I am quite a big fan of the Cololight Pro range. I reviewed these hexagon blocks last year and afterwards, even purchased additional lights to add to the base stand. While the lighting setup was not perfect due to some disconnection issues and power problems using a USB adapter, the range makes for some great ambient lighting for gamers, smart home users and generally anyone. Lifesmart has now released a new range of RGB lights called the Cololight MIX and it aims to improve on the hexagon blocks while offering entirely new features at the same time.
Lifesmart says this new Cololight MIX packs a dual-core processor that provides 3 times the performance while also powering the new RGB lighting array that enables some cool new effects. It is also battery powered and has two ways that it can be powered which is great news for those who struggled with powering multiple lights on the hexagon model.
The Cololight MIX is substantially larger than other RGB lights on the market. Keep in mind that this Cololight MIX isn’t meant to replace the Hexagon. It is simply another option alongside the Cololight strip.
You can purchase the Cololight MIX in various ways. Lifesmart sells the three-pack, the MIX extension and the single base pack. Lifesmart sent me the single-pack that included the following:
Cololight MIX light
USB C cable
2 x Connector Plates
2 x 3M Adhesive Tape
Lifesmart also sent me the 24 volt 3A power adapter which can be purchased separately. This adapter is important if you plan on expanding your MIX collection and are worried about your USB C power adapter not being strong enough to power all of your lights. This is my issue with the Hexagon range at the moment. When I turn up my 9 lights behind 50% brightness, they freeze and shut down due to the USB adapter not being powerful enough.
You can also purchase a rechargeable battery that is recharged using this adapter or USB C cable. It turns the light into a portable solution. You will need to buy a specific 18650 Li-On 7200Mwh rechargeable battery. That is equivalent to 2000mAh. The bigger your battery, the longer this light will last you.
The Cololight MIX is a giant black slab with the circular RGB light on top of it. Underneath the circular hood, there are 32 light beads that are all programmed individually. The black base acts as the power unit for the device and features two round discs on each corner. The one round disc is a button that toggles the light. Surrounding each disc is also two slots that are used to connect other Cololight MIX lights to one another. The connectors slide in using a special chip design.
Underneath the black block, you’ll find the two power ports. One is the USB C port and the other is for the 24v adapter. Lifesmart says that users can connect up to 11 MIX lights using a USB C cable and a 24v 1A adapter. Anything past 11 MIX lights requires an additional power adapter. Keep this in mind when expanding your MIX collection.
The black base is also magnetic which is great for fridges and metal surfaces. It came in handy during loadshedding as I just set the light to white and stuck it on my fridge. There are also two placeholder slots for the 3M tape that comes in the box. This is a godsend compared to the Hexagon models that are virtually impossible to hang on a wall without a specific hook hammered into the surface.
Setting up the Cololight MIX is similar to the hexagon model. By default, the light works and pressing the button cycles through the various presets. However, the Cololight app is key to getting the most out of the product and that requires syncing the light to your phone.
The app makes it quite easy to do this. I had to just press down the button for a few seconds until the light turn blue. This activated the BlueTooth mode on the light and lets the app sync with the device. After which, I just entered my Wi-Fi password for the modem closest to me and a few seconds later the light was paired to the app.
The app experience isn’t much different from the Cololight Hexagon model. There is a range of preset lighting styles to cycle through. No new ones, unfortunately, and the custom templates to fiddle around with. Given that the Cololight MIX has a bigger light with more beads inside of it, the custom mode has new ways to tweak the viewing experience.
Lifesmart calls these “DIY” and there are 27 lighting styles and 66 different colour profiles. Each profile and style can also be tweaked to a certain speed between 1 and 32. So there are hundreds of different ways to make custom lighting styles here. My favourite was a blend style that never darkened the light much. Rather, different colours merged into one another slowly creating a mesmerizing visual showcase.
You can really go to town on these custom modes to make something unique for your setup. You can also save multiple and simply swap between them all by swiping through the app.
