Given the success of other accent lighting smart home products, LIFX is now throwing its hat into the ring with its latest smartphone-enabled lighting system. Deemed the LIFX Tile, the new system brings a fully customizable wall-mounted LED lighting system with HomeKit support to the company’s lineup of smart home gear.
This isn’t the first time we’ve taken note of a wall-mounted lighting system. About a year ago we went hands-on with Nanoleaf’s Triangular Aurora lighting kit which offers mood lighting in the form of rearrangeable multi-color panels. Now LIFX is following suit and expanding its lineup of lights to include its very own customizable accent lighting solution.
The recently unveiled Tile Kit is based around 5 square reconfigurable lighting panels that connect to a controller and power supply. Each panel has 64 independent zones for color control and supports the same array of up to 16 million colors as other lights from the company. This means that a single tile can display multiple colors at the same time, something the Aurora panels cannot. Much like LIFX’s line of A19 light bulbs, Tile isn’t dependent on a hub for control either.
LIFX’s square tiles are a little under 8-inches wide and are fairly lightweight at just 1.3-pounds. They aren’t as large compared to Nanoleaf’s triangular panels, but do in fact offer more lighting surface area per tile. Each panel outputs 420 lumens which adds up to 2100 for the whole unit. As of now there’s no details on how LIFX has opted to attach the panels to your walls, but will most likely use some form of 3M tape or a similar adhesive solution.
Tile is controlled through the same LIFX companion iOS and Android app the rest of its lights are. The true power comes from Tile’s integration with 3rd party standards like HomeKit, Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. These allow you to control the lighting panels with the rest of your smart home accessories, respond to voice commands and more.
The kit is set to retail at $249.99 and includes 5 tiles alongside the controller and power supply. Unlike Nanoleaf’s Aurora system which supports up to 30 tiles per controller, LIFX’s new option maxes out at 5. So if you’re looking to fill a wall with lighting panels it’d be smarter to opt for Nanoleaf’s triangle panels. LIFX’s Tile kit is now available for preorder over on its site and will be shipping just in time for the holidays in November.
LIFX Tile is amazing for living areas, bedrooms and can be placed to create unique experiences almost anywhere in your home. Connects to your Wi-Fi without a hub and enjoy the LIFX experience that you love anywhere, anytime. Using apps like IFTTT and more, be notified of emails and messages with the flash of a Tile. Check out our connects with page for many amazing integrations including voice with Apple HomeKit, Amazon Alexa and Google Home.
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