Top 10 Smart Lights That Become The Center of Attention and Brighten Up Your Everyday Life

Although they were still novelties a few years back, smart homes have started to become more common these days. It’s not a complete makeover, though; just a few embracing connected appliances and devices to automate the boring rote things in their lives. Some people are afraid to take the plunge because of misconceptions about the complexity and cost of upgrading to a smart house, but there’s really no need to go all out all at once. You can always start simple and work up to a more sophisticated setup, and nothing gets simpler than lights that can automatically turn on or off without you pushing a single switch or button. To help get you started, here are ten of the best smart lighting options in the market, whether you need an artistic indoor lamp to set the right mood or a bright outdoor light to protect you and your loved ones.

1. Gingko Moon Lamp

We all love a little magic in our lives, even if it’s just something that to look at for a short period of time. The right lights can do that with a mesmerizing light show, but what if you could take the magical feeling a step further? What if you could almost literally shrink down the moon and put it on your desk, always available for you to behold in awe whenever you feel like it?

The Gingko Moon Lamp is more than a moon-shaped light source, though it does that splendidly with a texture that closely mimics the surface of the moon. It floats on top of its wooden pedestal like magic and rotates slowly to enchant you with its mystical charm. It’s also eco-friendly, made from biodegradable PLA and reclaimed wood, giving it an internal and unseen beauty that is reflected in its otherworldly visage.

Click Here to Buy Now: $199

2. Halo Rise

Most lights are naturally designed to provide illumination in the dark, so they don’t have much use when you actually need the room to be dark, like at night. Not everyone wants to have a bedside lamp turned on all night, but almost everyone wants to wake up to a gentle light, almost like the sunrise. The latter has become especially important after studies show how beneficial such a kind of light is to the body and mind when waking up.

Halo Rise is a bedside lamp that provides such a feature and then some. When you’re asleep, it acts as a sleep tracker you don’t have to wear that lets you keep tabs on the quality of your sleep to improve it. And when it’s time to wake up, it simulates the sunrise to wake up in the most natural way. While most lights just work to let you see in the dark, Halo Rise works even at night to ensure you’ll get the best and most restful sleep you deserve.

Click Here to Buy Now: $139.99

3. Moonside Neon Crystal Cube

Sometimes, lighting is meant less to provide illumination and more to add accents to a space. This is often the case for lamps with peculiar patterns or softer lights that can evoke certain moods, depending on what they’re showing. Their functionality might not be as critical as, say, ceiling lights or reading lamps, but they’re still important in setting up a more comfortable atmosphere, depending on your preferences.

The Moonside Neon Crystal Cube is an intriguing product that practically puts a lighting art piece on your desk or shelf. Bright LEDs can be controlled independently to produce single swathes of soothing colors or a kaleidoscopic light show bursting with life, setting the correct mood that you need at any given time.

Click Here to Buy Now: $153 $218 (29% off).

4. IKEA Symfonisk

By definition, lamps are visual products, and depending on their location, they’re designed to be either eye-catching or invisible. In reality, there are really not that many limitations to what a lamp can do as long as they are able to provide the most basic function of illumination. That means that they can not only be works of art but also function as other devices as well.

The IKEA Symfonisk is one such example of a multi-functional lamp that looks exquisitely elegant. It comes as a cylindrical table lamp with a rather unique circular lampshade, but its secret power is that it’s also a 360-degree Wi-Fi speaker as well. It’s a product that looks good and sounds good, even when the light is turned off.

Click Here to Buy Now: $178.99 $239.99 (25% off).

5. Ring Solar Floodlight

The majority of smart lights you’ll see in the market are all meant for indoor use. After all, those are the easiest to replace in your life and also the most dynamic. Depending on how often you move around, these lights might be turned on and off multiple times a day, so automating their switches has the most return on investment for not so much effort.

The Ring Solar Floodlight brings that same convenience to an area that’s often taken for granted in homes or rather outside of homes. It provides bright light that can be controlled automatically or through a variety of apps and services, and it can even be connected to other Ring devices like the Ring doorbell for improved home security. Best of all, it’s solar powered, so you don’t have to worry about the added burden on the environment and your electricity bill.

Click Here to Buy Now: $89.99

6. Nanoleaf Elements

While picking smart lighting is serious business, that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun as well. Selecting the right pieces and combining them in a pleasing way can feel almost like a puzzle game. Most lights, however, limit you to a specific arrangement, but there are some that provide a bit more flexibility, allowing you to design the final appearance of the puzzle.

