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> Review - LIFX Smart LED Lights

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TSidoblu
post Oct 18 2016, 09:03 AM, updated 8y ago

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Bought 3 of the LIFX Color 1000. These are E27 Edison screw type LED bulbs.
It uses 11 watt at full brightness and puts out 1055 lumens or equivalent to a normal incandescent 75 watt bulb.
Now it does uses a bit of power during standby at about ~0.7W
Their website says it is capable of producing 16 million colors and 1000 shades of white ranging from 2,500K to 9,000K.
Two years warranty
Normal price is $59.99 but there is a $20 discount now so each bulb is $39.99
If anyone wants a $5 Discount Code, let me know. I got one.
Postage is a flat rate of $20 for one or many bulbs.

LIFX is an Australian company but the bulbs are made in China (like everything else)
My bulbs were shipped from their depot in HK using DHL. They also use HK Post but you don't have a choice of which method during ordering.

DHL called me say kena tax. Kastam wanted 20% + 6% and DHL fee is RM50
I told DHL is just LED light bulbs and only 3 pieces and for personal home use. They then manage to convinced Kastam. In the end I kena only 5% + 6% + Rm50. I had to come out with another RM120 to clear it.
Don't understand how Taobao buyers dont kena tax for their LED lights.

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This is the box that it came in. It has padded foam protection all round. It has no instructions inside the box whatsoever. Infact not a single piece of paper inside. Nothing to read.


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The size compare to my 9.5w Philips LED Bulb which btw is also a 70w equivalent bulb. Almost the same size but the LIFX is much heavier due to extra electronics inside.

This post has been edited by idoblu: Oct 19 2016, 07:59 AM
TSidoblu
post Oct 18 2016, 09:03 AM

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Installation is very simple. Screw in the bulb. Download the LIFX app. Connect the bulbs to your smart device (phone or tablet) and it will then connect to your home WIFI network. Yes the bulbs needs Wifi so you can control it. Your phone/tablet must be connected to the Internet also but it need not be on the same Wifi network as your bulbs. You can be on 3g/4g and it will still work so that means you can check or control your bulbs even when you are somewhere else.
Please note that during initial setup, your smart device needs to be on the same Wifi network.

COLOR WHEEL
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WHITE WHEEL
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Ok the app. Here is the color wheel and white wheel. You can control Color, intensity (dimming), Color temperature for Whites, On/Off. You can control bulbs either in groups or individual.

THEMES
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There also preset themes incase you dunno what to choose.

OFF
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ON
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Difference between On and Off.
You can tell the status of your lights whether they are On or Off, Brightness and what Color they were in.

SCHEDULES
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Last but not least, this is the most important feature. The Schedule Settings. Or timer setting.
You can set your lights (whether in groups or individual) when to turn On or Off. You can select time and day.
You can also select at what Color, Brightness or Scene when they turn On
And also if you want the lights to Fade In/Fade Out during On/Off
Multiple schedules can run concurrently

If I'm not mistaken, all these settings are located at LIFX's Cloud server.

I only received them yesterday. So far they work ok but I'm worried that they will drop offline either because it lost connection to the Wifi router or some network problem. The 16 million colors seems like a gimmick. I think first few days you might play around with it but later you will set it back to the normal White color light.

You can also buy just White bulbs from LIFX. They are cheaper but it produces less lumens. They also have Color light strips which is new. I hope they will come out with bulbs for E14 base. I have three E27 table lamps, the rest are using E14 bulbs.

Oh one more thing. There are other ways to control your LIFX bulbs and not just by using their app. You can tell Alexa to turn On/Off, change , etc if you have Amazon Echo. You can also use IFTTT but I havent tried. Hopefully Apple's Home will be included soon then you can ask SIRI to do stuff to your lights

This post has been edited by idoblu: Oct 18 2016, 09:27 AM
ozak
post Oct 18 2016, 11:19 PM

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Nice boss.

I don't understand much the wifi connection.

Is the bulb always see in the wifi router? The phone apps will auto search the bulb when open? Don't need to manually set in the setting right?

If lost connection, will the bulb function by itself? Those that you already prg in. If I switch off the main, will it keep the memory?
TSidoblu
post Oct 18 2016, 11:37 PM

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QUOTE(ozak @ Oct 18 2016, 11:19 PM)
Nice boss.

I don't understand much the wifi connection. 

Is the bulb always see in the wifi router? The phone apps will auto search the bulb when open? Don't need to manually set in the setting right?

