LED smart bulbs are all over the place now. From generic white to an array of colors and brightness. This LIFX Clean bulb has all the typical features of a LED smart bulb, from adjusting the tone of white to practically any color you can imagine. However, this one has an added feature of emitting high-energy visible (HEV) light. This is essentially near the UV light spectrum that is supposed to be able to destroy bacteria. In all practicality, it can destroy bacteria, as well as other cells. However, without lab tests myself, this bulb feels more like a sense of well being without knowing its actual effect. Installation and setup was simple. Screw it in, download the app, ensure the phone is on your 2.4 Ghz WiFi and the app did the rest. The app took a second to figure out as they simplify things a lot, but once you explore it a bit, there are a lot of features. From preset colors, changing the white from 1500K to 9000K, themes if you have multiple bulbs or even special effects, like Spooky that makes the bulb sort of flicker like it was possessed. The only thing with the effects is that it is the app controlling it the whole time, so it runs in the background of your phone. The app is also the only way in which you can control the clean function though. As it was simple enough to connect to Google Home, it just doesn’t have a command to set to clean. I did have a couple times where I had to close the app out as it would freeze or not allow any function if it was left in the background for a bit. It even locks up on the effects from time to time. As for the clean function, it came with a little card that you can leave out that shows it was affected by the HEV light. At normal ceiling level, a single bulb looked to have no significant change. However, at close levels, like a foot or two away, you could see the card change color. I have a UV flashlight that does the same thing to the card but even faster. So, if this card is a true indication of the effects of the HEV mode, then it really seems that it is meant for closer light settings, like an adjustable lamp that can be brought closer to the surface you hope to disinfect. Maybe with multiple bulbs it could make a difference as a room light. Overall, this is a nice smart bulb that just works on your WiFi and has an additional feature of emitting HEV light. The app could use some work to prevent the lock ups, but it does its job. If you want the added possibility of destroying some bacteria under a light while still having all the functions of a normal smart bulb, I don’t think there are any other options out there yet. To get the most effect out of the HEV though, it needs to be close to the object.

The LIFX Clean light bulb is really a “light device” and not just a light bulb, that can do several things that a standard LED bulb can’t do. It will fit into any regular screw-in lamp socket, but it does have a non-traditional shape so it may not work in lamps where the shade rests on top of a bulb. Via it’s app, you connect it to your WiFi (2.4 ghz only, but at least no hub or base station is required), and can literally do just about anything you can think of at that point… change the color to any number of colors (they say “billions”, but put plainly – any color you want). You can dim it to a dim night light or brighten it to up to 1100 lumens - equal to a 75 watt incandescent bulb. After some fiddling with the appropriate third-party smart device apps, you can also get this to work with Amazon Alexa, Apple Homekit, or Google as well for voice controls. I found the app to be the best for me, as it gives you more detailed control. There are 45 pre-built color shades in the app’s Palette area, but you can customize and save your own warm and cool colors. There’s a Themes page that seems to mix colors to create certain types of moods – I found this to really just be some more color mixes, basically. Brightness can go from 1% to 100% full, so this can be used as a normal room light, mood, or night light. You can set up schedules for the light to come on and off as well. My one complaint is that the app is a bit fiddly… there are many areas you can go into, but not instinctively, and you have to explore quite a bit to find your way into a variety of different settings pages; it would have been much better to just have one large settings page that you can scroll down until you find the area you’d like to change, rather than varied areas buried in the app. What differentiates this version from others in LIFX’s lineup though is it’s “HEV Light” cleaning function. By now, many know that UV-C light will kill many bacteria and viruses, and you can get devices that use UV-C bulbs to sanitize phones, or pretty much anything else within a matter of minutes. The problem is, UV-C light can damage human skin and eyes, as well as harm pets, plants, and more in your home. Those types of