With its hexagonal panels, the Nanoleaf Elements leaves you free to mix and match pieces as you wish. They may look like wooden pieces when turned off, but these lighting panels come to life in both static and dynamic ways, depending on your whim at the moment. They also make for interesting wall decor, even when they’re not providing mood lighting to your living area or room.

Click Here to Buy Now: Starting from $249.99

7. Teno

Most of the eye-catching smart lamps tend to attract attention with their dazzling colors and psychedelic light shows, but that can sometimes turn out to be a bit overwhelming for some tastes. Other people prefer to spark interest with subtler yet more manageable designs, particularly ones that are minimalist yet intriguing. A form-changing lamp would definitely fall under that category, especially one that doesn’t look anything like a lamp at all.

At first glance, Teno looks like a bowl-shaped stone with a large crack in the middle. Pull it open sideways, however, and you will be greeted by an almost otherworldly glow. What’s even more unexpected is that the product is also a smart speaker in disguise. Minimalist, aesthetic, tactile, and functional, it’s a one-of-a-kind lamp that can do many things without looking pretentious.

Click Here to Buy Now: $350

8. Twinkly Squares

Who says that lamps should only emit a single hue or an amorphous combination of colors? While that’s definitely the most efficient type of lighting for practical purposes, you don’t need to be limited by such considerations in this smart age. Going beyond just dynamic lighting, you can even turn part of your wall into an almost literal work of art, and you don’t have to burn a hole in your wallet with a flat wall TV.

Twinkly Squares are smart LED wall panels that let you put pixel art images and designs on your wall, turning your living space into the next smart attraction. Whether you’re displaying a static picture or moving patterns of colors and lines, these squares give not only brighten up the area but make it pop to life with eye-catching visuals any time of the day. Of course, everything is controllable through apps, and it can even sync with the lights of your PC gaming rig.

Click Here to Buy Now: Starting at $249.99

9. Govee Lyra Corner Floor Lamp

We sometimes have preconceived notions of what lamps should look like, but you’d be surprised at the variety of shapes and designs available out there. Not all lights need to be mounted on walls or ceilings, and neither do they need to be put on top of desks and surfaces. There are lamps that stand tall on floors, for example, and there are some that can even look like nondescript sticks you’d never expect to be a lamp at all.

The Govee Lyra almost disappears into the background when you place it in a corner of the room, but the moment you turn its RGB lights on, it becomes the life of the party. You can combine a variety of colors and effects to literally light up the space, or you can select a more solid but softer glow that won’t hurt your eyes when you read. Whether it’s actually on a corner or standing against a wall, this tall RGB glow stick is sure to catch anyone’s attention and make you the talk of the town.

Click Here to Buy Now: $109.99 $149.99 (20% off + get additional $10 off with code ‘FL10’)

10. MOMAX QL1 Desk Lamp with Wireless Charger

Fancy lighting and mood-setting lamps might be great for creating a proper atmosphere, but when it comes to functional lighting for work or study, simpler is better. Simple doesn’t have to mean simplistic, though, and there is plenty of room for the venerable desk lamp to have a meaningful upgrade. From smooth moving parts to premium materials to extra features that don’t get in the way, all it takes is some creative thinking to pull it all together.

MOMAX did exactly that with its QL1 Desk Lamp, which at first glance, looks like a desk lamp like any other. The use of high-quality materials, however, sets it apart from the common lot, and its gentle LED makes sure your eyes don’t get too strained even after hours of working. Even better, its base reclaims desk space by functioning as a Qi-compatible wireless charger, providing you with a 2-in-1 smart product that doesn’t get in the way of your productivity.

Click Here to Buy Now: $56.99 $62.99 (10% off )

The post Top 10 Smart Lights That Become The Center of Attention and Brighten Up Your Everyday Life first appeared on Yanko Design.

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CES 2016: Wulian’s Latest IoT and Smart Home Devices

Wulian Dream Flower Smart Vase CES 2016

Besides drones and various computer parts, another segment that has really picked up steam at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show is IoT and the smart home industry, in general, thanks to such exhibitors as Wulian.

Chinese company Wulian is a member of the ZigBee Alliance along with other such big players as Philips, Samsung, Logitech, Bosch, and Comcast, and it’s great to see that actual tech titans have converged on creating a standard for smart home devices, which is known as the ZigBee protocol.