If lost connection, will the bulb function by itself? Those that you already prg in. If I switch off the main, will it keep the memory?
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Yes if you open your router and look at all the wireless devices, you will find the LIFX bulbs in there
During the installation process, you press the + button to Connect Light
You then go to your smartphone wifi list and select the bulb. It will appear in your smartphone wifi list.
Once you select it, your bulb will connect to your wifi network. You select the wifi name and enter the password

Thats it. Oh you also need to register an account at LIFX
If the bulb lost connection, say because your router is turned off or rosak, you just off and on back the light bulb and it should light up. But you cant control it as it is not connected.

Just now my 3 lights supposed to turn on at 8pm, and one of them did not turn on sad.gif
no idea why
TSidoblu
post Oct 18 2016, 11:41 PM

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There are other similar wifi bulbs like Philips Hue, Xiaomi Yee Lights, etc
Yeelight is about RM70 each only but the lumens is only 600+

So far LIFX has the highest lumens
ozak
post Oct 19 2016, 12:13 AM

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Understand boss.

I will observe longer to see the quality. How long can it last.

Since it need to be keep ON 7/11, I m worry about the lightning and how easy it blow out.
TSidoblu
post Oct 19 2016, 12:36 AM

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QUOTE(ozak @ Oct 19 2016, 12:13 AM)
Understand boss.

I will observe longer to see the quality. How long can it last.

Since it need to be keep ON 7/11, I m worry about the lightning and how easy it blow out.
*
When you turn it on manually, it remembers it's last setting so if it was red light before it was turned off it will be red light when you turn it on manually

I cant find any info on how many hours lifespan, all i got is this -
user posted image

it says if you use 3 hours a day, it will last 22.8 years

This post has been edited by idoblu: Oct 19 2016, 07:54 AM
ozak
post Oct 19 2016, 08:27 AM

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QUOTE(idoblu @ Oct 19 2016, 12:36 AM)
When you turn it on manually, it remembers it's last setting so if it was red light before it was turned off it will be red light when you turn it on manually

I cant find any info on how many hours lifespan, all i got is this -
user posted image

it says if you use 3 hours a day, it will last 22.8 years
*
That wan theory lifespan. Most of the time is the electronic fried.

Unstable voltage cause it. Specially if you run it like 7/11. Very much depend the electronic design to put in the safety.

So need time to observe how Long it can run.
TSidoblu
post Oct 19 2016, 08:37 AM

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QUOTE(ozak @ Oct 19 2016, 08:27 AM)
That wan theory lifespan. Most of the time is the electronic fried.

Unstable voltage cause it. Specially if you run it like 7/11. Very much depend the electronic design to put in the safety.

So need time to observe how Long it can run.
*
got two years warranty boss
ya if lightning strike, nothing can help
ozak
post Oct 19 2016, 08:54 AM

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QUOTE(idoblu @ Oct 19 2016, 08:37 AM)
got two years warranty boss
ya if lightning strike, nothing can help
*
I kena fried many thing by lightning.

Just because run it 7/11. Even with surge protector, some how it still can find the way to kill it.
TSidoblu
post Oct 19 2016, 08:59 AM

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QUOTE(ozak @ Oct 19 2016, 08:54 AM)
I kena fried many thing by lightning.

Just because run it 7/11. Even with surge protector, some how it still can find the way to kill it.
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install lightning arrestor rod at the roof biggrin.gif
ozak
post Oct 19 2016, 09:34 AM

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QUOTE(idoblu @ Oct 19 2016, 08:59 AM)
install lightning arrestor rod at the roof  biggrin.gif
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You better install 1. But the lightning is very tricky. It somehow will find the way to kill the thing.

My latest thing kena fried is the NAS. Already have surge protector. But the lightning surge is from the network cable. The server still running. But can't communicate with it. And the only way can communicate with it is through the network. Render it useless. Cost me RM7k to replace it. cry.gif

All this electronic thing that you intend to run 7/11, safety have to be enough. At least minimum the damage.

1 thing I don't understand is, electrical appliance like fridge, aircon also ON like 7/11. But no problem.

Guess electronic thing are more fragile.


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post Oct 19 2016, 11:11 AM

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QUOTE(kengyan @ Oct 19 2016, 10:48 AM)
You are right on voltage spiking issues. But then Malaysia are having the highest power reserve in this world.
And each year there will be cases of house hold user's electric appliance being fried especially between 9-11am.
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why 9-11am? biggrin.gif
ozak
post Oct 19 2016, 11:19 AM

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QUOTE(kengyan @ Oct 19 2016, 10:48 AM)
You are right on voltage spiking issues. But then Malaysia are having the highest power reserve in this world.
And each year there will be cases of house hold user's electric appliance being fried especially between 9-11am.
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I believe many do have kena fried the electric appliance.

But for my case it a bit strange.

The aircon have been ON 7/11 for 19yrs, never fried before. It only have main MCB to ON/OFF.