devices are usually reserved for boxes or tanks where the UV light doesn’t escape (outside of hospital settings, etc). HEV light is said to kill many types of bacteria such as E. coli and S. aureus, and is safe around you and your pets – but instead of doing so in a few minutes, it can take 90 minutes or even several hours, depending on how far the light is from objects or a surface; it also hasn’t been shown to do much in the way of killing viruses – just a limited number of bacteria. So, for this reason, the LIFX Clean HEV function is really suggested to be used during cleaning cycles that last for hours, such as at night when you are asleep. As an example, you could put this bulb in a desk lamp aimed down at your keyboard or other items, or in a pendant light fixture in your bathroom aimed down toward the bathroom surfaces, and then schedule a clean cycle overnight while you are sleeping, to help reduce certain bacteria from those areas. In other words, it’s not a full sanitizing type light like UV-C so don’t expect that, but will REDUCE bacteria in a given area. I’ve tried this using a clip-on lamp in my bathroom and in my room lamp; now, I do not have scientific equipment that can measure bacteria, so I have no way to verify that the light did or did not kill anything lurking in there, but there was no ozone smell you’d get from UV-C, and it certainly did no harm. They do include a small card that changes color when exposed to the HEV light as opposed to the other shades, so that says something in terms of HEV being on a different wavelength. Overall I really like this bulb. I like being able to adjust one bulb to any level of brightness or color that I want, or simply tell Alexa to turn it on or off. In terms of the HEV sanitizing function – you have to really want and need this specific function in order to justify the bulb’s price; there are other bulbs in LIFX’s and others’ lineups that will allow you to just control colors and brightness for less money, but if you can use the HEV features, hey, it’s potentially less germs in your house! I recommend it based mostly on the light/app features since I can’t test the HEV results, but it’s a neat function to add. My one suggestion would again, be to streamline the app quite a bit to make it easier to get into one main settings area as opposed to SO MANY options scattered throughout the app.

Setup is simple. Install like any lightbulb, connect phone to the wireless SSID it provides, then follow setup via the LIFX or HomeKit app. Once added there, it's easy to add to Google Home app as well via connecting with LIFX. Once connected and using your app of choice, you can change colors or brightness to preference. The cleaning function only works in the LIFX app directly. This is a pretty novel feature for this day and age, however, little scientific research has been done with this lighting technology, and it is recommended to have the light on for a few hours to fully disinfect. LIFX is pretty clear as well the cleaning does NOT kill the COVID-19 virus, but it does clean other bacteria, so this is still a very beneficial feature. The LIFX app lets you set cleaning schedules for length and time of day. It seems to recommend night time running for a couple of hours. Overall this is a fantastic smart accessory. Works with all major virtual assistants, no hub requires, and works great.

Lifx’s smart light bulb is amazing and the HEV light to kill bacteria is a plus. But there are some caveats that I will go into later. The ultra-bright light makes this a worthwhile desk lamp or a light that shines down on your kitchen counter. Along with the incredible brightness, there is a myriad of colors you can choose from. Don’t like the colors? There are also whites available ranging from 1500-9000k. In this review, I will go into more in-depth about whether this smart light is worth it. ============== IN THE BOX: In the box, the Lifx bulb is tightly packed, a get started manual, and a card(pictured below) that allows one to test the HEV light on the bulb. The card changes color when it is exposed to the HEV light. Down below I have the pictures posted of the before and after. ============== SET-UP: Setup was quick and simple. Note, I installed the bulb on a floor lamp and a desk lamp. I’ll go into later on which one was more worth it. All that was needed for set-up was to install the bulb in a light fixture, turn on the bulb, and download the Lifx app from Google Play or the App Store. Once the app is downloaded, open the app, and go through the setup process to connect the bulb to your Wi-Fi. ============== LIGHTING AND LIFX APP: This light bulb is indeed bright. The brightness is adjustable through the app if you don’t like the brightness right out of the box. I’ve never really thought of getting a smart RGB light bulb until this one. As this is my first time using a smart light, I