A versatile smart light that keeps you safe at night
I’ve been working with computers for ages, starting with a multi-year stint in purchasing for a major IBM reseller in New York City before eventually landing at PCMag (back when it was still in print as PC Magazine). I spent more than 14 years on staff, most recently as the director of operations for PC Labs, before hitting the freelance circuit as a contributing editor.
The Globe Electric Smart Ambient Light connects to your phone and uses motion detection to illuminate bedrooms, hallways, or any other dark areas in your home.
The Globe Smart Ambient Light ($29.99) is a plug-in night-light with a built-in motion sensor that illuminates the way when you approach it. You can tune the LED to a specific white color temperature or display any number of RGB colors, create lighting schedules, and control everything from either an app or with your voice. This smart light works with other Globe devices and the SmartThings home automation platform, too. Its motion detection range could be wider and it doesn't integrate with either the IFTTT or the HomeKit platform, but it's a good choice if you're searching for a smart night-light.
At 3.0 by 3.0 by 1.9 inches (HWD), the Globe Smart Ambient Light is bigger than most plug-in night-lights and much larger than the Wyze Night Light (2.0 by 3.2 by 0.6 inches). It has a white casing and a translucent white lens with a motion sensor in the middle. Around the back is a two-prong wall socket plug. The good news is that, despite its size, it doesn't block access to the upper socket if you plug it into the lower one.
The 25W LED can display white light with an adjustable color temperature of between 2,000K and 5,000K. It's also capable of displaying the full RGB color spectrum. Globe says the bulb should last up to 15,000 hours and that it draws around 1 watt of power. The motion sensor has a straight-on detection range of 16 feet, but we found its range to be a bit too narrow in testing (more on this later).
The light uses dual-band Wi-Fi radios to connect to your phone and your home network. You control it via the companion app, or with Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri voice commands. You can also add the light to an existing SmartThings ecosystem, but it doesn’t work with Apple HomeKit or support IFTTT applets.
The Ambient Light uses the same Globe Suite mobile app (available for Android and iOS) as the Globe Wi-Fi Smart 10 Watt LED Light Bulb and the Globe Wi-Fi Smart Plug. It appears in a dedicated tab on the home screen along with any other Globe devices you have. At the top of the screen are buttons for shortcuts you create, while Home, Smart Scene, and Profile buttons reside on the bottom.
The Home button takes you back to the home screen from wherever you are in the app. The Smart Scenes button lets you configure the light to turn on or off depending on the climate (temperature, humidity, wind speed, sunrise, or sunset) or your location. You can also set it to operate on a daily schedule. This section lets you set up the light’s motion sensor to trigger other Globe devices or vice versa. Finally, tap the Profile button to configure Alexa, Google, and SmartThings integrations; view motion alerts; change your user name; and access support resources.
Tap the light’s panel on the home screen to turn it on or off, adjust the white color temperature (the app offers either a large dial or seven preset buttons), and adjust the brightness level. Tap the color button at the bottom of the screen to select an LED color or use one of the seven presets. Below the dial is a slider that controls saturation and brightness levels for whatever color you choose.
Also in this app section are Mood and Routine buttons. The Mood button lets you choose between seven lighting effects including Volcano (transitions between reds, yellows, and oranges), Jungle (transitions between shades of green), Ocean (transitions between shades of blue), Party (transitions between primary and secondary colors), Comfort (2,201K color temperature), Reading (3,500K color temperature), and Energy (8,000K color temperature). You can also create custom moods using the color wheels and brightness sliders. The Routine button enables you to set a timer, create a wake-up schedule that turns the light on with a specific color, and create a bedtime schedule that turns the light off with a gradual fade out. There’s also a vacation setting; in this mode, the light randomly turns on and off to give the appearance that somebody is home.
At the top of the screen are Motion Detection and Settings buttons. Tap the Motion Detection button create a motion schedule, select what color the light should display when it detects motion, and set a cooldown time for when the light should return to its standard settings after detecting motion. In the Settings section, you can configure the light to work with Alexa, Google, and SmartThings; share access to the light with other users; and add the light to a group of other Globe lights so you can control them all together.
It took me only a few minutes to set up the Globe Smart Ambient Light in testing. The first step is to download the Globe Suite mobile app and create an account. Then, plug in the light. Next, tap the plus button in the upper right corner of the app's home screen and select Add Device. The light should flash white before the app recognizes it; once it does, the app will show a prompt to complete the connection. The light paired to my Wi-Fi network using the info on my phone and automatically showed up on my Alexa device list. I simply gave it a name to complete the installation.
The light worked well in testing. It provides a nice soft glow that made traversing my normally dark hallway much easier (and safer) at night. The light responded instantly to mobile app and Alexa voice commands for changing colors and turning on or off. The Globe device followed my motion schedules and Smart Scenes without issues, too. For example, a scene I created for the Globe Smart Plug to turn on when the light detected motion worked perfectly. However, the light's field of view is relatively narrow; I had to walk directly in front of it to trigger the sensor.
The Globe Smart Ambient Light makes it easy to illuminate hallways, closets, and bedrooms with soft, colorful light. It offers numerous light settings and effects, as well as works with Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri voice commands. It also interacts with other Globe smart devices and can integrate with existing SmartThings setups. Our main complaint is that the detection range is a bit too narrow, though that doesn't diminish its utility as a night-light. If you're looking to spend less, the Wyze Night Light doesn't offer app or voice control, but it comes in a pack of three for $19.99.
The Globe Electric Smart Ambient Light connects to your phone and uses motion detection to illuminate bedrooms, hallways, or any other dark areas in your home.
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I’ve been working with computers for ages, starting with a multi-year stint in purchasing for a major IBM reseller in New York City before eventually landing at PCMag (back when it was still in print as PC Magazine). I spent more than 14 years on staff, most recently as the director of operations for PC Labs, before hitting the freelance circuit as a contributing editor.
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