Lifesmart has also included a range of custom, in-house layouts that tweak the light in specific styles. These custom presets range from using one Cololight MIX to five so you’ll need to have invested quite a lot of money in the range to make use of all of them.
Unfortunately, Lifesmart only sent me one Cololight MIX to play with. The range is also not available yet in my country so I could not buy any additional ones either. I would have loved to test out the link to see how multiple lights connected to one another. I will most definitely buy one or two extra when they do release here.
The Cololight MIX also supports Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant so you can issue commands to these home apps to turn on the light and change the mood to something else. Unfortunately, it does not support Apple Homekit. I am not entirely sure what Lifesmart are having issues with Apple Homekit in the entire Cololight range. Even the hexagon model needs to be the “Pro” version to support Homekit. You would think this would just support it out of the box seeing as it is the latest light from the company.
Lifesmart has also made the range a bit confusing to understand. The video which is on the company’s YouTube channel shows off two features that I could it find on this model. There’s the RGB Colour Picker that sees the user place down a red car onto the light and it turns red.
There’s also Wireless Power Support where the user puts his iPhone onto a charger above the light…. It makes no sense what he actually does here because the Magsafe Charger seems to be plugged into a different place and the phone is just on a mount. I have no idea what these two modes are and how to activate them.
There’s also the music mode that flashes the light to whatever sound it detects. It seems to be improved over the Hexagon model and a bit more in-tune to what is actually playing. You can also use your phone’s microphone as the source of the sound.
So Lifesmart has created quite a cool light here. It is bigger and bright and portable. Sure, the software still leaves a lot to be desired and the lack of Homekit means I can’t use it with any of my smart home apps. There’s also the question of that RGB Colour Picker and Wireless Power mode? Where are they? Are these features even real?
READ NEXT : Review: Cololight MIX
I received the Cololight MIX to test out these new ambient lights together with some of my figurines. After spending some time with it, I must admit I’m pretty impressed with these small yet powerful lights. Want to learn more? Let’s jump in!
The Cololight Mix lights are modular, meaning you can hook up several lights to each other in order to create the perfect layout for your set-up. I received the three-pack to experiment with and had a lot of fun with it. In the box, I found Three Cololight Mix Light Panels, Four Connecting plates, Six 3M Adhesive Tape, and a 24 volt 3A power adapter. If you buy the three-pack in stores, you’ll often get a USB Type-C charging cable instead of the adapter but that’s nothing to worry about. Reading through the manual, I noticed the adapter is truly necessary when you’re connecting several lights all at once. If you want to use only one, you’re perfectly safe with the USB charger and rechargeable battery. Straight out of the box, it’s clear the Cololight MIX is designed to be fun and extremely intuitive so, in just mere seconds, I had my three lights all working.
Connecting one light panel to my power source with the power adapter is easy since it’s all pretty straightforward to connect, after you connect the first one, you can attach the other lights using the connecting plates. These small plates are easy to use and thanks to its arrow-like design on top, you’ll always know in which direction you’ll need to connect the other panels. Connecting my other panels to the first one was a bit like magic since they directly started to light up the moment I connected them. It’s all so intuitive and fun that I had a blast finding out my favorite layout while experimenting.
So after I got the lights to work, I was immediately impressed by the power of the lights themselves. The panels run on a Dual Core Processor that supports up to 16 million colors, resulting in a flawless rendering of the 37 independent programmed light beads. Each panel has access to these 37 little light beads and with the help of the app, you can program the way you want so you’ll always have the perfect type of light for the job you want. The freedom you get with the app is unparalleled and gives you countless customization options. Although it’s impressive to mess around with, I must say I was as impressed with the standard patterns as well.
The Cololight Mix comes packed with a couple of pre-programmed settings, which can easily be activated and navigated through using the button on the base of the panel. With a push of the button, you go through the options and jump from one preset to another. All the preset lights really shine bright and I love the way the colors flow into each other, giving you that true ambient RGB feeling. Although they are created to hang in the background of your setup, I actually love them in combination with some of my figurines (amiibo in particular).
