Gabe Turner: Hey, folks.
This is Gabe at Security Baron.
Today, I'm going to shed some light on the LIFX smart bulb.
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Gabe: I'm excited to check out the super bright 1100 lumen LIFX smart bulb.
In today's review, I'm going to look at its design, features set, installation experience,
before finally delving into that mobile application, the LIFX app, to make sure you have all the
information you need to make the right decision.
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Gabe: If you'd like to see a list of our favorite smart bulbs, google "Security Baron best smart
bulbs."
If you have a question about today's review, leave us a comment.
I'll get back to you.
Let's kick off today's review of the LIFX smart bulb by checking out its design.
The first thing you'll notice is your typical white aesthetic.
Looks pretty much like any other bulb with this A19 approximate sizing.
You'll note that, despite the fact that it is hardier and weightier than many other bulbs
out there, it will still fit into any lamp base size of E26.
It's ready to go.
With that weightiness, you actually have the hubless design.
You don't need a bridge.
You don't need a hub.
Everything to connect this to the WiFi and your mobile application is built directly
in.
Overall, I'm a fan of the LIFX smart bulb, and I'm excited to see what all it's capable
of.
Now that we got over the design for the LIFX smart bulb, let's talk about its feature set.
You can control the smart bulb remotely using your phone, changing the colors, turning it
off and on.
You can also do that with your voice.
It has integrations with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Microsoft Cortana and Apple HomeKit.
You have that capacity right inside of your home.
On top of that, it actually integrates with Smart Home and Smart Home Security products.
If you're worried about your CO2 or smoke alarm, you can have the LIFX bulb flash red.
It'll alert you to any issues going on inside of your home.
If that's not enough for you, you can still set up scenes within the app that actually
work your LIFX bulbs in conjunction with one another to set any particular scene that you'd
like to see.
You can set up a schedule.
If you want a visual reminder to go to sleep every night at 10:30, you can just have it
set up where your LIFX bulb would just go out.
Overall, you have a lot of functionality with the LIFX smart bulbs.
[background music]
Gabe: Whoa, hold on.
I really hope you are enjoying today's review of the LIFX smart bulb.
If you want to be kept up to date on the newest in smart bulbs, smart plugs, and smart home
security, subscribe to the Security Baron YouTube channel.
We are dropping new content weekly.
Let's get back to the video.
Let's talk about the installation experience with your LIFX smart bulb.
Take it out of the box and make sure your lamp is turned off, and screw it in.
You'll screw in your LIFX smart bulb and at this point you want to make sure that you
have the mobile app downloaded on your device.
You'll take out your device, you will begin the "Add device" process once you've launched
the mobile app.
Now, when you see "Add device" you'll then have to go into your WiFi settings and connect
to the little WiFi connection that's been created in the bulb itself.
From there, you'll return to the app and it will walk you through the remaining parts
of the setup process.
It's pretty straightforward.
You'll connect your bulb to your home's WiFi.
You'll name your bulb, and you'll be ready to go.
The process is easy, straightforward, and can be done within minutes.
The final element we want to dive into today in our review of the LIFX smart bulb is its
mobile application, the LIFX app.
Here you're going to be interfacing with your device.
You'll view and control the bulb.
You'll set up your scenes and schedules, and you generally want this to be a consistent
and intuitive process.
When it comes to Android users it has a 3.3 out of 5 stars in the Google Play Store, but
it's not doing as well with iPhone users where it has a 2.5 out of 5 stars in the Apple App
store.
Let's go ahead and check it out for ourselves on my iPhone 10.
Here I am checking out the LIFX app with my LIFX smart bulb, and you'll note right off
the bat that there's a lot going on, on that home page.
You've got lights, groups, scenes, schedules, and integrations.
Let's start out by just checking out the light itself.
If I click and light, you'll note that I have a few options.
I have color.
I can control the saturation of that color right here by going up and down.
I can change the brightness.
You'll note that right now, it's at 100 percent.
I can switch the brightness all the way down.
Now, it's at 50 percent, 30 percent, all the way to turning off the light just by working
with brightness.
Now, if I turn this color wheel, I can change the colors.
You'll see it can go all the way to green, take green to blue, take blue to purple, take
purple to red.
It's pretty straight forward.
Now, if I move over to the right, I can change the temperature.
You have the ability to go from 2,500 Kelvins all the way up to 9,000 right in the app.
Here, you can change the brightness as well.
Now, I'm switching the brightness up right there in the app.
Let's go back to that home page and have a look at some of the other options.
Now, you have groups for groups of lights and scenes, but you can also set up schedules.
If you note here I've already set up two schedules, one for waking up and one for going to sleep,
but let's set up a new one.
Let's call it, "The Soccer Schedule."
The new schedule is for me to wake up and watch soccer every Saturday, Sunday.
I like to watch the Premier League.
You need to be up around 7:00, typically, to start watching those matches.
7:00 AM, 7:00 to 2:00, repeat every Saturday and Sunday.
I want the power to turn on.
Voila.
Hit "Save."
Now, my soccer schedule is saved.
Overall, that is a really impressive feature to have and to be able to set up.
We can go and check out some of the other ones.
I can look at the effects, so I can make a strobe light.
I won't actually do that to you right now.
I can have strobe lights.
I can have the colors cycle, where it actually will change color every second.
I can change that from 1 second up to 20 seconds where it's going to cycle through various
colors.
I can have it flicker, so the light flickers on and off.
There's a host of different options right inside of your mobile application.
Now, if I go back to that initial page, I can hit "Settings" in the upper left-hand
corner, check out my favorites, look at HomeKit, update my firmware, setup my notifications,
contact support.
Overall, you'll note there's a lot you can do in the mobile app.
Let's go ahead and check out its smart home integrations, like Amazon Alexa and Google
Assistant.
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Gabe: I, maybe like you, look at my phone entirely too much and have definitely done
so today and probably every day.
Let's go ahead and get rid of it because with my LIFX Smart Bulb I can just use voice control
with the many smart platform integrations.
I can just say, "Hey, Google, change my LIFX light to the color blue."
[pause]
Google: OK.
Changing the LIFX light to blue.
Gabe: Here I am, not really changed the mood.
Let's take it a step further.
"Hey, Google, change the brightness on my LIFX Light to 50 percent.
[pause]
Google: Sure, changing the LIFX light brightness to 50 percent.
Gabe: Maybe that's a little too cool.
Maybe I wanted kick it back up so I'll go ahead and say, "Hey, Google, change the LIFX
light brightness to 100 percent."
[pause]
Google: Sure, changing the LIFX light brightness to 100 percent.
Gabe: There you have it, me just checking out some of the many home integrations you
can get with voice control on the LIFX Smart Bulb.
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Gabe: We've gone over many of the features of the LIFX Smart Bulb.
Now you want me to use my brilliance to enlighten you on this particular device.
I'll say this, one thing that the LIFX has that the other bulbs do not is the sheer number
of features.
Smart platform integrations, the ability to set up schedules and scenes along with smart
home automations and smart home security integrations that really put it a step above the rest.
It also has a two-year no fuss warranty.
If anything goes wrong, you can be sure to get a new bulb to replace it.
I will say I'm a bit concerned about its mobile application ratings, because that is where
you are going to be interfacing with bulb most of the time.
That being said, it is a strong choice for the consumer looking to get the most out of
their smart bulb.
That concludes our review of the LIFX Smart Bulb.
If you appreciate today's video, give us a like and hit that "Subscribe" button.
As always, this is Gabe at Security Baron, be secure.
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