Connected Objects
Govee Hexa Light – LED decoration with music
Published on: 02-11-2021 / Modified: 08-11-2021
The festive season is coming and you will probably be inundated with advertisements for decoration products and in particular for lighting products such as LED ribbons that are everywhere during the month of December. I found an original lighting product that will survive the festive season because it is so customizable that you can change the atmosphere of your home according to your desires.
I tested the Govee Hexa Light which consists of an assembly of LED panels in the shape of honeycombs, you can create almost any shape you want and change the lighting according to your mood. These LED light panels can be lit statically or dynamically, they can actually be animated with music.
Where to buy Govee Hexa Light panels?
You can find Govee Hexa Light panels on the official website: Goovee.com(use code GOHEXA to get an extra discount)
Or find all Govee products on Amazon: Amazon
Unpacking
The Govee Hexa Light box contains ten light panels, connectors to link the panels, a wall socket connector, a switch, a spirit level and a plastic base to help with assembly. I wondered why Govee had added a spirit level but soon found out why when I started assembling the panels. This spirit level will help to place your panels with the right orientation to avoid going off in all directions.
Assembly
If you are not very handy, this product is for you. Assembly is very simple but before you get started, you need to understand how these LED panels work. Let's take a look at the back of the panel to fully understand how the connections work.
There are 6 connectors on the back of each panel, all but one of which are numbered. The connector with the arrow should always receive the power. The numbered connectors will pass the light to the other panels. So you should always start with the arrowed connector, then connect the numbered connector of your panel with the arrowed connector of the next panel.
Here is an example.
The cords that connect two panels are all arrowed, you must ensure that the arrow is on top as shown in the image. Here the cord starts at output 1 of the first panel and goes into the arrowed connector of the second panel.
Attention: although it is possible to transmit light from one panel to several panels, the application does not allow to create a logic from one panel to several panels. The assembly is always between two panels, so you must think of your assembly as a line (not necessarily straight) where one panel will transmit light to only one other panel. You must take this restriction into account before mounting the panels.
However, there is a trick to connecting multiple panels to a single panel and getting through the configuration stage successfully. As I was not aware of the assembly restriction, my assembly was not linear, it was going in two different directions and so I got stuck at the first configuration. The solution is very simple. You configure a first line to the end of one of your "branches", save the result, see if the light transmits and then remove panels in the application to go back to the panel that serves as the switch. From there you follow the other path. The path you removed through the app will not be forgotten by the panels. You will see in the demo video below that my setup goes in two different directions.
When two panels are assembled and lit, you will notice that the connecting cord is too long. This is not a problem, this cord is made to be bent under the light panel, so you can bring the panels together to bend the cord in half and run it under the panels.
I advise you to assemble your panels on the floor before gluing them to the wall, this will avoid any unpleasant surprises, and you can also better evaluate the final result. When you glue the first panel, don't forget to use the spirit level, otherwise you will have an unbalanced assembly.
The Govee app is easy to use, it allows you to set up the panels one by one, there is even an explanatory video to help you with the assembly.
Demonstration
I've taken a few screenshots of what is possible to do in the Govee app but I find a video is much more telling.
Here are some screenshots:
Here is the demonstration video:
I wanted to create a plant-like shape much like a growing plant and as you can see, this setup results in the light splitting into two separate paths. The application does not allow you to set up a configuration of this type without using the trick described in the previous paragraph. All the configurations proposed by Govee are therefore more linear.
You can then play with the lighting effects to obtain the desired effect. You can light up the centre of the panel or the edges, you can use single colours or gradients, you can use preconfigured atmospheres or let your creation come alive with the music. Synchronisation with music works quite well but your configuration will play a big part in the light output from the music. You can make the light flash or play with softer rhythms.
The sound can be powered by your phone or by ambient noise, both work quite well but with ambient noise the lights will come to life on your words and this can have a slightly disturbing effect.
My opinion
I've tested Govee LED ribbons and then LED bars from the same brand but so far my favourite product is clearly this Govee Hexa Light. The honeycomb structure allows you to create something a little more out of the ordinary and the customization possibilities are still endless. The assembly is very easy, it's plug and play but you still have to think a bit about what you want to do to avoid starting the gluing on the wrong bases. It took me longer to imagine the model I wanted than to assemble it.
This product is designed to be seen, so you don't have to hide it behind a piece of furniture like an ambilight. The honeycomb structure gives a very modern look to your decoration and with 10 panels, it is possible to create original shapes to animate your living rooms. I installed it in my cinema room and it really brings a warm touch to a room that basically looks like a technical room.
I have not encountered any problems with this product but if I may give you two pieces of advice:
- don't underestimate the space these panels will take up
- assemble the panels once on the floor before gluing them to the wall
This will avoid any unpleasant surprises when assembling.
Have fun!
Questions/Comments