As you might have guessed based on the photographs in this article, I think the best way to use the Cololight Mix panels is to bring some of your figurines to life. Since the panels are pretty big, you can easily put one of your small to medium-sized figurines on top of the base to let them come to life with the gorgeous light underneath them. For me, this offered the perfect solution to create better and more dynamic pictures to use on our Instagram channel. It’s perhaps not the most common way of using the Cololight MIX but it’s good to know the option is there. It’s as easy as hanging them behind your setup and thanks to the added freedom you get while using the app, I’m sure you’ll have lots of fun experimenting with the lights, especially if you use them to spice up your photography game.
The Cololight MIX is a fun product that gives you a tremendous amount of freedom to come up with the perfect layout for your setup. The lights are extremely easy to use and to connect, so you’ll have the perfect result in just seconds after you took them out of the box. On top of that, these lights are also the perfect size to spice up your product photography if you’re using them as background lights. If you’re looking for easy-to-use yet powerful modular lights, this is the one you’ll need to have!
The Cololight brand creates very beautiful lighting products, also winning the innovation award at CES. In 2019 with the hexagonal Cololight panels while in 2021 with the Cololight Mix panels. Today we will talk about the latter which has a completely different design from the previous ones. The light emitted is also different, more suffused, and three-dimensional. In both cases, Cololight amazes the quality and reliability of its products. They are smart, therefore compatible with Alexa and Google Home voice assistants. Integrate well and respond well to voice commands. As well as the integrated microphone is also present on the Cololight mix panels.
The contents of the starter pack package include three panels, six double-sided adhesives to hang them on the wall without drilling or to be inserted between one panel and the other for greater stability, a complete power supply operating at 24V / 1A, and 4 clips to connect the panels between them. The latter is used to spread current on all panels. Their operation is very simple: having an "arrow" shape, just insert them in the slots from "+" to "-", always following this direction.
To make the set work, there are more alternatives. The main panel, the one that does not show the positive and negative signs, can work alone with a simple 5V power supply (Type-C input), with a 18650 battery, bigger than a traditional AA battery and more durable; or it is possible to insert the power supply in the 24V / 1A package to control up to 11 panels at the same time, connected in series. As a last method, it is necessary to buy separately, a power supply capable of delivering greater current, 24V / 3A to be precise. In this case, it will be possible to manage from 12 to 30 lights linked together! The main Mix panel controls them all through the physical button on the front. They are also managed through the Cololight application for Android and iOS. Furthermore, being equipped with a microphone and Bluetooth, the lights can move according to the music and connected to the app and integrated into Alexa and Google home, through the voice. In fact, we can give the command: " turn on Cololight Mix " and they will turn on. There is no shortage of color change commands and other customized ones.
The strong point of these Cololight mix panels is definitely the aesthetics. They have an innovative and never-before-seen design . A square structure with the lights in the center in relief. The design is perfectly symmetrical , even with the connections to be made. Beautiful plays of light are created, with all the colored circles spaced apart. They therefore differ from the continuity given by the Cololight hexes. These can be hung on the wall with stickers or, better still, with magnets. Yes, because they have integrated magnets that allow them to remain fixed to metal parts in a solid way. We trivially tested this feature in the refrigerator and the resistance is incredible. Much better than hanging magnets. It will be practically impossible for them to come off if hung using the magnets
Panel dimensions : 128mm x 128mm x 30.6mm
Weight: 165g (Mix), 150g (extension)
Input voltage : 5V / 24V DC or 18650 battery (mix), 24V DC (extension)
Operating temperature: -5 ~ 45 ° C
Operating humidity: 5 ~ 90%
Material : ABS + PC
Maximum power: 7.5W
Control mode: Button / Music / App Cololight
Hue: 16 million RGB colors
Interesting to know that inside each panel there are 37 independent LEDs that create a beautiful play of light. Many more than the 19 contained in the Cololight hexes. It, therefore, guarantees a uniform and compact color rendering without any graininess.