Just to give you an idea about how many products Wulian has exhibited at CES 2016, the company had to set up seven exhibit areas: Smart Lighting, Access Security Control, Electrical Appliances Control, Wireless Monitoring System and Environmental Monitor. All of these are related one way or another to IoT and smart home systems, which are exactly the industries Wulian activates in.

The Dream Flower smart vase, picture above, represents the perfect combination between elegant design and technology. It’s very stylish and unobtrusive, so many of your guests will have no idea that it actually has more than just an aesthetic role. In fact, the Dream Flower smart vase acts as a comprehensive environment detector. It connects to dual-band Wi-Fi and provides information about the levels of PM 2.5, CO2, VOC gases, and even noise. On top of that, it comes with voice broadcasting capabilities and can light up in one of 16 million colors.

Secondly, the company has unveiled the Cylincam, a multi-function HD cam that features IR night vision and two-way communication. While this sounds great for a device meant for protecting your home, I can also see it working as a baby monitor. The 720-degree rotation enables it to be great for home monitoring, as well.

Up next is Wuilan’s Mini Gateway, which amazes with its small dimensions that actually qualify it for the title of the smallest gateway in the Smart Home Industry. It has numerous functions, and among many other things, it can work as a night lamp or a signal repeater for Wi-Fi networks. The built-in infrared sensor enables it to pick up movements that in turn trigger the night lamp function. Much like the Dream Flower smart vase, the Mini Gateway can let you know when someone is at the door, assuming you have it connected to a doorbell.

Home security is an aspect that couldn’t have been left behind. The Wulian Smart Door Lock features infrared intrusion detectors snaps photos when people approach the door, so you know at all times if there are any invited or uninvited guests in the neighborhood. The lock even sports a Stress mode that can be activated when family members feel threatened. Upon entering a PIN code, an emergency number is dialed, and the problem is solved, one way or another. The Smart Lock enables access based on fingerprint, password, NFC and remote keys, so it’s very versatile.

Not at last, Wulian has developed a Smart Home App that manages all of the above devices, and even lets you control them using an Apple Watch. Besides that, the app features such functions as remote control, time setting, scenes control, interactive communication, NFC and even GPS.

This is the last day of CES 2016, so if you haven’t checked Wulian’s exhibit areas, head over to Sands Expo Level 2, Hall A, 71531 and see some of their ZigBee devices with your own eyes.

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about the Logitech Circle smart camera for home monitoring, or the SwannOne smart home smartphone app.

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AirBulb Is a Smart LED Light Bulb with a Wireless Speaker

AirBulb Smart LED Bulb with Wireless Speaker

When Edison, Swan and Maxim each invented their version of light bulb, they probably even couldn’t conceive that someday a closely related device would also include a wireless speaker.

Avantconcept, the Hong Kong company who developed the AirBulb have a pretty simple motto for this product: “Where there is light, there is music.” I beg to differ, as some people prefer listening to music in the dark, not to mention that there are plenty of illuminated spaces that are dead silent. However, the motto clearly refers to the two functions of AirBulb, respectively smart lighting and audio, that were cleverly brought together in a space-saving device.

Since this device is at the same time an LED light bulb and a speaker, the fact that it has the potential of saving people a bit of space will definitely come to mind first, but this is far from being the only good thing about AirBulb. The LED light bulb features color temperature control, not to mention that it also can be turned on and off or dimmed via an iOS or Android app.

The incorporated speaker is wireless, meaning that it can stream music from smartphones and tablets to which it connects via Bluetooth LE 4.0. The smart LED light bulb, on the other hand, has various flashing patterns, and can notify people of any incoming calls. Avantconcept also included alarm and timer modes, which were borrowed from Hi-Fi audio systems. All of these are very useful features, especially considering that they are all offered in a single product.

Installing the AirBulb is rather simple. After screwing it in the (presumably E27 or E14) slot, users need to install the companion app either from the iTunes App Store or Google’s Play Store. Next, they need to pair the smartphone or tablet with the smart light bulb and start playing with AirBulb’s settings. All in all, this smart lighting gadget seems bulkier than other smart bulbs, but considering its added functionality, I’m willing to turn a blind eye on that.

The developers of AirBulb started a Kickstarter two weeks ago, and the whole thing had 28 more days to go at press time. Early birds had the chance of securing an AirBulb for $59, but unfortunately all those spots are gone. The other backers need to provide $69 in order to get their smart bulb, in case the project gets funded.

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about the

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