Ultimate Guide: Govee Smart LED Light Bars
Ambient lighting is enjoyable, but it is not a new addition to the realm of smart lighting. And, although it’s tempting to spend a small lot on a fully-loaded immersive system, you don’t have to — at least, that’s the premise behind Govee Smart LED Light Bars.
The bars are a simple but effective addition to any home theater or workplace, bringing glowy hues and a more immersive experience to movie evenings, gaming sessions, and, yes, even your next Zoom conference for business. They include a ton of customization options, such as by-segment color selections and entertaining sceneries, and can even sync with and react to music.
Continue reading to learn more about these lights.
Installation and configuration
Setting up the bars is simple, even for individuals who are unfamiliar with smart home lighting. The two bars, an inline control box, an adapter, two table mounting brackets, and two screen mounting brackets are all included in the package. The two light bars are linked by a Y-cable that connects to the control box and then to an outlet. The cable splits after the control box, allowing you to position the bars at either end of your TV, monitor, workstation, or TV stand.
Once your bars are in place, just connect the smart lights to your home’s Wi-Fi network and couple them with the associated mobile app (Android/iOS). It’s important to note that the bars only support the 2.4GHz and 802.11b/g/n frequencies, not the 5GHz spectrum. You must also enable Bluetooth on the device from which you download the app. Open the app, hit “+,” and search “H6056” (the model number of the bars).
Design
Each bar has a long triangular body (akin to a Toblerone, but not edible), with one face serving as a light panel. Their smooth plastic shape gives them a pleasing, neither cheap nor overtly fancy feel. And don’t worry! They are also quite durable.
Though its three-sided form may seem to be an unusual decision, it really makes a lot of sense. Instead of being constrained by the smaller designs of light strips or bulbs, these bars provide three configuration possibilities. One, use the provided 3M mounting brackets to attach them to the back of your monitor or TV. Two, place each bar vertically behind your display by sliding it into a table mounting bracket. Lay them horizontally on a surface, such as a TV stand, on either of the two non-light-panel sides.
Mounting them is the simplest approach to achieve nice ambient light out of the three alternatives since you can position them precisely on the back of your TV or monitor. Placing them in the center produces a uniform light, whilst placing them closer to the borders produces a bolder effect. Standing or lying down is a less permanent alternative, which is ideal if you want to vary their angle or even relocate them to a different area from time to time. However, bear in mind that the supports will limit your lighting’s ability to reach higher up on the wall behind your display.
When it comes to smart lighting, a one-size-fits-all solution is seldom the ideal choice, which is why these light bars are so fantastic. This extra installation flexibility is quite useful since every home’s room layouts and lighting preferences vary.
Performance
The light bars easily keep up with anything you use them for, such as odd color combinations and synchronizing with my music. The bars function equally well with TVs and speakers for audio synchronization.
The bars are AMAZING at night or in a dark environment. Sure, there are brighter and more powerful choices available, but given the appropriate combination of conditions, they are very striking on their own. You won’t be disappointed if you can accommodate that.
These lights look beautiful on their own and in motion, whether you’ve selected a basic static lighting scheme or something more dynamic, such as a continually changing rainbow flow from their more than 16 million color selections.
The application
Govee Home (Android/iOS), Govee’s companion app for the lights, is the true brains of the operation and a lot of fun to play with. Did I mention it’s gorgeously designed, with everything thoughtfully sorted and set out? The primary page displays the two light bars and allows you to adjust changes to them separately or simultaneously. This page also has Govee’s Effects Lab, a sleep timer, brightness controls, and other modes (Music, Color, Scene, and DIY).
You may quickly change the color of one or both bars by tapping on one of the predefined colors. There’s also the option of selecting a single light segment (each bar has six) and manually selecting its lighting effects from a gradient bar or color wheel for both RGB colors and white temperatures.
Do you want to choose from a few presets? Choose Scenes, which includes entertaining options like Candlelight, Energetic, Aurora, Reading, Snow Flake, and Romantic, among others. If you’re feeling really inventive, visit the DIY section and construct your own lighting scheme.
Takeaway
In general, the Govee Smart LED Light Bars are a reasonably reliable option, particularly when considering the reasonable price range at which they are offered. They provide a configuration that is versatile and easy to use, as well as many control choices and support for segmenting lights.
If you simply want a basic ambient backlighting effect for your TV or computer display, these light bars are a fine alternative for the price range. However, they need a dark room to shine in, so make sure you have one available. If this is the case, they are an excellent choice for workplace spaces in homes, dormitories, and even entertainment centers.
The lights and the software that controls them are both a lot of fun to experiment with, and they contribute significantly toward making movie night a more immersive experience without breaking your wallet.
PROS
Reasonably Priced
Easy, flexible installation
Segmented light control
CONS
Brightness could be better
Laggy app
Cables are messy
