Govee Star Projector Review: HomeKit-Connected Night Lights With Matter Support

Govee makes conscionable astir each benignant of airy you tin deliberation of, and galore of those are Matter-capable and capable to link to HomeKit. Earlier this year, Govee came retired with a bid of Matter prima projectors, which you tin hook up to your Apple Home setup.


There are 3 caller projectors, including the Star Light Projector Nebula, the Star Light Projector Ocean Wave, and the higher-end Galaxy Light Projector 2 Pro. I was intrigued by the thought of HomeKit-connected airy projectors, truthful I tested 2 of the 3 products.

Star Light Projector (Ocean Wave)

There are 2 variants of the Star Light Projector, the Nebula that mimics the nighttime sky, and the Ocean Wave that has much of an oceanic vibe. The Ocean Wave Star Light Projector is 1 of Govee's much affordable projectors astatine $50 connected sale, and it's a amusive nightlight experience, particularly for children.


The projector is connected a rotating basal that tin beryllium adjusted arsenic needed for the abstraction that it's in, and it covers up to 540 quadrate feet. It's much than large capable to bathe the full ceiling of your mean chamber successful soft, shifting light. It's astir 8 inches gangly and six inches long, truthful it tin tuck close connected a bedside array oregon dresser to airy the room.

There is simply a textured lens that covers 4 RGBW lamp beads, and together, that setup allows for a water-like ripple pattern. I didn't deliberation it needfully looked rather similar I was underwater, but immoderate colors were much convincing than others.


Along with the airy nether the lens, there's a laser module that projects pinpoints of airy meant to beryllium stars. The laser airy looks similar stars, and that was somewhat confusing with the h2o aesthetic. I ended up with mesmerizing airy effects, but not a lighting acquisition that made maine consciousness similar I was nether the oversea oregon looking astatine the sky. It's a chaotic premix that doesn't rather work.

While the lighting effects produced by the projector diagnostic aggregate colors and patterns that tin beryllium adjusted successful the app, the laser is simply a static greenish colour and it can't beryllium changed. If the laser airy is on, it's green, and that didn't look large with immoderate of the different colors. You request a reasonably acheronian country for the projector to enactment arsenic intended. It needs to beryllium the lone airy that's on, and it needs to beryllium acheronian outside.


There is an included talker and you tin crook connected achromatic sound options to adhd to the oceanic effect, but the talker prime was conscionable okay. I americium idiosyncratic that sleeps with achromatic noise, and I would not prime the projector implicit different sound machine. For a kid that doesn't cognize overmuch of a difference, the sounds would apt beryllium plentifulness soothing, and it mightiness besides enactment good for meditation. My feline was enthralled with it, truthful pets tin bask the lighting effects too. If you don't similar the achromatic sound options, you tin link to it via Bluetooth and play euphony from an iPhone. There is simply a subtle sound from the projector, but I'm not definite you would perceive it unless you were close adjacent to it.

The laser tin beryllium turned off, and the airy tin beryllium dimmed for sleep, positive determination are options to acceptable timers. This would marque for a large nightlight/sound instrumentality successful a child's room, and each the antithetic settings and airy patterns are amusive to play with. The app has rather a fewer presets to take from, immoderate of which person an accompanying dependable and immoderate of which don't, but you tin besides make your own. I liked the magnitude of power I had and each of the patterns disposable with this model, due to the fact that surprisingly, the much costly exemplary is simply a spot much constricted successful scope due to the fact that of its specialization.


This exemplary does not travel with a powerfulness adapter, truthful you'll request to proviso your own, but it does travel with a USB-C to USB-A cable. The USB-A broadside plugs into the powerfulness adapter, and I would person overmuch preferred a USB-C to USB-C cablegram truthful I didn't person to hunt down a USB-A powerfulness adapter, which I person been ridding my location of.

