size and has a single corner unit as well as power connectors on both ends.
The strips attach in a line when properly oriented since all of the power connectors are magnetic. You can arrange your lights in a T or L shape using the corner unit. Even though individual corners and lighting units weren’t available at the time of writing, each kit can accommodate up to eight Beams and two corners.
Each strip has some adhesive tape on the back, so you can mount the LIFX Beam kit to a wall. I strongly advise arranging your layout on the floor before you begin and testing out a few combinations before committing. Changes are simpler to implement this way.

Additionally, you receive a good length of cable: 2 meters from the controller to the beam and 50 centimeters from the plug to the controller.
The location of the power supply plug is another issue to watch out for. This only works with one end of a Beam and uses a magnetic connector. Plan your setup so that the power supply attaches to the lowest and least noticeable portion of your lights.
Be careful to avoid snagging and pulling the cord because the power connector’s grasp isn’t very strong. You can use the inline controller’s sticky pad to affix it to the wall for added security.
Additionally, you receive a good length of cable: 2 meters from the controller to the beam and 50 centimeters from the plug to the controller.
You may adjust the time for the lights to turn on or off by giving the Beam a long press; the time ranges from 10 seconds to 30 minutes. If you install the Beam in a bedroom, it becomes a unique nightlight because of this. The Beam’s illumination is a softer, more artistic style of light that enhances a space without being overpowering. You’ll still need conventional or smart light bulbs as a result.
LIFX has one of the best effect ranges of any smart light bulb, in addition to straightforward control. In its simplest form, you can arrange the Beam to show various colors throughout its length. You can “paint” colors wherever you wish along a vertical bar by selecting the Colors option. Finding the perfect mixture can be challenging because the layout of your Beams may not exactly match the bar you paint on. For instance, the right side of the bar controlled the cross-section, while the left side controlled the vertical portion of our “T” shape.
Even so, it’s a lot of fun, and it’s fascinating to watch the lights spread out as you paint. As an alternative, you can utilize the pre-installed Themes, which distort colors according to preset patterns. There are many options, and the themes have names like “dream,” “warming,” and “powerful” that evoke certain emotions.

Effect Section and Music Visualizer:

The Effects section comes in handy if you want to give your lights a little more dynamism. As a result, the lighting moves around the beam. One of the favorite features is Move, which gradually moves the Beam’s range of chosen colors. Additionally, there is a flicker for the atmosphere of a fireside, a spookily ghostly effect, and even a strobe (with a caution for epileptic patients).
Also cool is the Music Visualizer. This makes a disco out of your lights, changing color and intensity to accompany the beat using the microphone on your phone. Once your lights are at your preferred setting, you may store the settings in the app as a Theme. Day and Dusk modes are available, and themes can control numerous devices.
Introduced with the LIFX Mini bulbs, it modifies the color temperature and brightness of the lights during the day to correspond with the sun’s daily cycle. There are four sections to the day: wake up, day, evening, and night light. Each one has an on/off switch. Additionally, you can manually set each period’s start time. It’s unfortunate that there isn’t a choice to utilize more universal start times, like sunrise and sunset, given how the days alter with the seasons.

Apple Home, Google Assistant, and LIFX Beam

LIFX is compatible with all of the popular voice assistants. You have the same amount of control with both Google Home and Amazon Alexa.
You can adjust the brightness level, choose a color or temperature, and switch on or off the beam. Additionally, you may turn on or off any Scenes you’ve made, but neither smart assistant can handle built-in Themes or Effects.
With the Beam having its own special HomeKit code that you must scan, Apple Home functionality is available. All Beam sections are controlled by this, but each additional LIFX bulb must be added separately.
You may manage the basic Beam settings, including on or off, dim level, and color, via the Apple Home app. The software doesn’t offer a way to change the color temperature. Siri control functions well but is only able to set hard colors like green or blue, not color temperatures.

LIFX Beam is compatible with Nest, SmartThings, and IFTTT.

With built-in Actions, you may activate the Beam and choose a color in response to a trigger from another device thanks to full IFTTT integration. For instance, you may activate your Beam if your security camera picks up movement. Right now, SmartThings can only recognize colored bulbs, so it couldn’t find my Beam.

It’s wonderful to see the interaction with Nest. When linked, Nest may turn lights on and off at random while you’re away, flash your Beam in response to the Nest Protect alarm, and change lights on automatically when a camera detects motion.

Why purchase a LIFX Beam?

Though certainly not inexpensive, the LIFX Beam is a creative design. There is nothing quite like the aesthetic LIFX Beam, even though smart bulbs and standard LED strips may both provide you with practical lighting and adaptability for places like beneath cabinets.

The LIFX Beam gives you that extra freedom and looks great whether you want to employ decorative lighting around a TV or window or paint a highlight wall in color. When you want smart lighting to be prominent, the LIFX Beam is a terrific option. Add in a top-notch app with some very cool lighting options.

Summary:

The LIFX Beam, something quite distinct, elevates intelligent lighting to a new, more aesthetic level.

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Published On September 15, 2023

By Kosisochukwu Okeke