As I mentioned on the last page, the Ilumi bulbs do perform. They can deliver every color in the rainbow. The Ilumi app is chocked full of features to take advantage of the intelligence built in to the bulb. One of the fun features that is in the orginal Ilumi app, was simon says. Oh yes, just what you think. You start the game with a specific bulb or group.
Then the bulb blinks a color, and you match the colors on the simon says interface in the Ilumi App. As silly as it sounds, it was very different when your playing with the room lighting, not just an 10″ flying saucer with colored buttons. While it wasn’t very practical, it was nice diversion and an easy way to show off, just how intelligent the bulbs are.
The Ilumi app does come full of some pre-configured effects. These effects will put the chosen group or bulb into a routine of color changing cycles to produce the desired effect.
I couldn’t resist temporarily placing an Ilumi bulb on the porch. On Halloween it was the perfect compliment to our spooky decor. I chose the Haunted House effect. The bulb on the porch would then cycle through oranges, greens and purples. Matching the ghouls and ghosts that were strolling the street.
Ilumi also put some thought into adding a list of ready made presets. They took the liberty of adjusting the color, brightness and hue to create presets like Jack O’lantern, which was a nice orange candle light. Witches Brew, was a preset that put out a creepy green glow.
I realized once I used some of the available presets and effects just how much you could customize the effects in the app. Using the color interface featured in the image at the top of this page you can easily pick any color in the rainbow. Then with a tap of the arrows you can adjust the brightness and saturation to create just the color you are looking for.
As you create these colors, you can save them for quick access at a later date. These presets appear on the bottom of the screen as dots. I did like the look of this page of the app. The only issue I kept having is that you have to swipe to get to the next screen. Each time I swiped, it would change the color of the light in the room. Usually to blue or green as I was swiping right to left. I did figure out, that I could just tap the words at the top of the screen to get to the next page. That kept me from changing the color when I was swiping.
The amazing colors of Ilumi bulbs lend themselves wonderfully to the next couple features. There is a lot of new apps coming out these days to address the blue light from all of our devices. There are apps for your phones, software filters for your monitor, and lots of other solutions. The driving force behind these applications is to reduce the amount of short wavelength blue light you are exposed to at night.
As we all go through out our day, sleeping at night and being awake during the day, we have a rhythm our bodies follow. This is often called a circadian rhythm. There is a lot of new information that points to the light our brain is exposed to, may be how it determines where we may be in that rhythm. Sunlight is more blue in the morning, and more red in the evening. This is a good topic to google if you want more detailed info.
Ilumi has taken a step towards using this information to make your day more comfortable and ease you into a relaxing, restful evening. With the Circadian Schedule you can select when you start your day and when you typically end your day. You also choose which bulbs you would like to run this schedule.
Once configured, the Ilumi bulb will start out with a very blue light in the morning. As the day progresses, it will gradually become more and more yellow. Then it will transition to an even orange glow.
This is where the Ilumi tech shines! The settings are saved in the bulb. The built in real time clock keeps track of the time and adjusts the color phases automatically. Even when I used the power switch and shut the bulb off. That is right, killed the power. When I entered the room again and turned on the light, it would determine its color and adjust depending on the time. At times there was a slight delay, but the Ilumi bulb always seemed to promptly catch up.
I am not an expert, and I can’t say that there were huge benefits to using this mode. I can say, that I found it enjoyable to have it bright blue in the morning. So the room was bright as I was getting ready for the day. Then in the late evening to have the room be a nice soft yellow was comforting. After a long day, I don’t know about you , but my eyes are tired.
I enjoyed the softer light very much. I found the best combination to start my day with a sunrise, and continue with the Circadian Schedule. The full setup screen shots for the Circadian Schedule are below.
