Does LIFX work offline with Home Assistant?

Yes! LIFX lights communicate directly with Home Assistant over your local WiFi network. Once set up, no internet connection is required for basic control. However, firmware updates and initial setup through the LIFX app require internet access.

Do I need a hub for LIFX with Home Assistant?

No hub is required. LIFX bulbs connect directly to your WiFi network and communicate with Home Assistant over the local network. This is one of LIFX's main advantages over systems like Philips Hue that require a bridge.

How does LIFX compare to Philips Hue for Home Assistant?

Both work excellently with Home Assistant. LIFX offers brighter bulbs (up to 1100 lumens), no hub requirement, and built-in WiFi. Philips Hue has a larger ecosystem, lower per-bulb prices after buying the bridge, and uses Zigbee which is more reliable for large installations. For most users, either is a great choice.

Can I use LIFX effects in Home Assistant?

Yes! Home Assistant exposes LIFX's native effects including pulse, colorloop, flame, morph, and move effects. Some effects like Sky are device-specific (Ceiling only). You can trigger effects through automations or the Home Assistant UI.

What happens if LIFX goes out of business?

Your lights will continue to work with Home Assistant since control is local over WiFi. The LIFX protocol is documented, and Home Assistant's integration doesn't depend on LIFX's cloud servers. You'd lose firmware updates and app features, but basic functionality would remain.

LIFX + Home Assistant Setup Guide

1. Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have:

Home Assistant installed and running
LIFX lights set up on your WiFi network
Lights on the same network/subnet as Home Assistant

Supported Products

Bulbs: LIFX A19, Mini, BR30, GU10, Candle, Filament
Strips: LIFX Z, Lightstrip
Specialty: LIFX Beam, Tile, Ceiling, Neon, String
Other: LIFX Clean (HEV), LIFX Switch (via Matter)

2. Integration Setup

Automatic Discovery

LIFX lights are automatically discovered by Home Assistant. When detected:

Go to Settings → Devices & Services
Look for LIFX in the Discovered section
Click Configure to add the device

Manual Setup

If lights aren't discovered automatically:

Go to Settings → Devices & Services
Click + Add Integration
Search for LIFX
Follow the on-screen instructions

Tip: LIFX lights connect directly via WiFi. No hub or bridge is required, but they must be on the same network as Home Assistant.

3. Available Features

Basic Controls

On/off control
Brightness adjustment (0-100%)
Color temperature (warm to cool white)
Full RGB color selection

Set State Action

LIFX provides a special lifx.set_state action that allows changing color and brightness without affecting power state. This is useful for "preparing" a light while it's off.

Multizone Support

For LIFX Z, Lightstrip, and Beam products:

LIFX Z/Lightstrip: 8 zones per segment, up to 80 zones total
LIFX Beam: 10 zones per segment, up to 82 zones total

Each zone can be controlled individually for gradient and chase effects.

Additional Entities

Infrared control: Night Vision bulbs
HEV cycle: LIFX Clean UV sanitization
RSSI sensor: WiFi signal strength
Identify button: Flash light to locate it

4. Effects & Themes

Software Effects

Pulse: Fade in and out
Colorloop: Cycle through colors
Stop: Cancel running effects

Hardware Effects (Device-Specific)

Effect	Supported Devices
Flame, Morph	Tile, Candle, Path, Spot, Ceiling
Sky	Ceiling only
Move	Z, Lightstrip, Beam, Neon, String

Themes

Over 40 predefined themes are available for multizone lights:

Autumn, Christmas, Fantasy, Halloween
Ocean, Sunset, Forest, Campfire
And many more...

Apply themes via the device configuration screen or through automations.

5. Automation Ideas

Sunrise Simulation

automation:
  - alias: "Sunrise wake up"
    trigger:
      - platform: time
        at: "06:30:00"
    action:
      - service: light.turn_on
        target:
          entity_id: light.bedroom_lifx
        data:
          brightness_pct: 1
          color_temp_kelvin: 2700
      - delay: "00:15:00"
      - service: light.turn_on
        target:
          entity_id: light.bedroom_lifx
        data:
          brightness_pct: 100
          color_temp_kelvin: 4000
          transition: 900

Movie Mode with Color

automation:
  - alias: "Movie mode"
    trigger:
      - platform: state
        entity_id: media_player.living_room
        to: "playing"
    condition:
      - condition: state
        entity_id: media_player.living_room
        attribute: media_content_type
        state: "movie"
    action:
      - service: light.turn_on
        target:
          entity_id: light.living_room_lifx
        data:
          brightness_pct: 10
          rgb_color: [255, 147, 41]

Colorloop Party Mode

automation:
  - alias: "Party mode"
    trigger:
      - platform: state
        entity_id: input_boolean.party_mode
        to: "on"
    action:
      - service: lifx.effect_colorloop
        target:
          entity_id: light.living_room_lifx
        data:
          period: 2
          saturation_min: 80

6. Troubleshooting

Lights Not Discovered

Verify lights are on the same network/VLAN as Home Assistant
Check that mDNS/Bonjour traffic isn't blocked
Try restarting the lights (toggle power off/on)
Ensure lights are connected to WiFi (check LIFX app)

Lights Respond Slowly

Check WiFi signal strength (RSSI sensor)
Move lights closer to your access point
Reduce network congestion on 2.4GHz band

Colors Look Wrong

Some bulbs have different color gamuts
Use color temperature (Kelvin) for white tones
Calibrate using the LIFX app if needed

Effects Not Working

Hardware effects require specific device models
Check the effects table above for compatibility
Software effects (pulse, colorloop) work on all lights

7. Frequently Asked Questions

8. Sources

This guide was compiled from official documentation:

Home Assistant LIFX Integration (official docs)

Last verified: 2026-01-31 against Home Assistant 2026.1. If you find outdated information, let us know.

LIFX + Home Assistant

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