Product Comparison: LIFX A19 vs LIFX BR30
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- Unlike Phillips Hue bulbs, these do not require a bridge, and work on your existing wifi network instead. This brings down initial costs considerably.
- These bulbs are fantastic. I have 3 and just ordered another one from Amazon. They are really bright but dimmable. I keep mine on about 60% and find it's about as bright as a standard 60 watt bulb.
- Wireless reliability is an issue. I've had to power-cycle these bulbs every morning. I've yet to wake up and successfully say "Alexa, set bedroom lights to 30%". So far, she's just told me that the bulbs cannot be found on the network.
- Sometimes the lights lose WiFi connection. I’ve only had 2 out of 25+ need to be completely reset (7 months using)
- I like that you can turn the I.R. mode off. With I.R. on, below around 9 watts your power consumption will jump from 0.5 watts to 7.6 watts. Even when you believe the light are off - they aren't really. They are giving off I.R. light and burning 7.6 watts each.
- Great for entertaining. You can put up some soothing, cozy colors. They really set the atmosphere - when you have enough of them. Decorate your room, or house, with light. Best with white or off-white walls.
- Great colors, bright as a 75w bulb, setup two in 10 min.
- It needs 2.4ghz (20mhz, channel 1/6 etc etc) so it doesn't connect to some routers.
- These things are pretty heavy. 9.9 oz! A standard cheapo bulb that breaks in a few months is 1.1 oz.
- Fantastic range of TRUE colors. Wide range of white light - all the way up to 9000K which bests the "daylight" bulb that only goes to 4000K.
- They are head and shoulders above Philips Hue bulbs in terms of color saturation and brightness (I know this because my house mate owns Philips Hue bulbs).
- Excellent color selection (16 million colors, a few dozen white bulb temperatures, and 1-100% brightness control).
- Great color range. BRIGHT 1100 lumens.
- Color changing is not as smooth as the Hue bulbs. It will eventually get to the color that you select, but getting there is a little flashy.
- The BR30 version doesn't not completely turn off unless you cut the power. Once your eyes adjust to the dark room, you'll see a very faint glow - even through a translucent lamp shade. It's very dim and not a big deal but it is definitely not fully off.
- Some cool pre-canned effects, i.e. Flicker, Color Cycle, Spooky, etc. (these are customizable)
- INFRARED!!! Huge plus if you have a cheapo non surveillance type camera with night vision. Especially the crappy ones that do less than 50 feet at night.
- I love it. it's very bright. very nice colors.
- INFRARED. =( I am saddened to say that although it is BRIGHT, if you have your own surveillance cameras that can see UP TO 100 feet... Purchasing this is pointless, since the IR on those cameras are literally EQUAL, if not better, to this bulb.
- Easy setup when it goes well, wonderful step by step instructions on the website, especially if you have trouble.
- No hub required. This is a plus as my router and switch connections are all in use so not having to buy an additional switch was nice (but this might not be an issue for the average person).
- iOS LIFX app works fairly well, and the setup process was quick and simple.
- This light works well with Alexa and has so many different colors and features.
- Hiccups during setup, had to reset the bulb - instructions for that are not found in the packaging.
- The only reason I am not giving this product 5 stars is the app.... I like using the app but I have to restart the app every other day in order to fix connectivity issues.
- Keep your phone by your bed. If you hear a bump in the night you can very quickly turn on any light, room full of lights or all lights.
- Fun quick settings and scenes in the app (like flicker, strobe, music sync.)
- IR works well with IR enabled cameras sensitive to 940nm. Works with Alexa, Vera, Smartthings, Nest, IFTTT...
- Lackluster IR (added maybe 2 or 3 extra inches of visibility for my arlo cameras), confusing app controls to set colors and intensity for average users.
- App is a little buggy. The app froze a couple of times while circling the color wheel. I saw this on a video review and they had the same results.