Update on January 9th: I now have a 3rd A19 and I'm loving it. As with the other two A19s I bought, setup was extremely easy. I see other customers reporting problems, but this is now three A19s in a row that I bought and set up individually with absolutely no issues. I don't know why I'm not having any issues, but so far my experience has been 5-star all the way. I wish I had tons of money because now I want to replace every single light in my home with these.
***Original Review***
To start with, installation is extremely easy. Follow the steps below. *DON'T TURN YOUR NEW LIFX LIGHTS ON UNTIL STEP 3*
1. Install the LIFX app
2. ***THIS STEP IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT*** Switch to your 2.4 GHz network (or you can switch to the 2.4 GHz before you install the app, it doesn't matter).
3. Turn on your new LIFX light(s) using the light switch.
4. Look at the LIFX app. You are guided through the installation of your lights. It's extremely easy. I would love to detail the process but there's almost nothing to say. Installation is a breeze.
5. ***ANOTHER IMPORTANT THING*** After installation is complete, switch back to your 5 GHz network. Yep, you don't have to stay on your 2.4 GHz network after you're done installing your new LIFX light(s).
6. Enjoy!
I mean, really, that's all there is to it. At this point, the lights should just work and give you no problems whatsoever. However, if you *DO* experience any problems, then restart your router. *NOT* restarting the router is the one thing that is causing people to have problems with their smart lights after installation (or *during*). Routers are computers too, and so just like any computer, they need to be restarted regularly - usually after connecting new devices. Sure, some routers are better than others and so they don't need to be restarted as often, but *ALL* routers still need to be restarted on a regular basis, whether that's weekly or monthly or just a few times per year.
If you experience issues controlling these lights with Apple HomeKit (using "Hey Siri"), then don't blame LIFX. Any issues you have when using "Hey Siri" are Apple's fault. For example, you might ask, "Hey Siri, make the lights orange" (or any color), but instead of getting the color you asked for, the lights turn off. For some reason, they aren't actually OFF, but they are instead set to 0% brightness. So, just ask for whatever brightness level you want, like 100%. If you continue having issues at this point, like maybe Siri will claim one of your lights failed or is experiencing a problem, then you should ask Siri to turn the lights off and then ask Siri to turn the lights back on. Or, you can go into the Home app and manually turn the lights off and back on from there instead of asking Siri to do it.
If one day you end up losing all ability to control one or more of your lights, then restart the router. You will encounter this at some point, and I'm here to tell you that this isn't a problem with the LIFX lights. It's a problem with the technology in general. It affects all smart lights on the market. This technology just isn't completely matured yet.
I haven't seen any negative reviews posted since the firmware update yet that *DON'T* have an easy solution, such as restarting the router. Yet, unfortunately, people post a negative review not knowing that there's a simple solution to the problem(s) they're experiencing. So, please don't pay attention to them. I've had my LIFX lights for 34 days now, and so far I haven't had any issues that didn't have a super easy and super simple solution. Whenever I have any sort of issue controlling my lights with "Hey Siri", I try the following:
1. "Hey Siri, set the lights to 100" (or whatever brightness level I want at the time)
2. If that fails, I ask Siri to turn the lights off and back on again.
3. If that fails, I restart my iPhone (it's the only thing I use to control my lights).
4. If that doesn't fix the control issues, I restart the router. I have only had to restart my router *one time* so far in the 34 days of daily use of these lights. Usually, all I have to do is just tell Siri to set the brightness to something OTHER than 0% and then they are fine. It's a strange bug, but it's not a big deal, and it's certainly not a good reason for me to say anything bad about these lights, especially since it's just an issue with Apple HomeKit and it has nothing to do with the LIFX app or the lights.
So, I have absolutely NO regrets buying these lights! If I had known how much I'd like them, I would've gladly paid a lot more for them, knowing it would be worth every penny.
