Don’t call it a comeback… actually, do – because it is
Lifx – remember them? The first real contender to Philip Hue’s smart light crown with its range of Wi-Fi bulbs, is back from the wilderness with a range of outdoor smart lights.
There are five outdoor options in the new line-up: a 16-foot neon flex lightstrip, a 1600 lumens spot LED light, an 800 lumens round-shaped LED path light, a 500 lumens square-shaped LED path light and a 24-foot 12 bulb LED string light.
Like the Lifx smart lights of old, they are all Wi-Fi devices (2.4GHz) only but the big news is that, string lights aside, they are Matter smart home devices too… we’re informed that Matter will be enabled on the string lights soon.
Guide: Matter smart home explainer
These new outdoor lights, all part of Lifx’s SuperColor range, are the first arrivals of what the company is promising will be an avalanche of new smart lights.
Talking to The Verge, Lifx’s CTO Mark Hollands explained: “Two years before the acquisition, we had one product launch; in the next 18 months, we’ll be launching 11 to 12 new products and updating our line to support Matter.”
The acquisition he’s referring to was back in August 2022 when Feit Electric acquired Lifx assets from Lifi Labs, Inc., including its patented smart lighting platform, the custom-built app and firmware, product designs, and the Lifx brand.
Obviously Matter is a big selling point for the revamped brand but the Lifx app is still an option for users wanting to go beyond the fairly-limited (at present, at least) array of controls Matter allows for smart lights within the likes of Alexa, SmartThings and Google Home.
The new Lifx outdoor range is available Stateside now through Home Depot.
It’s $149 for the string lights, $169.97 for the neon rope, $99.97 for the spot light and $149 for either of the path lights.
