Novostella Smart FloodLights - Make the outdoors yours!
It's been a hectic first half of 2021
but summer is around the corner and I have something exciting to make those summer nights extra special! That's right, Novostella was kind enough to send me their smart floodlights and im here to tell you just how good they are! And we have a special code for you to get 10% off your order!
Novostella is a lighting company that sells a range of smart lights such as, LED strips, light bulbs and it's best-seller, Floodlights, which it has sold over 1 million to date! So I was super excited when they reached out to me. This is the first outdoor light that I have tested on Tech-Up and let me tell you, these floodlights are packed with features. For just £79.99 you get 2 smart floodlights and with code 'TECHUP10' you can grab 10% off your order on the entire Novostella website here > https://www.novostella.uk/discount/TECHUP10 < Following this link will apply the discount in the cart!
Compatibility
The smart floodlights are;
voice controlled
Works with Alexa
Works with Google Assistance
16m+ colors
IP66 waterproof
2.4ghz WiFi
RGBCW
Set-Up
Straight out the box I was greeted with some set up manuals which told me what app I needed to download. The apps called ‘Smart Life’, it’s what you will use to control your lights via your phone. If you haven’t had the app before then it will ask you to make an account, this allows you to log in on any device and control your lighting.
Once you have created an account you’ll be able to add your floodlights. To start the paring process you want to press the + in the top right of the app. This will take you to a page where you can choose from a bunch of different products. You want to make sure you go into lighting and select ‘light source (WiFi)
The next page will ask for the WiFi details that you want the light to connect to - Remember it has to be 2.4Ghz band as 5GHz band will not work!
The next page will ask you if your Floodlights are flashing, if not, you will have to set them into the pairing program by turning them off and on three times.
Next, your lights should start pairing and stop flashing once connected. Repeat the process for your second floodlight and you have a pair of wireless floodlights.
Once set up, you'll have control over the lights from you smartphone. By clicking the 'ME' tab you will be able to activate voice control, you have a bunch of options with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa being the two major platforms! Once you have linked your accounts, you're good to go with your lights all set up.
Use + Smart Life App
The Smart Life app plays a big part in just how amazing these floodlights are. Packed with a bunch of features to truly customise your outdoor space!
By clicking on your light you are taken to a screen that gives you full control of your lights.
At the top the screen you will have three options to choose from,
- White - Colour - Scenes
White and colour allow you change the temperatures and colour of the light including brightness. The LED is rated RGBCW - Making for almost accurate whites, with overwhelming brightness. With over 16+ million colours to choose and colour temperatures ranging from 2700-6500k, I found one floodlight seemed to be bright enough for evening usage, with a nice hue showing around 1hr before sunset. In pure daylight and mostly in summertime I wouldn't find the floodlights to be effective which is standard for any light.
When the sun goes down the lights come to life. With the lights being 20watts, I was very surprised to see them able to light a full garden or room, even at 50% the lights gave an impressive hue!
With the scenes mode you can have a party with the Novostella floodlights! With 8 presets to choose from you can bring the party to life, you can also edit the 8 presets to change the colour and flow of the light in which overwrites one of the presets. I couldn't find a way to make a custom preset and add it as a separate option so you can have either leave the presets as they are or have up to 8 of your own.
Another great way to control your floodlights is through automations. This can be set up in two ways.
Using your voice assistant app such as Alexa or Google you can set up triggers to turn on your flood lights with motion sensors or time of day routines, Other accessories such as light switches or triggers will have to be compatible your selected smart platform
Using the Smart Life app to set up timers or schedules so you don't have to worry about turning them on or off or set reminders with the timer feature!
With the smart life app you can add some cool automations that will run based on your local weather. This will work extremely well in situations when the dull grey sky's appear and it gets dark early, you will be able to have your lights turn on to help you see better or change to a set colour based on what the weather is > if it's raining have your Floodlights turn blue, if it's hot, have your lights turn red and so on.
These features are great and are the reason I love exploring new smart home technology, you get to see some really great ideas come to life that truly make your home smarter!
Range
The Novostella floodlights have been solid in my week of testing. With the built-in WiFi antenna, I found it added the extra reliability. I was able to push the Floodlights to an easy 10m away from the house and still have a reliable connection. Reliability will depending on 2 factors being, you're Wifi router and how many obstacles are between the light and the wifi source. As my regular readers and followers know I have very little connected on my wifi network so adding a couple of wifi lights doesn't hurt my network but their is ways to have a separate modem for just using smart products, if you are invested In building a smart home this is definitely something you should look to do!
Overall the Novostella Flood lights are a great option for indoors and outdoors. With easy setup and some amazing features you will be truly set with a solid product. For the price of £79.99 Novostella floodlights are a great way to get into outdoor lighting. I have used Philips Hue outdoor lighting in the past and it works fine but once you take into factors like needing a bridge + prices of their outdoor lighting option you can be looking £160+ for just one floodlight with the bridge for pretty much the same features and similar specs!
Again, I've had no issues with connectivity due to the wifi extender and I expect that to hold up and will update if anything changes in the future. Ive rounded up some pros and cons for you as I highly recommend this for any home!
Pro's
- Good wifi range
- easy to use app
- smart assistant integration
- bright for large spaces when paired
- no bridge required
- price
- 2 in 1
Con's
- No homeKit support
- Power wire in awkward position
Thank you Novostella for reaching out to me and allowing me to review an amazing product! All thoughts and opinions are my own in this review even though Novostella did send me the Floodlights. At Tech-Up we will always be open and honest about all of our reviews so you know the best products for your home! The Tech-Up Promise!
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Website Information (Don't forget to use code 'TECHUP10' for 10% off)
Novostella website - https://www.novostella.uk/?ref=5fguvfgqy1
Smart Floodlights - https://www.novostella.uk/collections/led-flood-light/products/2-pack-20w-rgbcw-2700-6500k-smart-led-floodlight?ref=5fguvfgqy1
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