Here's why you should get these instead of some other brand's smart lights:
- The LIFX smart lights can be brighter than any other smart light on the market. They can produce up to 1100 lumens! Compare that to the average maximum brightness of 800 lumens of other smart lights. Interestingly, the LIFX Mini lights produce a maximum brightness of 800 lumens. The brightest smart lights from other manufacturers is only 800 lumens. This is because other manufacturers use vastly inferior-quality parts that make up the "guts" of the smart lights, resulting in a much lower heat tolerance (and also an inferior color quality).
- The LIFX lights don't require (or use) a hub. If you buy just 1 light, then you'll have everything you need.
- The colors they produce are absolutely amazing. If you don't believe me, look at reviews on YouTube. You will find people who have compared these to the other leading smart lights on the market and found the LIFX lights to produce better colors. It's just my opinion that the colors are *amazing*. They all seem very true and accurate, and very pleasing to look at.
- There's no such thing as a "Starter Kit" for LIFX, and you don't need one! If you want just 1 light, you can buy just 1 and you'll have everything you'll need.
- They have the best app. Again, check YouTube reviews of these lights!
- These produce more light per watt. That means they are the most efficient smart lights on the market. At their maximum brightness of 1100 lumens, they only consume 11W. By comparison, the competing Philips Hue light can only produce 800 lumens, and it requires 10W to do so. 1100 lumens is a 75W equivalent, and 800 lumens is a 60W equivalent.
- The best CRI of the LIFX lights is 85 (I assume this is when you're using white, which is also 3500K). Philips Hue's best CRI appears to only be 80. I personally don't care much about CRI, but I know many people do, so there you go.
- LIFX smart lights work with Google Home, Alexa, and Apple HomeKit.
- In my experience so far, LIFX has fantastic customer service and support. I feel like I'm treated as a family member. They feel like a very small, down-to-earth family-owned business. Why did I contact them? I just wanted to ask them about the issues controlling the lights with "Hey Siri". I wanted to see if they were aware of it, and unfortunately, no one has yet reported this issue to them. They said they will attempt to find a way to fix this issue even though it's really all on Apple HomeKit's end.
So yeah, I highly, highly, highly recommend the LIFX A19 lights! They have quite noticeably improved my quality of life.
| Brand | LIFX |
|---|---|
| Light Type | LED |
| Special Feature | Works with Alexa, Apple HomeKit and the Google Assistant |
| Wattage | 11 watts |
| Bulb Shape Size | A19 |
| Bulb Base | E26 |
| Incandescent Equivalent Wattage | 75 Watts |
| Specific Uses For Product | Decoration |
| Light Color | Multicolors |
| Voltage | 110 Volts |
| Unit Count | 1.0 Count |
| Color Temperature | 9000 Kelvin |
| Number of Items | 1 |
| Brightness | 1100 Lumen |
| Shape | a19 |
| Material | Glass |
| Model Name | LIFX (A19) |
| Connectivity Technology | Wi-Fi |
| Indoor/Outdoor Usage | Indoor |
| Controller Type | Vera, Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa |
| Included Components | LIFX (A19) Wi-Fi Smart LED Light Bulb, Adjustable, Multicolor, Dimmable, No Hub Required, Works with Alexa |
| Connectivity Protocol | Bluetooth, Wi-Fi |
| Color Rendering Index | 80 |
| Power Consumption | 11 Watts |
| Item Package Quantity | 1 |
| Light Source Type | led |
| Item Weight | 7.84 ounces |
| Light Source Wattage | 11 Watts |
| Product Dimensions | 2.48"W x 4.53"H |
| Control Method | Voice |
| White Brightness | 1100 Lumens |
| Manufacturer | LIFX |
| Part Number | LHA19E26UC10 |
| Item Weight | 7.8 ounces |
| Item model number | LHA19E26UC10 |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Size | 1 Count (Pack of 1) |
| Color | Multi |
| Style | A19 |
| Special Features | Works with Alexa, Apple HomeKit and the Google Assistant |
| Batteries Included? | No |
| Batteries Required? | No |
| Warranty Description | 2 year warranty. |
