Best HomeKit Light Strips iMore 2021

Thanks to their flexible nature, HomeKit light strips are one of the best ways to add a little color or light to your home. Not surprisingly, they are also some of our overall favorite HomeKit accessories of the year. These light strips work with Apple's Home app and Siri, enabling some pretty cool ways to control their brightness and colors through voice commands, scenes, and automation. Ready to add some life to your home? We have gathered all of the best HomeKit options available to help you decide which is the best for your needs.

Nanoleaf Lightstrip

Something different: Nanoleaf Essentials Lightstrip

Staff Favorite

This kit features an 80-inch LED light strip that includes a controller and a power supply. Through the Nanoleaf or Home app, or by using your voice, customize the lights to match your mood, or take advantage of the adaptive lighting feature. With the Nanoleaf Schedules option, wake up natural to sunrise colors. Pair with a HomePod mini with Thread connectivity for faster response times and greater range than Bluetooth alone.

LIFX Z LED Light Strip

Customizable: LIFX Z LED Lightstrip

LIFX's Z LED Lightstrip is the only HomeKit strip on the market displaying multiple colors simultaneously through distinct zones within the strip. This means that it can be set up to emulate gradients, allowing colors to shift from dark to light throughout the strip's length. The LIFX Z can also provide up to 1,400 lumens of brightness, making it one of the brightest around, and it works with not just HomeKit, but also with Alexa and the Google Assistant.

$70 at Best Buy
Philips Hue lightstrip plus coiled in front of product box on a white background

Plus color: Philips Hue LightStrip Plus

The LightStrip Plus, which is part of the Philips Hue line, is lauded for its accurate color reproduction through its ability to display up to 16 million different shades. The ability to display this many colors works in tandem with Hue scenes, allowing the strip to function as a wake-up light, entertainment light, or party light with just a tap. You will need a Philips Hue Hub to enable all of these smart goodies, though. However, the hub allows for lightning-fast response times and rock-solid reliability.

$80 from Walmart
Blue and white lights shining on a slightly coiled light strip

Bright beauty: Eve Lightstrip

The Eve Lightstrip boasts the highest brightness levels of them all, with its ability to output a whopping 1,800 lumens. This 6.6-foot light strip can extend up to 32 feet with additional kits and cut to shorter lengths if needed. Built-in Bluetooth connectivity means that this light strip connects directly to your iOS device and HomeKit, offering a secure, private connection without having to rely on a server in the cloud.

Santala Smart Led Strip

Flexible features: SANTALA Smart LED Strip Light

SANTALA's affordable light strip features IP65 water and dust resistance, allowing you to use it for holiday lighting and more, indoors and out. Plus, a unique USB power connection enables a wide range of placement and mounting options, including the ability to work directly off of the port on the back of most TVs and PCs.

$37 at Amazon
Vocolinc Ls2 Smartglow Lightstrip

Cost effective: Vocolinc LS2 Smart LED Lightstrip

Vocolinc's LS2 is one of the cheapest options around for a HomeKit light strip, but that doesn't mean that it skimps on features. This light strip supports the ability to display up to 16 million different colors, just like its competitors. It is compatible with all of the major smart home platforms, keeping you in the game if you decide to switch things up.

$37 at Amazon

Light 'em up

HomeKit light strips offer the ability to lighten up your home with rich, colorful lights, with just a tap, or with your voice through Siri. Scenes can give your room the look of a natural sunset, and automation can turn them on or off at set times or through custom scheduling. They also work great as holiday lighting, with suitable options for the outdoors, enabling some discreet installation options that can be left out all year. These light strips can also integrate with other HomeKit accessories, enabling powerful automations such as turning on the lights when motion occurs or sunset.

We love the Nanoleaf Essentials Lightstrip, which offers cutting-edge technology in a fresh package. Meanwhile, LIFX Z LED Lighstrip's ability to display multiple colors simultaneously makes it another winner. This light strip is easy to set up, connecting to your Wi-Fi network without the need for an additional hub.

If you do happen to own some Philips Hue light bulbs and the Hue Hub, then the LightStrip Plus is a great way to expand your current set up. This light strip boasts the ability to display 16 million different shades of colors and whites and works with pre-built scenes in the Hue app. Are you looking for the brightest light strip on the market? Then look no further than the Eve Lightstrip. This powerful strip can output up to 1,800 lumens of brightness, allowing it to light up even the darkest of places.

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