A gaming company somehow made the best smart home lights on its first try, but I shouldn't be surprised

As a tech enthusiast who has dabbled in various smart home devices, I must admit that my experience with the Razer Aether Light Strip and Bulb was nothing short of delightful. Coming from someone who has battled with the quirks and complexities of other smart home systems, the simplicity and seamless functionality of these products were a breath of fresh air.

I haven’t made significant purchases for smart home devices due to their high prices and the frequent minor inconveniences commonly experienced with such devices, which often disconnect, freeze up, or encounter other issues.

Indeed, I was taken aback when gaming-centric company Razer unveiled its entrance into the smart home sphere with a fresh collection of lights, all backed by the Razer Chroma platform. In fact, I find myself pleasantly surprised twice over, as the newly introduced Razer Gamer Room family of products have emerged as an outstanding addition to the smart lighting market, boasting excellent craftsmanship, a user-friendly setup experience, and controls that are not only dependable but also remarkably responsive.

Like all smart lights, the Razer Gamer Room is dedicated to those with disposable income to drop on the prettier things in life, and Razer has entirely replaced Nanoleaf as my go-to in the space with its Aether products. Razer has steadily won me over with its products over the last few years, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t expect the Gamer Room lineup to be rough, first-gen products with a wealth of minor issues and growing pains. Razer sure proved me wrong.

Razer Game Room review: Pricing and specifications

A gaming company somehow made the best smart home lights on its first try, but I shouldn't be surprised

Pricing highlights

The Razer Gamer Room is anywhere from $29.99 to $129.99, depending on the product.
There are six products in total, including the Razer Aether Light Strip, Light Strip Extender, Light Bulb, Lamp, Lamp Pro, and Monitor Light Bar.
Razer’s Aether products feel reasonably priced considering the quality, but they’re absolutely on the more premium end of the smart home spectrum.

The six items you see here are all configured using the Razer Gamer Room mobile application, an essential tool. Once set up, you can manage each product either through the Gamer Room mobile app or Razer Synapse. Razer provided me with the Aether Light Strip, Light Strip Extender, Light Bulb, Aether Lamp Pro, and Monitor Light Bar for review purposes, so I’m unable to comment on the standard Aether Lamp.

Razer Gamer Room review: The good

The pros highlights

Smart home products tend to be most frustrating when first setting them up or relying on the app to work every time, and I haven’t had any issues with the Razer Gamer Room.
Aside from being reliable and responsive, all the Razer Gamer Room products were incredibly easy to initially set up.
Of course, the lighting looks excellent, too, with each product boasting even and bright colors.

In an ideal world, you’d only need to configure your smart lights once, but the initial setup could potentially foreshadow daily annoyances. Many users have shared their negative experiences with these products, emphasizing the inconsistencies and frustrations often encountered during installation and configuration. However, I found no such issues when setting up the Razer Gamer Room.

As a researcher, I must admit, setting up the Razer Gamer Room was remarkably straightforward. All it took was connecting the products to a power supply, launching the Razer Gamer Room mobile app on my phone, and clicking “Add device.” In no time at all, the app identified each Aether product and connected seamlessly during the first attempt – a surprise I must confess I wasn’t expecting. Since that initial setup, I haven’t encountered even a single issue with the Gamer Room app maintaining its connection to my Aether devices. The controls work instantly upon opening the app, making it an effortless experience every time.

Indeed, the mobile app is essential for configuring the Razer Gamer Room. However, PC users can manage all Aether devices using the Razer Synapse software on their computers as well. You have the flexibility to let Synapse control any devices within your Gamer Room when your PC is active (though the Gamer Room app remains in control whenever you prefer it). This setup allows for management of all devices from your computer too. For me, an Ethernet connection worked effectively, but occasionally I needed to temporarily disable my VPN for Synapse to successfully connect (the Gamer Room mobile app consistently functioned through my VPN).

For the controls at your disposal, you’ll notice identical RGB customizations and patterns as other Razer Chroma gadgets. This includes a vast array of colors and numerous options to find the ideal color combination for your environment. The Razer Gamer Room app also allows you to establish routines that manage all your Aether devices or alter their presets according to specific schedules, which is quite useful (although it’s important to note that Razer Synapse does not currently support this feature).

In addition, the Razer Gamer Room devices can seamlessly blend with your entire smart home setup due to complete Matter integration. This feature functions as intended, and Razer has done an impressive job setting up this framework. However, I look forward to the day when Razer Synapse matches the functionality of the Gamer Room app in its entirety.

What makes each Razer Aether device special, you ask? Let me break it down, starting with the Aether Light Strip, my replacement for the Nanoleaf light strip. While there are numerous light strips available, Razer’s stands out as one of the best lighting experiences I’ve encountered. It’s incredibly easy to expand using simple add-on clips, and the hub that powers up to 10 meters of light strips and handles connectivity and controls boasts a stylish, distinctive design.

