Spooky Halloween Lighting With LIFX
Halloween is just around the corner. Get your home ready for all the trick-or-treaters!
Time To Get Spooky!
If you have children in the house, then you probably are aware of the fact that Halloween is just around the corner. So, what can you do to liven up your home automation without having to spend a fortune?
Well, using smart lighting to achieve spooky Halloween lights is a great solution and you can get started for far less than you might imagine. While Philips Hue likely comes to mind as soon as someone mentions smart lighting, you should also consider LIFX. Pronounced LIFE-X, LIFX Labs is another Kickstarter success story. One of the first entrants in the now-disbanded Works with Nest program, the start-up has continued to serve up innovative and highly efficient lighting solutions over the past few years.
Today, we have a selection of six great lights from this impressive, broad, and deep range.
Let’s get down to business!
LIFX Smart LED Color Bulb
Option 1
The most obvious way to get some spooky Halloween lights in your home is to consider a smart LED bulb. Since you won’t need any hub and installation is literally plug-and-play in its simplicity, there’s no excuse for everyone not getting involved. As with most leading smart bulbs, you’ll be able to choose from a staggering palette of 16 million colors, giving you practically limitless choice whether you want cool and moody white or blood red. Compatibility is first-class and one of LIFX’s true strengths. You’ll have access to your preferred digital assistant, as long as you have the requisite smart speaker or smart display in place. Interoperability also extends to IFTTT, Google Nest, SmartThings, and a roll call of other smart home players. The Connects with LIFX program is genuinely impressive. You’ll be able to get your lights working in sync with a full suite of smart tech without needing to be a home automation pro. Also, you’ll be able to tweak the coloring and brightness levels of your lights in-app on your smart phone, meaning you can add a bit of atmosphere to the kid’s Halloween movie. Throw in voice control to turn the Halloween lights off completely and see if you can get your kids squealing! As an inbuilt benefit, you’ll achieve the output of a 60-watt incandescent bulb despite drawing down just 9 watts of energy. Rolled out across the whole house, LEDs can help you make significant savings when your utility bills drop. If you’re new to home automation, why not use Halloween as the perfect time to get started?
LIFX Dimmable LED Smart Bulb
Option 2
A pocket-friendly introduction to connecting your home, LIFX smart bulbs are a great alternative to the stranglehold Philips Hue exert over the smart lighting vertical. You’ll win twice by installing
smart LEDs. On one hand, the extreme energy-efficiency allows you to save money month-to-month through reduced energy consumption. Beyond that, LIFX LEDs can last as long as 20 years, so you won’t be hurrying out for a replacement any time soon.This dimmable LED serves up a bewildering 16 million colors, along with a range of whites in a bulb kicking out comparable brightness to a 75-watt incandescent while using a fraction of the power. Throw in a 20-year lifespan and you’re looking at a smart
investment. Creating mood lighting in-app has never been easier. Whether you want something extreme and jarring for your Halloween lights or something more subtle and muted for movie night, imagination is your only limitation.You won’t need a hub since you have WiFi onboard and you’ll be able to get going straight out of the box, even if you’re a complete novice. This bulb works with Alexa, Google Assistant and HomeKit, so you have all major ecosystems covered. This is one of the key strengths of LIFX. Compatibility really is unbeatable. Once the excitement and parties of Halloween are gone for another year, take full advantage of scheduling your lights to automate those workaday elements of day-to-day living. You’ll be able to build out routines and get your lights working in sync with the other devices in your connected home for a very modest investment. What’s not to love?
LIFX Mini White Smart LED Bulb
Option 3
This smart white LED is another way to get started with smart lighting without needing a third-party hub and it screws in like a regular bulb then you’re away with the integrated WiFi. This allows you to take charge of your Halloween lights remotely! Pale white light works well during the spookiest night of the year, so crank up the brightness and get the party started. Despite kicking out 800 lumens of brightness, this bulb is remarkably energy-efficient. You’ll use only 9 watts of energy despite generating the same brightness as a 60-watt bulb. Throw in an exceptional lifespan and a budget price and you’ll save every step of the way. As with all LIFX lighting, interoperability is outstanding. All digital assistants are represented (assuming you have the requisite smart speaker). Beyond this, compatibility extends from IFTTT and Samsung SmartThings to Wink and Google Nest. This bulb works
alone or slots neatly into just about any ecosystem. Control is seamless with the app being so intuitive and straightforward to navigate. If you’re looking for lighting that will do more than just liven up the Halloween party, this smart LED is well worth building into your smart home. How can you veer beyond simple smart bulbs, though? What else does the innovative LIFX have to offer?
LIFX Wi-Fi Smart LED Tile Kit
Option 4
If you want to get a little more creative with your Halloween lights, these LIFX tiles allow you to make a striking statement without spending a fortune. Given the extreme colors, it’s a wise idea to install these tiles in a room where the backdrop is predominantly white. While the tile is slightly tasky to assemble, you can get away with using no tools and you should be up and running well within the hour. Perfect for Halloween or any other occasion where you want your lighting to be a conversation piece, these tiles are not designed to completely illuminate your room. You can choose from a range of animations and themes with control absolutely effortless in-app. Day and Dusk baked in optimizes lighting in line with the natural sunlight. All major digital assistants are supported as long as you have your smart speaker in place. Tweaking these tiles hands-free is a breeze. With 34 watts kicked out at full brightness, this kit might not be particularly cheap, but you’ll get lighting ideal for Halloween and year-round.
Note: These panels are for wall-mounting only so don’t try to fix them to the ceiling.
LIFX Smart LED Beam Kit
Option 5
In response to the highly creative Nanoleaf Aurora, the LIFX
Beam is more fun than functional, so it makes the ideal Halloween treat. The kit includes a series of six rods measuring a foot each
and laced with LEDs. You snap these rods together and they then draw power from the previous rod. Configure these modules however you’d like for a highly imaginative addition to any party backdrop. As with other LIFX smart lighting, you can take charge
in-app and tweak the colors in a number of ways. You’ll need to play around a little and experiment. Once you have the effects down in-app, you’ll be taking full advantage of the deep and rich colors at your disposal. Although HomeKit is supported, the Home app is almost entirely lacking in the features that make this lighting such a great choice. As long as you’re clear that you’re getting decorative lighting rather than a whole-room solution, Beam is an affordable way to breathe some individuality into your Halloween lights. Your party guests will be impressed! The lighting will also come in handy for any other special occasions throughout the year, so what are you waiting for?
LIFX Dimmable LED Smart Bulb
Option 6
Arguably the quickest, cheapest, and easiest way to liven up your Halloween lights is to spring for the LIFX light strip.
These strips of light can be strung anywhere around the room and of course you’ll get the usual 16 million LIFX colors to play with.
As you’d expect from LIFX, compatibility is a who’s who of the smart home world. All digital assistants are supported and you’ll enjoy interoperability with IFTTT, SmartThings, and Google Nest.
Since you have Wi-Fi baked in, you won’t need a third-party hub to use these LED strips. Bulb life is an incredible 22 years, so you’ll be able to reel these lights out for party after party without needing to spend too much for the privilege.
Final Word
We have plenty of offers and suggestions coming up for you as we approach Halloween! Hopefully today has given you some inspiration for smartening up your Halloween lights on a budget with LIFX. Bookmark our blog if you want to stay up to date with the latest smart home news. We update our content daily throughout the week and we have a busy lineup for October, so come back soon! If you enjoy smart home updates, why not sign up for our email newsletter? We’ll throw in a 20% discount off your first order here at Smarthome as a welcome gift. If you are interested in more LIFX products, click below!
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Source: All Things Home Automation