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SMART HOME

TECH FEATURE

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A QUICK STRIP

Smart light strips can be very handy for installing subtle – or even blatant, if that’s your go – lighting highlights in your space. Beyond classic kitchen bench lighting, try under the bed to give it a welcoming glow, around your TV, or put fab collectibles in the spotlight. Govee RGBIC LED Strip Light M1 Kit Billed as the world’s first Matter strip, all of which are selectable as colour or white. Just load up the handy companion app and get creative, programming you own scenes, using preprogrammed ones, and even getting your lighting synced with your music. Nanoleaf 4D Screen Mirror and Light Strip Kit Zhuzh up your viewing space, be it a TV or computer monitor, with this clever light strip kit. In lengths for up to 65- or 85-inch screens, and including everything you need to get going, you can sync your lighting – installed behind the screen – to all of the onscreen action, adding a whole new entertainment dimension. Control options are app, compatible light strip, Govee have packed an amazing 60 super-bright LEDs per metre into this two-metre-long

SMARTEN UP YOUR LIGHTING LIFE The smart home has done amazing things with ways that you can bring light into your life. We’re here to help you take your home’s lighting from dunce to dux with the lowdown on where smart lighting is at, and why it’s for everybody. Words Bec Summer

physical remote, and voice, and it’ll sync to other Nanoleaf lights, too.

SMART LIGHTING? At its simplest, smart lighting refers to sources of light that can be controlled remotely, adding convenience – and

for making an incredible at-home cinema experience are pretty much limited only by your imagination. Or you can just play with various colours in the app, or with voice control. Then there’s the environmental – and economic – impact. With their low thirst for electricity yet brilliantly bright performance, replacing old school lights with shiny new smart LEDs could pay for itself sooner than you think. And with lifespans that run into decades rather than months, you won’t need replacements anytime soon! THE RIGHT LIGHT How do you pick the lights that are the best fit for you? Working out what you’d like to do with your lighting is the place to start. With solutions ranging from bulbs to strips, string lights, lamps and more, with a little effort it’s easy to give all of your old style lighting the smart treatment. Best of all, you can work up to a totally amazing system incrementally, one smart light at a time.

personal expression – to how you light your surroundings. This may be via smartphone app remote control, automation, or even telling your home exactly what you want to happen using voice commands. WHY WOULD I WANT IT? Have you ever arrived home in the dark, arms laden with groceries, fumbled for a light switch and spectacularly dropped everything? Imagine being able to simply tell your home to turn the lights on for you? Well, you can. That’s just one simple, practical scenario. Essentially, smart lighting offers new levels of control. You could use sensors to trigger a sequence of lighting as you approach, turn lights on and off at random intervals while away to deter would-be burglars, and on the more fun side of things, the opportunities

GLAMP AT HOME Getting into smart lighting and need a new lamp? Tick two boxes at once with

the super-modern Govee RGBICW Corner Floor Lamp . From reading light to getting your party lit up, it features hands-free voice control, 58 preset scene modes, a music mode, and more.

30 NOVEMBER 2023

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