LIFX White 800 Smart Bulb Review
by Ganesh T S on June 12, 2015 9:55 AM EST- Posted in
- Home Automation
- Wi-Fi
- Qualcomm Atheros
- LIFX
Miscellaneous Aspects and Concluding Remarks
Prior to proceeding to the business end of the review, we look at a couple of different aspects that affect the end-user experience - power consumption and thermals. We recorded power consumption and power factor values using the Ubiquiti Networks mPower Pro power strip at various brightness levels. The good news is that the White 800 consumes very little power (~ 700 mW) in the standby mode after recent firmware updates. It was close to 2W at launch, but it is too low to measure reliably on the AC side now. (Update: We shifted the power measurement duties to the Visible Energy UFO Power Center. It can measure sub-1 W numbers more reliably compared to the Ubiquiti Networks mPower devices. The table below has been updated for the standby setting.)
| LIFX White 800 Power Consumption | ||
| Brightness Level | Avg. Power (W) | Power Factor |
| 0% [ Off / Accessible via App ] | 0.69 W | |
| 25% | 1.32 W | 0.50 |
| 50% | 3.08 W | 0.49 |
| 75% | 5.88 W | 0.67 |
| 100% | 10.71 W | 0.89 |
There was no measurable variation in the power numbers when the color temperature was tuned (for a particular brightness level).
In order to evaluate the thermal performance, we kept the light on at the maximum brightness level for a hour and recorded a thermal image (using the Seek Thermal smartphone add-on). As recommended for any 'high-power' LED fixture, it would be good to not install the unit in a tight space with inadequate airflow. (Update: It has been brought to my notice that the LIFX bulbs have been "UL box" tested (that's a standard ~6" wooden cube, open on one end - simulating an air starved ceiling fitting), and should meet their stated lifetimes in an open air fitting. Everything in the bulb is rated for 105 C operation)
The following table summarizes the various home automation aspects / consumer checklist for the LIFX White 800 and how it compares with the other systems that we have evaluated before.
| Home Automation Device Aspects - Summary Table | ||
| Aspect | ||
| Evaluated Devices | LIFX White 800 | mPower mPower Pro InWall Outlet InWall Dimmer Switch |
| Communication Technology | Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz) | Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz) |
| Platform | Qualcomm Atheros QCA 4002 1x1 802.11n Wi-Fi SoC Freescale Kinetis MK22FN512 MCU |
Qualcomm Atheros AR9331 1x1 802.11n Wi-Fi SoC Host CPU: MIPS 24Kc, DRAM: 32MB |
| Power Source | AC Powered | AC Powered |
| Hub / Bridge Requirement | No | No |
| Control Center | Local Device (basic access, rules and scenes) Cloud (for control over the Internet) |
Local Device (basic access, rules and scenes) Local Server (comprehensive access, rules and scenes) |
| User Control Interface | Mobile Apps | Web Browser Mobile Apps (basic control) |
| Open APIs | Yes (Protocol Documentation) HTTP (Cloud-only) |
Yes (uPnP, HTTP, SSH) |
| Third-party / Hub Compatibility | AllSeen / works with nest /IFTTT | None advertised |
| Cloud Reliance | Optional (only for access from an external network) | None |
| Security Notes | Username / Password authentication at app level | Username / Password Authentication LAN Access Only |
| User Support / Discussion Forums | LIFX Support | Ubiquiti Networks Community - mFi Forums |
| Street Price | USD 40 | USD 60 (mPower) USD 95 (mPower Pro) USD 59 (InWall Outlet) USD 59 (InWall Switch / Dimmer) |
With respect to the open APIs, we would like the LIFX bulbs to present a simpler interface for power users. HTTP APIs and a web server (that could also act as an interface on PCs) similar to that of the UFO Power Center or the Ubiquiti Networks mFi devices would be great. In terms of hardware, we observed audible buzzing with any brightness setting under 100%. This might not be a problem for ceiling fixtures, but is definitely a factor when the bulb is within earshot for those sensitive to such noise. Unfortunately, this is a problem with most dimmable LED fixtures.
Other than the above two aspects, the LIFX White 800 is a reasonably-priced smart lighting fixture. The tunable color temperature differentiates it from the host of multi-colored smart LED bulbs in the market. The low-power Qualcomm Atheros QCA4002 platform is also instrumental in driving down the power consumption and price for widespread adoption.
