LIFX Tile Adds Phenomenal Interactive Lighting To Our Ever-Smarter Connected Homes

If interactive smart home components such as LIFX Tile integrate any more smoothly, we will all have cause to fear the day our domiciles achieve true sentience and begin regarding their residents as frustratingly less-competent burdens upon their existence. Oh, well. Thanks to this surprisingly helpful addition to our ever-expanding range of connected hardware, at least our future enslavement to electronic overlords will be replete with a dynamic parade of 16 million colors and blended whites to mesmerize us. Fair trade.

Each kit includes five tiles, each with 64 individual display zones, and a power pack for a $249 price that appears increasingly reasonable the deeper you dive into what LIFX’s latest smart lights can do. Let’s get the most visually-pleasing aspects out of the way first: Tiles can hang anywhere you choose to flat surfaces from glass to plaster walls and surface timber with the included 3M Command Hooks. Living, bedroom, office, kitchen – you name it. No drilled holes, screws or nails required. Once you download the appropriate mobile or desktop app compatible with iOS 9 and up, Android 4.1 onward or Windows 10, your lights are ready to plug in and enjoy.

After powering up, you do not necessarily need an internet connection to enjoy LIFX Tile’s pleasing illumination. If you turn them on at the switch, they will function just like any other hanging light. However, keep in mind that unlocking its wealth of display possibilities requires connection to a WiFi network but not a hub. That’s where the fun starts but far from where it ends.

For starters, the Today widget allows you to control your LIFX lights from the notification center without ever unlocking your device or even launching the app itself. That includes testing out captivating special effects including music visualizer, strobe, color cycle and candle-flicker displays. Should you stumble upon a pastiche of specific settings that really grabs you, group them together with an easy-to-remember name you can call out for instant activation on a whim. If you feel like keeping it simple, LIFX also provides both an array of stunning preset themes and the tools to capture your own images and save them for future display from the Scenes menu. Of course, you can connect to the LIFX Cloud whenever you like to set a timer and be welcomed home by any ambience that appeals to your mood. While you’re at it, why not set a recurring daily power and display schedule? You could even set your Tile up to gently awaken you each morning with gradually increasing light for a peerlessly pleasant personal wake-up call.

Ah, but here’s the cherry on top: LIFX Tile is fully compatible with Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit and Google Assistant voice-activated services. Adjust brightness from one to 100 percent. Turn your Tile on and request a desired atmosphere by name – say, “Romantic Rendezvous Scene.” Switch to a particular solid color or a blended show of countless successive shades dancing fading in and out. With additional apps such as IFTTT, new email and messages can cause a Tile to grab your attention with a distinctive flash.

Best of all, the satisfying brilliance of LIFX Tile comes protected by a two-year warranty guarantee. Go ahead. Light up your life.