The management of the panels is well done, and there are screens for selectable color effects. In order, we have some dynamic preset multicolor sets, static colors, and scenes created by cololight, downloadable and usable immediately. We find rhythmic effects, moon phases, and even the Olympic rings. Furthermore, it is possible to adjust its intensity from 0 to 100%, and activate the microphone mode (to have movement based on the music, in time). It is compatible with Alexa and Google Home. We have tested the features with the latter and there are no operating problems. It responds well to commands in a responsive manner.
This lamp composed of three panels (starter kit), is versatile in operation, with a modern design, which is totally different from all the other LED panels on the market. The embossed color creates a pleasant atmosphere and you can set the mood of the moment by creating your own effects. It allows us to express all our feelings and creativity through the creation of effects and the positioning of the panels. By being extendable up to 11 panels with the power supply in the pack, we can create interesting shapes. By purchasing a 24V / 3A power supply it is possible to add up to 30, filling many spaces. Thanks to the connections from negative to negative it is also possible to place them one on top of the other, creating pyramids of colors. Moreover, having a magnetic and non-slip base, it is possible to install them on the wall or in any case on special metal structures in our possession.
They are both interesting, smart lamps that connect to the same application, with perfect management. While the hexagonal panels must necessarily be connected to the power supply, on a base, with a controller, the Cololight Mix panels can also be controlled individually (only the main Mix panel) with a battery. They are also not bound when placed on a piece of furniture, on the base. They can be hung with stickers or magnets. They also have a greater number of LEDs, from 19 to 37, also justified by the size, which is more extensive for the Cololight mix. The hexagonal panels are distinguished by their management: in fact, it is possible to connect up to 255 with a single controller, as long as cables are added every 10 panels, all at 5V (smartphone / pc / multi-socket chargers).
The Cololight mixes instead up to 11 with the supplied charger, then you need a more powerful and expensive one to get to 30. The design is different so it depends a lot on taste, hexagons against a square base, and circular light. Both are winners of innovation awards, in different years. In conclusion, they are both very valid, but the hexagons are for all intents and purposes desktop, while the Mix panels are wall-mounted. Together they are an enviable combo for anyone. A perfect set-up for a PC or TV backlight station. In fact, it is possible to create, at a low light intensity, a truly pleasant contour to the displays, which never tires the eye.
They are actually able to illuminate, as, at maximum intensity, they emit strong light.
For all the detailed information you can visit the official website
CREDITS : RisparmiaOnline
READ NEXt : Cololight Pro Review: Core Light with Extensions
Are you looking for a way to embellish and decorate your TV or PC station? Maybe with a colored furnishing lamp with some smart features? Well, today we will talk about a very interesting kit, winner of the Innovation Awards in 2019 at CES.Cololight Pro hexagons with extensions are a fascinating product, easy to install and capable of interacting with music as well.Cololight focuses on the aesthetics of light and shadow, integrating beauty with technology.Through the use of these panels, the company wants not only to decorate our homes, but also to make us feel emotions.Yes, because,being modular, it is possible to create precise shapes, of a favorite character, of a fruit or of something that we like.They can also be arranged in a zig zag, circle or in any case geometric figures.As for the visual effect, however,the application is full of interesting scenic effects.
We used a starter kit + nine expansions. The starter kit in the pro version includes a very heavy stone base , 6 light panels , 6 connectors to power each panel in series with each other, a Cololight Pro controller and 4 fixings , identical to the connectors of the feeding, but shorter. Also included is an additional USB power cable which is used to expand the basic kit. The fasteners are used only to join the panels together, to offer greater solidity to the structure; they do not transmit power signals or light effects. In addition to this starter kit, we have enlarged the lamp with other expansions and within these packages we find only the panel and a power connector . There is no transformer to connect to the power cable. A real shame given the quality of the panels, both construction and operation.