The fridge as you know run 7/11. Same never fried before.

But the thing that always fried is the PC thing. Like modem, router, NAS etc.

1 thing that have to takecare is the voltage range. Most of the time, TNB voltage in the high side. It is like 240-250+V. Never been lower than that. So some electrical/electronic voltage range at 220V (china thing) I will be very carefull to buy.

Another thing is the switching spark. My switch socket constantly require to change when there is some abnormal during ON/OFF. It can be detect by some phenomenon from the electrical.
ozak
post Oct 19 2016, 01:27 PM

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QUOTE(kengyan @ Oct 19 2016, 01:12 PM)
Peak hours are 6-10am, after that it will be stable or usage lesser. This is the time you will see the most power fluctuations. Like my house is 3 phase where average voltage at 250-255V, any spike of 5% are good enough to fry something.
A 19 years air cond's internals are minimum controller ICs, mostly are direct logic control where the tolerence level are less sensitive than IC controls. Not to mention the engineers during that era will only build things that last forever unlike now they can be the chief engineer if he can build a component that sure fails as the time set.
For PC and network related appliances, the tolerance level are quite low, so if you were to change things due to lightning strike, suggest getting wireless tech will prevent this to happen.
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Sorry. I mean in 19yrs I have use 2 aircon total. Being the latest is Inverter. But already in 8yrs. The changing is not related to lightning. I don't think the inverter have less electronic inside it.

It is mostly related to the electronic design. How you understand the local electric pattern and design according to it. How much safety component you design on it. Save cost, and you fried.
DecaPix
post Oct 19 2016, 02:08 PM

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depends on the design of the electronics inside as well.
like my t8 electronic starter.
1 by 1 my t8 lights fail. open up to check it's actually the resistor inside that failed.
they could have used a higher wattage resistor to prevent that but they cut cost and that part failed.
the other commonly fail part is capacitors.
use cheap ones and soon it'll bulge and probably blow it's cap.
old newspaper
post Oct 19 2016, 02:48 PM

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good review thumbsup.gif

I'd been using the xiaomi yeelight ( single color ) for the past 1 year, so far so good. using it with Mi Home app, which is clean and easy interface to use. set it up in less than 3 minutes....super easy installation.

here's some of my unopen yeelight...bought a total of 20pcs of these because the price is ridiculously cheap ( RM31 each ) with discount/coupon from lazada & 11street back then... biggrin.gif

user posted image

i guess the rcp of this should be around RM50 each which is still very affordable for a 'smart' led bulb.
zackertashia
post Oct 19 2016, 04:31 PM

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QUOTE(ozak @ Oct 19 2016, 11:19 AM)

The fridge as you know run 7/11. Same never fried before.

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This is the first time I encounter someone who don't use the fridge 24/7
TSidoblu
post Dec 3 2016, 11:13 AM

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ozak

After a month of using, I find the LIFX bulbs quite okay. The only problem I encountered is that sometimes the bulb would lose its connection to the Internet.
I am not sure if it is because of weak Wifi due to my bedroom's location or is it because of the bulb itself. The Wifi signal in my bedroom is not that strong but its stable and I can even stream.
I have 3 LIFX bulbs, but only 1 of the bulbs seems to lose its connection more than others. So I moved the bulb to another lamp and the problem seems to follow the bulb which indicates to me, its that particular bulb problem. However my finding is still inconclusive.
Once it gets disconnected, you can either turn it off and back on manually using the lamp's switch or wait for it to reconnect back on its own.

But so far I am happy with the results. They just released a 3rd generation color bulbs which is a bit brighter that my 2nd gen ones (i didnt know they were coming out with a new gen, if not I sure wait)
ozak
post Dec 3 2016, 11:56 AM

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QUOTE(idoblu @ Dec 3 2016, 11:13 AM)
ozak

After a month of using, I find the LIFX bulbs quite okay. The only problem I encountered is that sometimes the bulb would lose its connection to the Internet.
I am not sure if it is because of weak Wifi due to my bedroom's location or is it because of the bulb itself. The Wifi signal in my bedroom is not that strong but its stable and I can even stream.
I have 3 LIFX bulbs, but only 1 of the bulbs seems to lose its connection more than others. So I moved the bulb to another lamp and the problem seems to follow the bulb which indicates to me, its that particular bulb problem. However my finding is still inconclusive.
Once it gets disconnected, you can either turn it off and back on manually using the lamp's switch or wait for it to reconnect back on its own.

But so far I am happy with the results. They just released a 3rd generation color bulbs which is a bit brighter that my 2nd gen ones (i didnt know they were coming out with a new gen, if not I sure wait)
*
1 month only wor. So fast got confident already?

I think you better write in and claim that pcs. Before degrade further.

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