Cool StuffLIFX Wi-Fi Smart LED Multicolor Bulb A19 Review

LIFX Wi-Fi Smart LED Multicolor Bulb A19 Review

Nerd Much? might get a small share of the sale if you click links on this page, as we are a part of various other affiliate programs. For more, read our Editorial Standards.

**This review is of the latest LHA19E26UC10 model LIFX bulb.**

Having the lights turn on when you arrive home late at night, and having them shutoff when you leave the house is incredible. Having your living room lights flash a shade of Twitter blue when someone mentions you in a tweet — that’s cool. Having the lights automatically turn a shade of blueish white when Weather Underground says it’s about to snow — super cool. These are just a few basic things you can do with a LIFX Wi-Fi Smart LED Multicolor Bulb, and I’m just scratching the surface.Lifx Bulb Review

There’s always something about colored lights that amuses viewers; it’s a major reason why so many people drive around to look at Christmas lights this time of year, and why you’re starting to hear the name Phillips Hue thrown around more often these days. A lot of what makes LIFX’s multicolor LED bulbs so appealing is that certain element of coolness that comes along with glowing colorful lights, and LIFX’s colors are certainly cool. Color quality is top-notch, with colors shining as bright or as dull as you choose. Thanks to a colorwheel slider and brightness levels, finding the perfect color for what you’re trying to accomplish is super easy.

What makes the LIFX bulbs better than Philips Hue is that there is no Hub required. With Philips Hue bulbs, you also need to purchase the hub that has to be plugged in somewhere in your house for the lights to work. With LIFX, there is no hub; your devices connect to the bulb directly without a middle man.

With LIFX LED bulbs, you can choose from millions of colors and levels of brightness, and it also has an entire wheel dedicated to whites ranging from Ultra Warm (an almost tan hue) to Blue Ice (which has a snowy look to it). It’s incredibly helpful, as it allows you to always get the perfect amount of light for the amount of light already in the room.

LIFX Smart LED Bulb Review

In the LIFX app, there are various pre-made themes that can be chosen (or programmed to turn on at any given moment), including “Holly” (think Christmas), “Mellow” (a cool, low-key sunset-esque glow), “Exciting” (a bright pink), and so many more. Finally, there are preset “Effects” that you can add to these scenes (and any other colors you choose). Effects include “Spooky” (which flickers randomly/goes out as if it’s possessed by a ghost), “Flicker” (moves like a fire would), “Pastels” (it moves slowly between different pastel colors), and even a Strobe light (that you have to hold down to use). With all of these Themes, Effects, and Scenes you can create, the LIFX Multicolor Bulbs clearly have a plethora of options for coloring your home.

But the LIFX app is just a start for things you can do with a Wi-Fi connected LIFX bulb. You can set it up to use with Amazon’s Echo Dot, so that Alexa can control your lights with your voice. I’ll say things like “Alexa, trigger the lights” to turn them on/off or “Alexa, Set the Mood” to have it turn on not only the LIFX light to a cool red glow, but also play some music. When hooked up to IFTTT, there’s so much more it can do. As mentioned above, you can have the bulbs turn on and off when you leave the house. You can also connect them to other devices like the Logitech Harmony Hub or Logitech Pop to control with a remote. In fact, I have one of my Pops setup so that when I press it once, it’ll turn on the lights and the TV.

And even still, there’s more you can do with a Wi-Fi connected bulb that just makes your day a little brighter (pun intended). Every time someone mentions me in a Tweet, my LIFX Bulb will flash a light blue. Why? I don’t really know, but it’s just something that’s “cool” to me. Shrug.

In the end, I’m finding tons of fun (and even some practical) uses for a LIFX Wi-FI connected bulb, and if you’re thinking about going the LED route for your home, I’m thinking you should go ahead and splurge a little for the multicolored version. If you’re looking for a great Phillips Hue alternative, look no further than LIFX.

Buy it Here.

[irp posts=”73858″ name=”Smart Home Started Guide: 7 Essential Products to Start With”]

Join our mailing list

Bobby Bernstein
Bobby is the Co-Owner of Nerd Much?. He's the former Games Editor and current Shopping Editor at Heavy.com, former Editor in Chief of Den of Geek, and former bylines at HiConsumption, Slickdeals, Gamedeveloper.com, and more! He is also on Opencritic. He has been writing about nerdy stuff on the web for over 10 years. The best way to reach him is on Twitter.

Trending Now

Related Stories