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jjj - Friday, June 12, 2015 - link
I hate it when the term"smart"gets abused like this. Unless there is something smart about it and you failed to mention it, this is just a connected bulb. If it could at least auto-adjust brightness and be able to detect people ,then maybe it could be called smart.Why does everybody wants to screw the user by injecting themselves in the middle. Sure not a huge problem here like with locks but they really need to stop it with their own servers.
And 40$ for a bulb is beyond outrageous , when normal LED bulbs cost a few times less and they are seen as very expensive anyway, you can't do this and pretend the product is viable.
Then on the software side you can't have an app for every connected device in a home and for now that's a mess.
I get it that it's new and cool so you get carried away but the thing speaks volumes about the state of IoT. Poorly thought, poorly executed ,dumb and overpriced. Not that it's easy to do better given the mess when it comes to standards, software and even the less than optimal silicon solutions but it feels likely people can't even be bothered to try.
I guess being able to rent one (lol) would be useful if you aren't sure what temperature to buy so you just test a few and then go buy a normal bulb.
name99 - Friday, June 12, 2015 - link
I'm a little curious as to WTF their app thinks it's doing. Is this standard for Android?They want
- location. OK, that's a reasonable use case for on/off geo-fencing when I enter/leave the house.
- WiFi connection info? Why? Is this so the app can say "I can't find the lightbulb on WiFi network X, try another network?" I'd have thought
[a] the way to set this up properly is to bring Bluetooth or NFC into the mix. That's the way the most modern user-friendly set-ups for these devices are going.
it's the job of the OS to tell the user the WiFi network and ask for that to be changed. Having apps do this seems both broken in terms of UI+functionality and one more damn thing that should not be the app's business.
- Identity. Why?
- camera/microphone/photos? WTF????
name99 - Friday, June 12, 2015 - link
sorry, didn't mean to bold the above. Didn't realize your markup would interpret [ b ] that way.zepi - Friday, June 12, 2015 - link
At least philips hue supports functions like "make the my lights mimic the colors of this image / whatever comes from camera" and some 3rd party apps also control the lights to the beat of the music that is being played.And hues are slow compared to lifx, which probably would even work nicely as a color strobe at the party (the fancy RGB version).
fic2 - Friday, June 12, 2015 - link
Downloaded the Light Meter app to check my cheap ($2) LED bulb temps. They say they are 2700K but look closer to 3000K to me. Which is great since I would rather have 3000K temp. I wish stores would stock different temp bulbs though.fic2 - Friday, June 12, 2015 - link
I would love to change light temps on my bulbs but for a $38 difference in bulb price I'll stay with one temp. Maybe in 5-10 years these will be cheap.jonsmirl - Friday, June 12, 2015 - link
What did they use for an AC power supply chip?mkozakewich - Friday, June 12, 2015 - link
I wish we'd move entirely away from colour temperature. Black-body radiators are kind of restrictive. I'd prefer to be able to select from RGB or something. Maybe some time I'll want a sunset purple. Usually I want something very close to white, except with more yellow. Pantone lightbulbs!Also, it shouldn't be hard to make 1600-lumen bulbs, now. I remember hearing about LEDs with 200-lumens-per-watt efficacy back in 2009, but they still don't seem to be delivering. I've got a Philips bulb that uses nine ultraviolet LEDs under fluorescing panels, but it's still 12.5 Watts for 800 lumens (64 lumens/Watt or 88 lumens per LED).
Those 'corncob' lights are interesting. Check this out: http://www.renesola.ca/renesola-20w-led-corn-light...
By the nature of arrays, they go up to 100 W or more.
melgross - Saturday, June 13, 2015 - link
The multiple LED bulbs, such as the corncobs, are the least efficient, as they use older LEDs. Cree has bulbs that are from 85-100 lumens/watt. Next year, we'll see over 100. There has never been a 200 lumen/watt LED out of the lab.Coldsnap - Friday, June 12, 2015 - link
This is actually pretty exciting. The dream is to have the full house setup with smart bulbs that can change the color temp automatically throughout the day to mimic what the sun is actually putting off temp wise. This would actually make a BIG difference in energy during the day and sleep quality, if you are the type who is in doors most the day.