Govee Skyline Kit: A Mid-Air Lighting Marvel with Installation Headaches

The Govee Skyline Kit presents a unique approach to smart lighting, effectively suspending an LED strip light in midair. This creates a visually striking accent light that can elevate the ambiance of any room. However, the installation process is far from seamless, and the mounting hardware, along with the necessary connection to wall power, leaves something to be desired aesthetically.

While the smart lighting market continues to expand with bulbs, lamps, strings, and strips, Govee consistently finds ways to innovate. The Skyline Kit is a testament to this, offering a novel way to display and utilize LED strip lighting. Govee aims to transform the Skyline Kit from a simple lighting accessory into a refined design element that uses light to shape and enhance interior spaces.

The core concept revolves around attaching a standard adhesive strip light to a flattened steel wire. This wire is then suspended between two walls, allowing the light to float in open space instead of being stuck directly to a surface. The resulting effect is impressive, creating a lively and aesthetically pleasing backlight that casts light into dark corners, onto ceilings, or from beneath alcoves.

The Govee Skyline Kit includes an RGBWWIC LED strip, a four-meter steel band for mounting the strip, and the necessary hardware for securing the strip between two walls. The underlying lighting technology is essentially a standard LED strip light, but the magic lies in the backing system that allows it to be hung in midair. The RGBWWIC LEDs offer a wide range of color options, with discrete red, green, blue, white, and warm white integrated circuits. The strip has a maximum power draw of 36 watts and features eight addressable zones, each containing six lamps.

Unfortunately, the installation process is a major hurdle. This is not a simple plug-and-play smart lighting solution. It requires a certain level of home improvement expertise, patience, and a willingness to drill multiple holes in your walls. Working on a ladder is also essential, adding to the complexity of the task.

The installation involves stretching the steel wire between two opposite walls, ensuring it remains taut to prevent the light strip from sagging. Achieving this requires precise measurements and careful adjustments. The kit includes a template to assist with marking the locations for the mounting plates.

Finding the right location for the Skyline Kit can also be challenging. The kit comes in two length options: four meters and six meters. Finding two walls within the appropriate distance and with access to a nearby power source can be surprisingly difficult. Unlike standard strip lights, the Skyline Kit cannot be extended with additional pieces, although it can be cut shorter at designated intervals.

The installation begins with attaching two mounting bases to the opposite walls using four screws each. The kit includes wall anchors, but higher-quality anchors are recommended to ensure a secure and clean installation.

Next, the steel wire strip needs to be unspooled and flattened, requiring ample flat space. The lighting strip is then adhered to the wire strip, leaving a precise 7.5-centimeter gap at one end. This process is tedious and requires careful attention to detail.

The wire is then attached to the mounting bases using "fixing bars," which are designed to tighten the wire and create tension. This involves screwing the two halves of the fixing bar together, gradually pulling the wire taut. Cutting the metal wire and the strip light to the correct length is necessary before connecting them to the second fixing bar. The process of tightening the fixing bars can be challenging, and it may take several attempts to achieve the desired tension.

The power cable for the Skyline Kit protrudes from one of the fixing bars, creating an unavoidable eyesore. Hiding this cable requires creativity and careful planning, as there is no elegant solution provided in the kit. Access to the inline control box is also necessary for on-demand power, color changes, and brightness adjustments.

Despite the challenging installation process, the end result is rewarding. The Skyline Kit creates a unique and visually appealing accent light that can transform the ambiance of a room. The colors are vibrant, and the whites are bright, providing both aesthetic appeal and functional lighting.

The Govee app is used to manage the lights, offering a wide range of customization options. The app automatically detects the Skyline Kit and allows users to choose from various scenes, set color temperatures, and synchronize the lights with music. Govee’s AI assistant can even create custom lighting scenes based on verbal prompts, typed commands, or uploaded photographs.

One issue encountered during testing involved calibrating the length of the lights within the app. A tool designed to recalibrate scenes and reset the start and end points of lighting effects did not function correctly. The last section of the lights remained white during color operations, requiring a workaround to resolve the problem.

Despite the installation challenges and minor software glitches, the Govee Skyline Kit offers a unique and compelling lighting solution. The reward for persevering with the installation is a striking accent light that can elevate the aesthetic of any space.

The chunky mounting brackets and dangling cable are not ideal, suggesting that version 2.0 of this technology could benefit from a more refined hardware design. However, if you can find a location where the brackets and cabling can be discreetly hidden, the Govee Skyline Kit is worth considering as a potentially powerful statement piece.