Aesthetics represent the strong point of this product. It varies according to the arrangement of the panels . The most disparate shapes can be created . In our case we wanted to fill an area without any aesthetics. In addition to creating a good atmosphere while watching TV, the stone base with the colored hexagons are a touch of elegant class of furniture. The material used for the panels is plastic , with everything needed for lighting inside. On each side of the panel there are connectors for the fixers and only in one is the connector for the power supply. They can be connected in cascade , so as to have a continuous flow of colors, or two by two, so there will be panels that will change color at the same time. In both cases the flow starts from the controller, which manages everything.
The Cololight MIX comes in a variety of starter kits, with the most affordable edition consisting of 3 Cololight Mix Light Panels and all-important Connections, which is what I began testing the system out with.
Operating temperature : -5 ~ 45 ° C
Power supply : DC 5V 2A
Power consumption : 0.3W idle, Max < 5W
Interface : USB-A
Control mode : Touch button / APP / Voice / Music sync
Extendable Stream Deck : Yes, with separately purchased panels
Maximum Link Extension Light : Each controller can support up to 255 light panels. Each 10 light panels require 1 extra power cable (supplied)
Protocol : 2.4GHz WiFi
Panel materials : ABS + PC
Base material : Stone
LED quantity : 19
Available colors : 16 million
Color rendering index : ≥80
Overall life : up to 30,000 hours
Compatibility : Amazon Alexa, Google Home Assistant
Dimensions and weight:
Luminous panel : 86 * 74.5 * 30.5 mm / 52,5gr
Controller PRO : 73.1 * 45 * 8.9 mm / 30g
Connector : 23.1 * 17.5 * 9 mm / 2.6gr
Fixer : 16.5 * 17.5 * 9mm / 2gr
Stone base : 86 * 86 * 61mm / 550gr
Each panel is equipped with 19 LEDs , dimmable . They are therefore capable of creating soft or very intense light. Furthermore, each of these LEDs is programmable , so it will be managed independently, independently from the others. This is to create lighting effects on each individual panel. In fact, on the application there are many sliding effects on a single panel, which perform circular and colored movements. It is not the classic single-color panel that turns on and off or increases and decreases the light intensity. The interesting feature is that a single base , every single controller, can extend up to 255 panels . An immense structure, capable of covering a large portion of the wall. Also a microphone is integratedwithin the Cololight Pro hexagons; while we listen to the music, the lamp will move in time and the movement sensitivity is also adjustable from the application. For example, if the volume is low, raising the sensitivity will make more lights move (the best effect in our opinion).
Full compatibility with Alexa and Google Home through the dedicated Cololight app. The first time it is turned on it will ask you to install the hexagons and to do this, you will need to press and hold the touch button on the controller for a few seconds. Once this is done, you can use the lamp to its full function. We will have dynamic effects , static colors and custom effects , with the possibility of choosing pre-sets created by cololight itself . For the latter it will be necessary to have a minimum number of panelsand above all to adjust them according to a specific structure. This is because many times they are static, color effects to represent images. We will find Spider-Man , Pumpkins, Christmas Hats and more. You can also create your own effects, to your liking. Connecting it to Google Home was very simple and now we can also control the lamp with our own voice. Also present the installation instructions accessible through settings.
A high-level modular lamp that offers absolute versatility . In fact, it can be managed via a button, via the app, via voice assistants, via music (with microphone) and stream deck . A variety of colors and infinite possibilities . Especially for the specific figures achievable . You also don't need to buy starter kits every time you want to expand the set. Each can manage up to 255. The maximum brightness is excellent, even during the day, over 50% it is very difficult to set it. It is a furnishing lamp, therefore perfect as a low-intensity background. The individual LEDs can be managed independently so as to have wonderful effects even with a few panels. A light that calms the soul and establishes a personalized mood of your choice. The stone base weighs more than half a kilo, offering absolute stability . Too bad for the absence of the power adapter. You need to get one separately. Children will be very happy to be able to sing and move in time as the lamp does. Perfectly in time with the music, with no visible delays .
READ NEXT : Cololight Pro Review: Core Light with Extensions
Cololight, China’s leading smart IoT game and home lighting products company, recently launched the next-generation desktop lighting product: Cololight MIX.