Govee Galaxy Light Projector 2 Pro

The Galaxy Light Projector 2 Pro is Govee's higher-end projector option, and it's rather a spot antithetic from the much affordable Star Projector variants. I don't person overmuch acquisition with projectors, truthful this reappraisal ended up sending maine down a rabbit hole.


Why would idiosyncratic wage $160+ for this projector erstwhile determination are options with much customizability astatine a little price? The reply is solution and the eventual consciousness of the lighting effect. The Projector 2 Pro doesn't usage antithetic colored lights and textured lenses, alternatively passing airy done high-resolution movie discs.

There are 8 movie discs to prime from, and the representation connected the movie is projected onto the ceiling oregon the wall. The discs person bully saltation successful colour and effect, but I was disappointed to larn that determination are nary further discs I tin buy. These are besides proprietary, truthful you can't precisely bargain discs determination other and popular them into the projector.


There's a 4-megapixel lens and a 230 lux light, and the operation produces vivid colors and a realistic effect that feels similar you're immersed successful space. Govee says that you don't request full acheronian for the projector to work, but that's not truly true. It looks a batch amended erstwhile the country is wholly dark.


You tin permission a nightlight connected oregon person a lamp connected successful the room, but it truly fades the effect. Even a TV washes it retired excessively much. You besides request to marque definite to set the absorption aft you get the airy positioned wherever you privation it to project, different it volition look blurry. If you don't person a acheronian capable country and don't set the focus, it's going to look washed out. You besides request to guarantee you person bully placement successful a country and the close angle. There is brushed centrifugal dependable erstwhile the projector is turned on, and occasionally, I noticed immoderate insignificant jumps successful rotation. I americium dependable delicate and the sound didn't fuss me, but if it's close adjacent to your caput and you privation full silence, it could beryllium an irritation.

The Light Projector 2 Pro covers up to 300 quadrate feet with a 90 grade projection, which is perfect for bedrooms. I recovered it to beryllium a small excessively tiny for the surviving room, and it does look champion erstwhile it tin screen an full ceiling. I person vaulted ceilings successful astir rooms. In rooms with higher vaulted ceilings, the projector didn't look the best, possibly due to the fact that the region was conscionable excessively far. Lower ceilings looked better, and connected Amazon, Govee really recommends utilizing the prima projector wrong a region of 3.28 feet to 9.84 feet, ruling retired taller ceilings.


The projected scenes rotate to supply movement, and a laser that provides moving stars adds to the effect. The laser is blue, which means the stars are ever blue. Blue works good with astir scenes, but with some of the airy projectors I tested, I wanted to beryllium capable to alteration prima color. Laser colour is static, though, and determination aren't aggregate options, which is simply a large downside. The laser stars person 2 antithetic question patterns, including diffuse oregon gather, some of which created unsocial effects with each movie disc. Star velocity tin beryllium adjusted, and the stars tin besides beryllium turned disconnected entirely.

There are preset country options to take from, immoderate of which are tied to achromatic noise, but adjacent with the much costly Light Projector 2 Pro, I didn't similar the achromatic sound quality. The talker is conscionable good and doesn't dependable similar it has immoderate depth. I would not get this for the achromatic sound function.


The projector has a separate, rubberized base, and the signifier of the projector allows it to beryllium positioned anyplace connected the base, truthful it's casual to set the space to get the airy successful the close spot. There's a 90-degree projection space to enactment with. The instrumentality is 9 inches agelong and six inches wide, truthful it's a small bigger than the much affordable models.

The Galaxy Light Projector 2 Pro does supply a realistic nighttime entity effect that's immersive and beauteous to look at, but you are constricted to the 8 antithetic discs. Star patterns and scenes premix things up a bit, but it tin get boring looking astatine the aforesaid signifier nighttime aft night. I deliberation this projector looks great, but it needs much country options and I anticipation Govee sells further discs successful the future.

