How To Use LIFX With HomeKit
Smart lighting brand LIFX remains one of the top tier smart lighting products on the market. With a variety of unique lighting products and a reputation for bright, rich colors they make a great addition to any smart home. This good news for users of Apple HomeKit is that LIFX has native support for the platform across their whole product range.
Does LIFX Work With HomeKit?
In the early days of LIFX support for Apple HomeKit was not available. This led to various community efforts to make them work with Apple’s smart home platform. The go-to solution for a while was a dedicated plugin for the open-source bridge software Homebridge.
LIFX did come to the party, though, and added official HomeKit support later. This implementation was initially fairly flaky, with unreliable response times, drop-outs, and even completely losing the HomeKit pairing during firmware updates. This led plenty of power users, myself included, to continue to rely on the third-party solution for a while longer.
Thankfully things have improved markedly over the last couple of years, and I now find the HomeKit support quite stable and responsive. The LIFX Homebridge plugin has been retired and is no longer actively supported.
How To Add LIFX Lights To HomeKit
There are a couple of approaches you can take to getting your LIFX products into HomeKit. Both of these are fairly straigthforward thanks to LIFX using basic 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi for their communication. The lack of a hub is something LIFX has made out to be a big selling point, regardless of whether it actually matters or not. Nonetheless, it does make things a bit simpler in this case.
The two ways to add a LIFX light to HomeKit are:
Pair it directly using the HomeKit QR code.
Pair it via the LIFX app.
Regardless of which method you initially choose, you’ll need the HomeKit pairing code for each light as LIFX devices are seen by HomeKit as independent accessories thanks to that lack of a central hub.
Before starting either step be sure to have your light plugged into to power, or a light socket as applicable, and turned on. Give it a few seconds to boot up and be ready to pairing. You’ll need to have the quick start leaflet that came with the light ready in order to enter the HomeKit pairing code. This will be in the form of a QR code on the back of the leaflet.
1 - Pairing Directly
Open the Apple Home app.
Tap on the + icon in the top right corner and select Add Accessory.
Scan the QR code with your iPhone camera when prompted.
The accessory type will be identified, tap the button Add to “Apple Home”.
Wait for the setup to complete, you’ll then be prompted to add the new light to a ‘room’ in your HomeKit setup.
Complete the HomeKit settings by selecting the room, name, and any scenes or automations you want to add it to.
The new light will now be ready to use.
The QR code will be on the back of these.
Scan the QR code in the Home app.
The accessory type should be recognized.
2 - Pair Through The LIFX App
Open the LIFX App.
Tap the + icon in the bottom left corner.
Tap New Product, then New Light or New Switch as required.
Tap the green arrow to move past the Getting Started information.
The app will attempt to identify any unconfigured products for you. Your new light should appear here. Tap on it to select, then tap on the green arrow to continue.
Select the Apple Home to use (if you have more than one), then tap the green arrow.
You’ll now be prompted for the Apple pairing code. Enter it here from the leaflet or tap Use Camera to scan it automatically.
The accessory setup will proceed the same as the direct pairing process above, but this will also add it to the LIFX app.
Tap Light or Switch as required under the Add screen.
Any unconfigured lights should appear here.
The device is being put into setup mode ready for adding to your Wi-Fi network.
Adding existing LIFX lights to HomeKit
If you have previously configured LIFX devices in the LIFX app, but haven’t added them to HomeKit, you can do that from within the LIFX app as well. This is also useful if your previous attempt to add the light to HomeKit through the LIFX app failed. You can often complete it the second time by using this method.
Open the LIFX app.
Tap on the light to add from the LIFX dashboard.
Tap the three dots in the top right corner.
Tap on the Light Settings button.
Scroll down to the HomeKit section and tap the Pair button next to the Status.
This will initiate the pairing process and may ask for the pairing code if it hasn’t been entered previously. This will proceed as with the process for adding a new light above.
Good LIFX Devices For HomeKit
While any LIFX smart light will be a good addition to a HomeKit setup, there are a few standouts that are unique to LIFX’s stable.
LIFX Clean
This bulb claims to be able to disinfect areas of your home using High Energy Violet light. While its uses are limited, it does work under the right circumstances.
LIFX Nightvision
These color smart bulbs can also output infra-red light to help boost the clarity and range of security cameras in the dark. These definitely do work and make a great addition to any HomeKit cameras you may have.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I control LIFX lights with Apple HomeKit when I'm away from home?
Yes, you can control your LIFX lights with Apple HomeKit even when you're away from home. However, to enable remote access, you need to have a HomePod or Apple TV set up as a home hub.
Can I group LIFX lights with other HomeKit-enabled devices?
With Apple HomeKit you can create groups of devices, including LIFX lights, to control them simultaneously. For example, you can create a "Living Room" group to control all the lights in your living room with a single command.
Can I automate my LIFX lights with Apple HomeKit?
Yes, you can automate your LIFX lights using Apple HomeKit. The Home app allows you to create scenes and automations based on different triggers like time of day, location, or sensor inputs. For instance, you can set your LIFX lights to turn on automatically when you arrive home.
Do LIFX light features, such as color temperature and brightness control, work with Apple HomeKit?
Yes, Apple HomeKit supports LIFX light features like color temperature and brightness control. You can adjust these settings through the Home app or use Siri voice commands to change the color or brightness of your LIFX lights. Some LIFX features, however, are not available in HomeKit. These include any animated effects or special functions like those found on the LIFX Clean and LIFX Nightvision bulbs. These features can still be triggered via Siri voice commands by setting up a Siri Shortcut using the LIFX app’s integration with that iPhone feature.
Can I integrate LIFX lights with other HomeKit-enabled accessories, like smart locks or thermostats?
Yes, you can integrate LIFX lights with other HomeKit-enabled accessories. HomeKit allows for seamless integration and control of different smart home devices. You can create scenes or automations that involve LIFX lights, smart locks, thermostats, and more.
Are firmware updates for LIFX lights compatible with Apple HomeKit?
Yes, firmware updates for LIFX lights are compatible with Apple HomeKit. LIFX regularly releases firmware updates to improve performance and add new features. These updates can be applied through the LIFX app and will still be compatible with Apple HomeKit.
Can I use the LIFX app and Apple HomeKit simultaneously to control my lights?
Yes, you can use both the LIFX app and Apple HomeKit to control your lights. The LIFX app provides more advanced settings and features specific to LIFX lights, while Apple HomeKit offers a unified interface to control multiple smart devices from different manufacturers.
How secure is the connection between LIFX lights and Apple HomeKit?
The connection between LIFX lights and Apple HomeKit is highly secure. Apple HomeKit uses end-to-end encryption to protect your data and ensure secure communication between your devices. HomeKit also manages all of your smart home accessories locally on your home network, not via any cloud servers. If you have connected the LIFX app to the LIFX cloud, however, there will still be exposure to the internet outside of HomeKit. This is a necessary step for using your LIFX products with other smart home platforms like Alexa or Google Assistant.