The Razer Aether Light Bulb is reentering a challenging market, yet it’s a noteworthy light bulb. It boasts an impressive brightness level that surpasses my previous Nanoleaf by a considerable margin, while maintaining similar promises for its lifespan (lasting up to 25,000 hours). Additionally, it provides top-tier full-spectrum lighting and allows for smooth transitions between various white tones and RGB color profiles.

The Aether Lamp Pro I was sent feels like the most “luxurious” product in the Aether lineup, in that it’s an obvious showpiece. It’s meant to sit on your desk or shelf and is a multi-zone RGB cylinder that frankly looks incredible. This lamp is mesmerizing to look at whether it’s a solid color or rocking a quirky effect, with a clean design that is very well put together. I can’t comment on the standard Aether Lamp, but it seems that product saves you a ton of cash in exchange for single-zone lighting and fewer onboard controls.

Ultimately, the Aether Monitor Light Bar stands out as both incredibly practical within the Razer Gaming Setup yet slightly incongruous. It’s less about smart home illumination and more about enhancing any setup that includes a webcam for video calls or streaming. Sure, it boasts Chroma RGB lighting at the back, but to be honest, I rarely pay attention to it. What truly catches my daily use, however, is the row of front-facing white and yellow LEDs, which significantly upgrade my office lighting and substantially enhance the quality of my webcam.

Razer Gamer Room review: The bad

The cons highlights

My biggest single issue with the Razer Gamer Room is that the adhesive for the Aether Light Strip is already failing.
The product line as a whole is targeting the premium segment, too, but the initial Light Strib hub and Light Bulb feel the most expensive in comparison to competitors.

Each Razer Aether item in the Gaming Room has been surprisingly enjoyable for me, with the Monitor Light Bar being a particular standout (something I initially found hard to grasp when it was first unveiled). It’s not just about the hardware itself, which Razer has significantly enhanced over recent years, but the strong foundation of setting up and managing the Aether range that truly impresses me.

However, I do have two complaints. One, the adhesive on the Razer Aether Light Strip is simply not strong enough. The control hub puck that powers the entire light strip is supposed to be able to discretely attach to the underside of your desk, for example, but the adhesive there failed entirely after only a couple of weeks (and now it won’t stick to any surface for any meaningful period of time). The Light Strip is also peeling slightly on both ends, although the actual light strip itself is still strongly adhering to the edge of my desk.

It’s an unfortunate and easily rectified weakness, but Razer doesn’t even include back-up adhesive pads in the box, so you’d have to source them yourself. This is especially frustrating because of how expensive the initial Aether Light Strip purchase is. Altogether, it’d cost $160 just to line the edge of my desk with these lights. The Aether Light Bulb also feels a little more expensive than it should, catapulting straight to the upper end of the market with no options to bundle and get multiple bulbs for less.

Razer Gamer Room review: Final thoughts

You should buy this if …

✅You want premium, easy-to-use smart lights for your home or office

Although it might be named “Gamer Room,” there’s no requirement that you’re a gamer to appreciate the Aether Light Strip, Bulb, or Lamp. They are exceptional, dependable smart lights with an intuitive setup, and the quality you receive is certainly top-notch (though the cost reflects this).

✅You’re already invested in the Razer Chroma ecosystem

If you’re a gaming enthusiast, it’s likely that you have some Razer equipment on your workstation. In such a scenario, these Aether products will effortlessly blend with your current setup thanks to their compatibility with Razer Synapse and the Razer Gamer Room mobile app.

You should not buy this if …

❌You want the absolute best bang for your buck

If you’re considering experimenting with smart lighting systems for your home or workspace but are on a budget, then Razer Gamer Room may not be the ideal choice for you. These products tend to fall in the higher end of the price spectrum, and there are numerous cost-effective options from lesser-known brands that can help you kickstart your project. However, keep in mind that the setup process and regular use might not be as seamless as what you’d experience here.

There’s something about smart home tech that simply makes it impossible to just “get it right.” Even the best players in the space are still plagued with negative reviews from people who were frustrated by the installation process or encountered frequent issues when simply trying to use the products they paid for. Some have worse reputations than other, like Nanoleaf (known for making really great products controlled by a not-so-great app).

It’s clear that Razer won’t completely transform the smart lights industry with the Aether family overnight. However, it’s one of the easiest and most dependable smart light setups I’ve encountered, both in my own use and from what friends and family have told me. The setup process was swift, taking only a few minutes, and since then every product has been quick to respond and reliable whenever changes were needed (apart from occasional quirks with Razer Synapse).

The Razer Aether line may be on the more expensive side of smart lights and other smart home products, but you are getting some quality devices that do justify that price. I just wish the light strip clung to my desk more tightly than it does. At the very least, it’s a fascinating direction for Razer to take, and the success with which the company achieved it is even more shocking. You can check out the Razer Gamer Room at Razer.com.

2024-10-22 16:42

A gaming company somehow made the best smart home lights on its first try, but I shouldn’t be surprised