Back at CES in January, Govee promised to have its first Matter product ready by this year, and now it’s here: a 6.5-foot-long multi-colored light strip capable of working with all major smart home platforms.
Now on sale for $59.99 is the Matter-compatible LED Strip Light M1 with 50 controllable color light segments, over 64 light modes, and the ability to sync with other Govee lights.
This news is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best smart bulbs.
More importantly, Govee’s M1 light strip is the first from the manufacturer to work with Matter, a new standard that promises to help Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings and other smart home ecosystems to work better together.
In practice, this means you’ll be able to pair and control the M1 with any of the smart home platforms mentioned above (the Matter QR code is available in the Govee app, as well as on a label attached to the remote control cable).
And thanks to Matter’s support, the M1 also marks the first Govee light to work with HomeKit natively, beyond pairing it with the open-source Homebridge utility.
The Govee Matter-compatible M1 light strip comes with a three-button remote control; note the label stamped with the Matter code.
Ben Patterson / The Foundry
While you’ll be able to control the M1 light strip with the Alexa, Apple Home, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings apps, the degree of control you’ll actually get is limited to turning the strip on and off, adjusting the brightness, changing the its color and the color temperature change of white.
To dive into the M1’s animated color modes and effects, including the ability to change the colors of individual areas of the strip, you’ll need to use Govee’s smart home app.
The Govee app can enable the light strip’s music mode, which can make the strip’s LEDs pulse in sync with any music picked up by the integrated microphone, while Govee’s DreamView feature will sync. other compatible Govee lights with your tunes too.
Like similar light strips, the Govee M1 light strip has a peel-and-stick base for easy installation, and you can attach the M1 to an extension cord ($17.99, available May 29) to double its length.
what are you can not The M1 is cut to fit, a surprising omission given that most other smart LED light strips allow you to cut them shorter at the specified points.
Govee says it will follow up the M1 light strip with a Matter-compatible version of its Neon Rope Light for Desks, available this summer, with a Matter-ready Govee kit coming “later this year.”
We’ll have a full review of the Govee LED Strip Light M1 Matter Compatible once I’ve spent more time with a sample unit provided by the manufacturer.