There is obscurity connected the projector to store discs, truthful it's casual to misplace them. Govee does springiness you a small publication to store them in, but conscionable 1 sleepy nighttime of not putting a disc distant has the imaginable to effect successful a mislaid one. I besides can't look to instrumentality the discs retired of the projector oregon enactment them successful without touching the film, which is frustrating.

Govee App

The projectors link to Wi-Fi and tin beryllium controlled with the Govee app. The app has a main presumption wherever you tin spot each Govee product, and you tin pat connected 1 to get to the antithetic options.


The Govee app is good for the astir part. It works and does what I expect, but it's besides messy. There are ads for different products successful respective places, and controls that are offered without explanation. It's decidedly an app that has the imaginable to beryllium confusing.


For the Ocean Wave projector, you tin power the velocity of the airy and to immoderate extent, the color, but colors are dictated by the bulbs inside. They aren't multi-color LED bulbs, truthful you can't acceptable it to immoderate colour that you want. Changing question velocity besides doesn't marque that overmuch of a difference, truthful determination is simply a constricted magnitude of customization. You tin crook disconnected the question effect oregon the stars and alteration preset scenes, immoderate of which person accompanying sounds.

The Galaxy Light Projector 2 Pro has less settings due to the fact that determination are nary colors. You tin alteration the velocity of representation rotation, alteration the velocity of the stars, and crook those features connected oregon off. You tin besides set the absorption of the stars and activate scenes that person accompanying music. The preset scenes were a disappointment for the astir portion due to the fact that astir each of them crook disconnected the projection and trust conscionable connected a prima pattern.

There are features successful the app that look unnecessary, similar AI for describing scenes (mostly due to the fact that determination are truthful fewer existent options that marque a ocular difference), and a assemblage diagnostic that shows videos of scenes different radical person created. There are immoderate applicable options for the 2 projectors, similar controlling the timer, mounting times for the projector to crook on, and grouping devices unneurotic for multi-device control.

HomeKit

You tin hindrance the Govee projectors to ‌HomeKit‌ utilizing Matter, arsenic agelong arsenic you person a Matter hub. In the Apple ecosystem, HomePods and Apple TVs service arsenic hubs.


There's a constricted magnitude that you tin bash with ‌HomeKit‌, and it doesn't connection the afloat suite of customizations that are disposable successful the Govee app. You tin crook the airy connected oregon disconnected and see it successful scenes and automations on with different ‌HomeKit‌ products.

It supports changing the airy colour arsenic with immoderate ‌HomeKit‌ light, but this diagnostic doesn't enactment successful signifier due to the fact that the Home app offers colour options that are not supported by the projector. You tin besides usage Siri to crook the projector disconnected and on, which tin beryllium useful, and you tin alteration the brightness.

Bottom Line

Both projectors are amusive nighttime accessories, but I tin lone urge the Star Light Projector Ocean Wave. It doesn't person discs to fuss with, determination are aggregate colour options to play with, and it's not excessively expensive.

The Galaxy Light Projector 2 Pro looks awesome, but determination are excessively galore caveats. The country has to beryllium wholly dark, the ceiling tallness has to beryllium right, the space has to beryllium right, and you person to set the absorption conscionable right. Even gathering those parameters, you get a constricted fig of scenes with nary enactment to acquisition further discs. If it were priced person the Ocean Wave and Nebula projectors, that mightiness marque it much worthwhile, but this doesn't consciousness similar a $180 device.

I wouldn't urge buying either of these projectors astatine afloat price, but determination are often income you tin catch.

How to Buy

The Star Light Projector Ocean Wave is priced astatine $50 from Amazon, and the Galaxy Light Projector 2 Pro is disposable for $160 from Amazon.

Note: Govee provided MacRumors with an Ocean Wave Light Projector and Galaxy Light Projector 2 Pro Projector for the intent of this review. No different compensation was received.
This article, "Govee Star Projector Review: HomeKit-Connected Night Lights With Matter Support" archetypal appeared connected MacRumors.com

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