As the winner of the 2021 CES Innovation Award, Cololight MIX is equipped with a 2-core processor that makes it 3 times faster and smoother during the lighting effect transforms compared to other lighting products in the market. Not to mention the 37 build-in LED lamps that are controlled individually by a self-developed lighting change algorithm, it would be the first-time customer could experience such a flawless flow of up to 16 million RGB colors on their desk or walls.
For game and music lovers, Cololight MIX is a must-have product for your home. The built-in AI chip will automatically analyze the music and game audio and perform different dynamic lighting effects that rhyme with the sound to build your personalized luminous environments. Cololight MIX is highly customizable. Also, multiple MIX lights can be spliced together into different shapes with small connectors and the color effects would still be united and harmonized.
Cololight MIX also has a wide range of integration including Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Cololight App, etc. Simply switch between different light effects, set a timer control, adjust the brightness via all the integration through a touch on the screen or even voice control. Imagine after a long day of exhausting work, turning a regular, boring Incandescent-lamp room into a cool, relaxing, and miraculous game room or movie room with one simple command like “Alexa, turn to game mode.” It’s time to put all anxiety away and enjoy the magic world.
Within the past 10 years, Cololight has been dedicated to integrating AI into home IoT products and developing better smart home lighting products for its customers. Besides MIX, Cololight also has a great product design on its lighting strip and hexagon (quantum) lights and has received overwhelming loving feedbacks from their customers.
Cololight released multiple lighting effect display videos and assembly tutorials on their Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/cololightofficial).
For more information about Cololight, please visit https://cololight.com/.
]]>what’s up guys, welcome to how much tech, Odds are, you’ve heard us talk about smart lights at the latest review. And with millions of color and style options, smart assistant integration, and automation abilities,how could we not? If you’re looking to introduce a few smart lighting products into your home. you will not find something best than cololight. in this Article, we are going to review the cololight mix.
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Cololight MIX IS AN SMART LIGHTING SYSTEM That continues to excite. the monoblock creates a diverse and beautiful atmosphere, all the more so if extended with the extensions and future connectable parts. besides various stunning light effects, it’s also featured with a music visualizer. with battery power supply and magnetic attraction, you can light up cololight mix anywhere.
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The Cololight MIX comes in a variety of starter kits, with the most affordable edition consisting of 3 Cololight Mix Light Panels and all-important Connections, which is what I began testing the system out with.
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The actual Cololigh Mix is quite big, measuring *128*30..6mm, and weighs just 165g.And 150g For the Cololigh Mix Extension, The Cololigh Mix is constructed of a mix of plastics, with the front having a beautiful look, but hides the internal LEDs from view. Inside of the blocks is a series of 37 LEDs which give the Cololight Mix the ability to display multiple colors across a single light. The blocks support the industry standard of displaying 16 million different colors and shades of white, along with dimming functionality.
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There are 2 methods to change colors from the cololight mix, first option by use the button on the front of the cololight mix. the second option by using a cololight application. which is a way to cycle through a series of pre-programmed scenes.
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Controls through the app include the ability to swipe through scenes, set solid colors, and toggle power state. Custom scenes can be created through the app, with handy presets available that show off the various animations or motions that the panels are capable of, and scenes can include different speeds and, of course, colors.
Controls through the app include the ability to swipe through scenes, set solid colors, and toggle power state. Custom scenes can be created through the app, with handy presets available that show off the various animations or motions that the panels are capable of, and scenes can include different speeds and, of course, colors.
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In addition to the Cololight app, the system works with all of the major smart home platforms: Alexa, HomeKit, and Google Assistant.
you can also connect the cololight mix using USB type c included, and plug in the USB A in any 5-volt source, for example, a laptop.
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Surrounding the button is a hole which is a microphone that allows the system to react to music or noise within a room.
Cololight Mix is a smart luminance system that could apply in multiple environments. It enables users to customize a unique home ambiance and make smart lighting possible through our professional light management system with a few taps on your mobile device through our app. It can be taken to anywhere with a battery power supply and is easy to be fixed to iron, which brings a more convenient creative journey of design.