My Kids have become quite used to using HomeKit in our home as the years have gone by. A HomeKit smart plug controls their white noise machines, we run HomeKit compatible air filters in their rooms, and we’ve recently been experimenting with fun lighting options for “night lights.” I’ve discovered one of the best HomeKit night light options, and it’s the Cololight Hexagon Light Works.
HomeKit Weekly is a series focused on smart home accessories, automation tips and tricks, and everything to do with Apple’s smart home framework.
When the product arrived, I involved my kids in deciding how to build it. I found that to be one of the best aspects of this product – you can create any shape that you want. It’s relatively easy to construct once you get the base installed. There are two types of connectors on the ColoLight. There are physical connectors to stabilize hexagons, and there are the power connectors.
Adding to the Home app
Once everything is built, you’ll need to find a USB-A power cord. I was somewhat shocked that it wasn’t included in the box, but I have a drawer full of them from previous iPhone and iPad purchases. The HomeKit code is on the bottom, so you’ll need to open the Home app > Tap the + > Add Accessory. You’ll see the camera overlay pop up, and then you can scan the HomeKit code. Unfortunately, the company doesn’t include a spare code sticker, so it’s always a good idea to make a backup copy of it in an app like HomePass. Without that code, you’ll be unable to add it to HomeKit in the future if you rebuild your Home app setup or need to remove/re-add it for troubleshooting purposes.
Cololight app
You will need to download the Cololight iPhone app to make full use of the product. The lights can be set to animate using prebuilt scenes, and they are only available in the Cololight app. If you find a scene you enjoy, you can turn it off and back on using the Home app or Siri, and it will remember which setting you used last. Changing to a new scene, however, requires the Cololight app. The light also includes a physical on/off button – which I appreciate for a kid’s environment. It can often be more straightforward than turning it on from Siri using a HomePod mini.
This limitation appears to be related to the Home app environment, as other products have had similar experiences. For example, the Home app allows you to select static colors but not create animated scenes.
The Cololight app has some fantastic scenes, though. As we approach the Christmas scene, there is a great one that would be perfect for giving a smaller space some Christmas vibes. Also, as you can see in the video below, each cell is a lot more interactive than just standard static color.
