LIFX nodes for Node-RED

A solution to control LIFX lights over local network using Node-RED that uses lifx-lan-client library for communicating with the lights.

This module provides input and output nodes for communicating with LIFX lights, the input node accepts multiple color format and automatically converts the values to the right format.

Features

• Convert input arguments to light specific arguments
• Trigger events for light changes
• Self syncing, uses background polling to detect external changes to light
• Display current state for light in Node-RED UI
• Ability to set waveforms EXPERIMENTAL

Examples

Dashboard example config:

This is an example of how to control the light using the node-red-dashboard The split node can be used to get the on and bri payload from the light status message, and the join node to combine the topic and value to an JSON object.

Wakeup example config:

Simple example of using an inject node to trigger a wakeup light behavior every workday, the light transitions from off to on with 75% brightness over a duration of 30s.

Hub Configuration

Light Configuration

Input node

Lights can be controlled by sending message with a payload containing the new state.

Set power state

Simplified control by sending the following values as payload

Value	Info
'on' or true	Turn light on
'off'or false	Turn light off
numeric value	Turn light on and set brightness (0-100%)

Set color

More advanced way to control the light is to send an object payload with one or more of the following properties set

Property	Info
on	Set light state (true/false)
red, green and/or blue	Set one or more color change for light (0-255)
hex	Set color (#f49242)
hue	Set color hue (0-360)
sat or saturation	Set color saturation (0-100)
bri or brightness	Set light brightness (0-100%)
cr, mired or mirek	Set Mired color temperature (153 - 500)
kelvin	Set kelvin color temperature (2200-6500)
duration	Transition time (ms)

Set waveform

Waveform is a way to create effect in lifx bulbs, like the breath effect in the LIFX App. Setting a wave form will be at the following JSON form.

{
  "isTransient": true,
  "color": { "hue": 0, "saturation": 65535, "brightness": 65535, "kelvin": 3500 },
  "period": 800,
  "cycles": 3,
  "skewRatio": 0,
  "waveform": "SINE"  // one of SAW, SINE, HALF_SINE, TRIANGLE, PULSE
}

Notice: to get the same behavior as with the LIFX app when modifying the color temperature you will need to manually set the saturation to zero. This is because a LIFX light can adjust temperature and color independent of each other, and I didn't want to limit the choices for the user.

Example: Sending the following to the light will turn it on and dim it upp to 77% over 10 seconds

{
  "payload": {
    "on": true, 
    "bri": 77,
    "duration": 10000
  }
}

Output node

Example output from change event

{
  "id": "d073d5015103",
  "info": {
    "id": "d073d5015103",
    "name": "LIFX Black",
    "address": "192.168.1.107", 
    "model": "Original 1000",
    "capability": ["temperature", "color"]
  },
  "payload": { 
    "on": true, 
    "reachable": true, 
    "bri": 57, 
    "hsv": [ 169, 37, 57 ], 
    "rgb": [ 91, 145, 135 ], 
    "hex": "5C9187", 
    "color": "cadetblue", 
    "kelvin": 2513, 
    "mired": 397
  },
  "state": {
    "on": true,
    "brightness": 57,
    "hue": 169,
    "saturation": 37,
    "kelvin": 2513
  },
  "event": "change",
  "_msgid": "cfd24df6.65934"
}

Using independently

This library can be used independent of Node-RED, the example/mqtt.js file contains a simple example using MQTT.js to enable control lights on/off status and brightness over MQTT.

The MQTT topic lights will contain a list of all currently detected lights. Specific light can be controlled by sending a message to the topics lights/<id>/on (boolean) or lights/<id>/brightness (number) with the new state.