have no way to compare it to others, but after using the light bulb for a couple of days, this was honestly a neat experience. I used the light on both a desk lamp and a floor lamp. And ultimately, this light works best with desk lamps. In a floor lamp, the shape of the bulb resulted in less light coverage in an area compared to a typical shaped bulb. Note that results may vary depending on the light fixture. The app works flawlessly with the light bulb. Kudos to Lifx for the successful integration between the two items. There are many ways to customize this light bulb through the app. You can create a schedule for when you want it on or off. If you have more Lifx bulbs, you can create groups that allow you to group the light bulbs depending on what room they are in and control them all using the app. RGB lighting with a myriad of colors, whites ranging from 1500k to 9000k is all available as well. Want to create a cool scene using themes? That is available through the app as well. ============== HEV CLEANING: This light bulb does NOT use UV light to kill bacteria but rather HEV light which is safe around humans. I was a bit skeptical at first but after doing some research, HEV mode does work but with some limitations. I have linked a study below concerning the antimicrobial efficacy of HEV light. In short, HEV cleaning works but there are some caveats to this. Cleaning works best when the object or surface is closer to the light. The farther the object or surface is from the light, the least effective HEV cleaning is. I recommend this light bulb for desk lamps due to this fact. Also, another factor that affects how much bacteria can be killed is running time. HEV light kills bacteria at a much slower rate compared to UV light so it will be required to run the light for hours for optimum results. I think this makes HEV cleaning inefficient and ultimately, regular sanitization of surfaces is the better choice. Study: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0219/0638/files/QL20343-2A_An_Evaluation_of_the_Antimicrobial_Efficacy_of_HEV_Light_Report_FINAL.pdf?v=1614653165 ============== CONCLUSION: Overall, this Lifx light bulb is a solid choice if you are looking for a smart bulb with many customization options. But to buy this just for the HEV cleaning, I would not recommend buying this light bulb if that is your only reason to get this. HEV cleaning works but is inefficient due to how long one needs to run the light for, and the distance of the light affects efficacy as well. Regular cleaning and disinfecting of surfaces is more effective overall. While HEV cleaning isn’t the best part of this light bulb, the “smart” aspect of this bulb was solid and worked exceptionally well.

LiFX is the best smart bulb that is available on the market right now. Awesome and easy to use app, out of the box integration with Apple HomeKit, Google Home and Alexa, ability to control the bulb locally (via local network, with no internet access), easy install (if you have an iPhone - you don't even need a LiFX app - just turn the bulb on, go to your phone wifi settings - bulb will show up there all ready to be setup) - all this makes LiFX a market leader, add a very good color reproduction and 1100 Lumen brightness - you have the best choice! No hub is required either, bulbs connect to 2.4 GHz WiFi on their own. I love LiFX bulbs and use a ton in my home. However - this bulb says it can help fight bacteria. Not viruses (so it won't help with COVID-19), just the bacteria. UV light is the most common, proven and effective way to kill unwanted organisms, Sun light has some UV in it! However UV is harmful for humans and animals, that's why it's generally recommended that room with UV light in it is not occupied for the cleaning time. This is not ideal for the home use. LiFX decided to come up with an alternative - HEV (High Intensity Visible) light. It's not harmful for humans nor pets, but it's not recommended to get exposed to either. The idea of this bulb is easy - just use it in your desk lamp or let's say your kitchen island lights as a normal bulb, but switch it into "Clean" mode when room is not occupied (like at night). It will glow blue and supposedly kill harmful bacteria. Is it efficient in doing this? Studies I was able to find (all links below) demonstrate that yes, however bulb has to be within 4 feet from the surface and run for 12 hours to get rid of the 98% of bacteria on the surface. Running for 8 hours will reduce the efficacy to 90%. There are the links: https://www.lifx.com/pages/an-informational-guide-to-hev-disinfection https://buddy.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/LIFX-Clean-Passes-US-Testing-Ready-for-Retailer-Orders.pdf https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0219/0638/files/QL20343-2A_An_Evaluation_of_the_Antimicrobial_Efficacy_of_HEV_Light_Report_FINAL.pdf?v=1614653165