If you’re at all interested in RGB lighting but don’t like the idea of shelling out hundreds of dollars on expensive lighting kits and required accessories, Govee is a brand you need to know about. Today, we’re looking at the company’s new beam lighting kit, the Glide Wall Lights. They’re fully customizable, directly challenge the LIFX Beam lighting kit, and come in at $89.99. Are they worth a buy?
Specifications
- Current Price: $99.99 (Amazon, Govee)
- Diffused RGBIC Light Effects
- Govee RGBIC technology features multiple IC chips, which allow the lights to display different colors all at the same time
- 40 Scene Modes & 6 Music Modes (was 8 scenes + 1 music mode before, more comes in the future)
- WiFi-enable, Smart App and Voice Control
- DIY Layout (L or I shape)
The Glide lighting kit is made up of six straight segments and a corner piece used to create an L-shape. Each straight segment is about a foot long, so you’re getting six feet of length total but it’s also possible to use the kit with fewer pieces if that’s too long. The L-bracket (which also lights up and is customizable in the app for a seamless appearance) is a nice addition for trimming the edge of a doorway or window frame or even creating a pattern behind your gaming rig. I only wish Govee had included another piece or two to add more design options.
Each piece has a few key elements. The front is made of a rounded diffuser that does a good job of creating the “light beam” look when fully assembled. Each also has a connection tab on one end and a port on the other. Around the back you’ll find a set of pre-applied command strips, so there’s no drilling required. I’m also happy to see they went with genuine command strips. I’ve used these for years. They hold firm and don’t damage paint when removed, which is always a concern with mystery adhesives.
Under the diffuser, the Glide lights feature bright RGB LEDs, customizable in three zones. Even though they're not technically "warm white" or "WW" LEDs, I was incredibly impressed at the quality of white light produced by these lights. In fact, I thought they were RGBWW until Govee emailed me to let me know otherwise. The app also lets you customize the warmth of the white tones from cool blue to warm amber, making them a good fit for wall lighting. You can also customize each zone with your choice of color. The customizability of its lights is really what makes Govee stand out, whether we’re talking these particular lights or even it’s basic RGBIC light strips. We’ll get to that soon, but the lights are versatile and highly customizable with an easy-to-use app.
Once you’ve settled on a place for them, installing them is easy. I went with a straight line configuration to trim my closet door and chose to connect each piece first and press them into place as a whole unit. You can also connect them piece by piece as you go. Just be sure that you orient them so you have an open port at the bottom or in the direction of your outlet. The power adapter plugs in just like a light strip segment and includes a small box close to the lights with a microphone to deliver its reactive effects.
Once they’re plugged in, they’ll immediately light up but you’ll want to head right to the Govee Home app to add them to your network. These lights connect over WiFi, which means they’re smart home compatible with Google Home or Amazon Alexa. That also means you won’t need to spend time with a physical remote. As you can see in the picture above, when they’re all connected, the Glide wall light really looks like one single unit. The lights are bright and vibrant with nice flowing motion on the animated effects that aren’t deliberately stepped. It’s darn cool.
Inside the Govee Home app, you can completely customize the lights. Take a look through the gallery above to see the plethora of presets and options Govee provides. It’s head and shoulders beyond any other budget lighting kit I’ve found. In fact, just like the Govee Flow Pro light bars (reviewed here), the options are much closer to the heavy hitters like Philips Hue and LIFX. Fitting, since this product takes aim squarely at the LIFX Beam lighting kit. And, just like the Flow Pro kit, after seeing what Govee has delivered here, there’s little reason for anyone not deep into the LIFX ecosystem to choose the Beam kit. It really is that good.
Inside the app, you can choose from a huge array of preset lighting options. There are themed options for different moods, atmospheric options modeled after the desert and ocean, music reactive modes, animations that allow the lighting to streak across the beam, meet in the middle and bounce back, or streak. There are white options for leisure or using them as a night light. If that’s not enough, you’ll also be able to access and download community presets once more users get their hands on them and begin uploading.
If none of those suit your fancy, each of the three segments on each bar can also be independently customized for totally custom lighting schemes. Govee recently updated its app to allow relative brightness settings to further dial in brightness and color saturation. If, for example, you want blues to look deep and dark, you might turn the relative brightness down on just those segments. You can also choose to have the segments appear as hard blocks or gradients. Have a look at the below to see the gradient functionality in action with my own custom scheme.
Taken as a whole package, the Glide kit looks great whether you’re using it for content creation or just to make your space look cool. They definitely pull off the “beam” look, so if you’re looking to add a touch of the futuristic to your game space, these will definitely fit the bill. If you are a streamer, these are also great on camera, especially set bet and a little out of focus. Unlike cheaper lighting products, these won’t cause flickering or banding until you step up to 120 FPS or more, which I can’t say for my Nanoleaf Aurora panels or Philips Hue light bowls that both cost more than the Glide lights. The only issue I found is that they get so bright that the center quickly turns white on camera, so you’ll need to play with brightness if you want to avoid that.
Pictures do a better job than words here. Have a look and see for yourself.
Final Thoughts
Govee is a reality check on the RGB lighting industry. The Glide Wall Light Kit is yet another product from the company that makes you wonder how brands like LIFX and Philips have gotten away charging so much for so long. At $89.99, the Glide Wall Light Kit is a great value and only becomes more so when you compare it against the LIFX Beam kit which still retails for $119 on sale. If you’re looking for an easy enhancement to your game space or even just an injection of “modern” elsewhere in your home, these lights are an excellent buy.
