What does the Lightwave rf Lighting Starter Kit do?!

This starter kit contains everything you need to start automating your homes lights. The great thing about this solution is it retrofits your existing light switch and works with most existing lights and fittings.

Due to the way Lightwave works it has an impressive range, meaning the hub can be 15m away from the switch. Unlike ZWave, Zigbee or WiFi with shorter ranges.

How easy is it to setup?

Setup requires basic DIY, as you need to replace your existing switch – if you are unsure please seek professional help. The switch is installed like any ‘normal’ light switch – we did it easily.

You also need to setup the hub and app. Setting up the hub was easy and the app guides you through the setup in a few steps.

What’s the connectivity?

Lightwave rf works with an impressive list of integrations, including:

• Amazon Alexa
• Apple HomeKit
• Google Assistant

These then connect into the scenes and features allowing you to control via voice or the control app, for example Apple Home.

We tested it with Alexa and the command was instantly completed with zero lag.

Lightwave Lighting & Power Starter Kit (Smart Series)

How much does this the Lightwave starter kit cost?

£185 – the good thing is once you have the hub in the starter kit you can buy additional switches from only £59.99. This is reasonable when compared to other smart light solutions, for example Philips Hue.

The switch comes in stainless steel or white, it also includes a handy spacer for switches with a shallow back box.

What’s it like living with it?

Great – the app is full of features including:

• Automation – If you have additional lightwave products like sensors they can be used to automate. As well as a rules and timers.
• Scenes – Allowing you to easily set your favourite scene for TV or reading.
• Schedules – Great for security if you are away on holiday and want to simulate occupancy and make people think you are home.
• Wake Up – Creating gentle wake up routines

One slight frustration was checking if the switch is compatible with existing light fittings, they do have a feature on their website however its not very extensive.

The range is as impressive as advertised, with no issues having the hub quite a distance from the switch.

What are our final thoughts?

This is a different approach to smart lighting and prevents the problem most smart lights have, that when the switch is off the bulb becomes dumb.

Where this solution really comes into its own is it connects to the rest of the Lightwave range, allowing heating, power and presence automation.

The release stated the update would come in Q2 2018 so anytime now!

According to Philips the app is totally redesigned taking into consideration comments feedback and ideas from its users.

The new app will improve daily use, and ensure seamless setup and integration of Hue accessories and new Philips Hue Entertainment partnership integrations. The interface will also enable consumers to instantly access their last used scenes, and to simply group lights and select their desired color temperature or color.

Philips did provide a sneak peak video:

Historically some 3rd party apps have overtaken Philips app in terms of functionality, for example Hue Disco and iConnectHue. So much so Philips even link to the apps in their own official app under ‘Apps we like’ interesting to see if this continues.

We are pretty excited to see what they have done and can’t wait to give it a go. What feature would you like most to see in the update app?

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LED Lights or bulbs connect to a hub that’s connected to the internet via an Ethernet connection.

Bulbs are controlled by an innovative looking motion controlled disc that also doubles up as a switch allowing you to dim the lights between 3 set temperatures – 2200K, 2700K, and 4000K.

Note there is no colour changing functionality, making it aligned with Philips Hue Lux range.

The big difference to this solution is cost, this is very cheap!  Bulbs start from an amazingly low $16.99 with an impressive 25,000 hours life span. While the hub is only $28.49.

One interesting feature is they announced these will be compatible with other products, for example fitting into the hugely popular storage range.

Trådfri has currently only been launched in Sweden – hopefully it with roll out to the U.K. In the near future.

As soon as we can get our hands on one we will give it a full review.

However from what we know so far this is an exciting development as there is currently nothing at this affordable price point in the market.

Here is their super cringe advert for them:

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