LIFX Wi-Fi Lights Control Driver v1.13

Smart Home Programming

Overview

This driver provides local network control of LIFX Wi-Fi smart bulbs using the LIFX LAN protocol. No cloud account or internet connection required. Features include automatic discovery, power control, brightness, colour presets, white temperature, scene presets, effects, and multi-bulb management.

Requirements

LIFX Wi-Fi smart bulbs (any model)

Bulbs and RTI processor on the same network/VLAN

UDP port 56700 not blocked by firewall

Setup

Step 1: Install LIFX Bulbs

Set up your LIFX bulbs using the LIFX mobile app. Ensure they are connected to the same Wi-Fi network as the RTI processor. Static IPs are recommended but not required.

Step 2: Driver Configuration

Auto Discovery: Enabled by default. The driver broadcasts on the local network to find LIFX bulbs automatically.

Discovery Interval: How often to scan for new bulbs (default: 5 minutes)

Transition Duration: How long colour/brightness changes take in milliseconds (default: 500ms)

Poll Interval: How often to check bulb state (default: 10 seconds)

Step 3: Verify Discovery

After loading the driver, LIFX bulbs should appear in the browse menu within a few seconds. You can also trigger discovery manually using the "Discover Bulbs" function or via the debug console.

Browse Menu

The browse menu provides intuitive navigation:

Bulbs: View and select individual bulbs for control. Bulb icons change colour to match the bulb's current colour.

Colour Presets: Quick access to Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Cyan, Blue, Purple, Pink, White. Available per-bulb and per-group.

White Temperatures: Candle (1500K) through Daylight (6500K)

Scenes: Movie, Relax, Energize, Read, Night Light, Concentrate, Powerful, Tranquil, Serene, Dream, Soothing, Hygge. Includes active scene indicator and "Clear Scene" option. Available per-bulb, per-group, and for all lights.

Effects: Animated light effects including Police, Rainbow, Strobe, Party, Fireplace, Ocean, Aurora, Sunset, Forest, Lava, Candlelight, Breathing, and Color Wave. Available from the home menu and individual bulb menus.

Groups: Control groups of bulbs with colour, temperature, scenes, and power commands.

All On / All Off: Control all bulbs at once

Music Sync: Animated light effects that respond to music playback state.

Layer Visibility Variables

The driver provides boolean system variables for controlling layer visibility on your RTI interface:

SelPresetActive: True when the selected bulb is in plain colour mode (no scene or effect running). Use this to show/hide the colour image group.

SelSceneActive: True when the selected bulb matches a scene preset.

SelEffectActive: True when an animated effect is running.

BulbPresetActiveN: Per-bulb version (N = 1-10). True when bulb N is in plain colour mode.

BulbSceneActiveN: Per-bulb version. True when bulb N matches a scene.

BulbEffectActiveN: Per-bulb version. True when an effect is running on bulb N.

These variables update instantly when scenes, effects, colours, or sliders are changed.

LIFX LAN Protocol

This driver communicates directly with LIFX bulbs over the local network using UDP on port 56700. No LIFX cloud account, API key, or internet connection is needed. All control is local and instant.

Supported Features

Power on/off with configurable transition

Brightness control (0-100%)

Full HSBK colour control (Hue, Saturation, Brightness, Kelvin)

Colour presets

White temperature presets (1500K-6500K)

Scene presets with active detection and clear

13 animated effects (standalone and music-synced)

Multi-bulb control (up to 10 bulbs)

Automatic discovery and state polling

Instant browse menu updates from macro commands

Slider Templates

The driver includes custom slider bitmap templates for Hue, Brightness, and Kelvin control. These provide visual gradient sliders on your RTI interface.

Installing Slider Templates

Copy the three .rtitemplate files to the RTI templates folder:

Template files: LIFX_Hue_Slider.rtitemplate, LIFX_Brightness_Slider.rtitemplate, LIFX_Kelvin_Slider.rtitemplate

Copy to: C:\Program Files (x86)\RTI\Common\Templates\

Alternatively, import via Integration Designer: File > Import > Bitmap Library Template

Adding a Slider to Your Page

1. Add a Slider element to your page in Integration Designer

2. In the Bitmaps panel, select "Show bitmaps in: LIFX Hue Slider" (or Brightness/Kelvin)

3. Choose the slider size that fits your layout

Configuring Slider Variable (Feedback)

Click the slider element, then in the Tag Editor set the Variable. Uncheck "Automatic" on the Graph Scale and set the correct range:

SliderVariableMin / MaxSteps
HueSelHue (or BulbHueN)0 / 360360
BrightnessSelBrightness (or BulbBrightnessN)0 / 100100
KelvinSelKelvin (or BulbKelvinN)1500 / 900075

Important: You must uncheck "Automatic" and manually enter the Minimum, Maximum, and Steps values shown above. If left on Automatic, the slider feedback position will not match the actual bulb colour.

Configuring Slider Command

Set the Command on the slider element. Use the "Dynamic Parameter" dropdown to select the parameter that receives the slider value:

SliderCommandDynamic Parameter
Hue (selected bulb)Set Hue SliderDegrees
Brightness (selected)Set Brightness SliderPercent
Kelvin (selected)Set Kelvin SliderKelvin
Hue (per-bulb)[BulbName] Hue SliderDegrees
Brightness (per-bulb)[BulbName] Brightness SliderPercent
Kelvin (per-bulb)[BulbName] Kelvin SliderKelvin

The per-bulb slider functions control a specific bulb directly without needing to select it first. Use SelHue/SelBrightness/SelKelvin variables for the selected bulb, or BulbHue1/BulbBrightness1/BulbKelvin1 etc. for per-bulb feedback.

Debug Console

Connect via telnet to the processor IP on port 12508 (configurable). Type "help" for a list of all available commands. Useful for testing commands, viewing bulb state, and troubleshooting.

Licensing

Licence keys can be purchased from the Smart Home Programming Driver Store:

Store: https://shpdrivers.services/store/

Email: david@smarthomeprogramming.com.au

A 120-minute trial is included for testing before purchase.

Support & Feature Requests

For bug reports, technical support, or new feature requests, please use the ticket system available in your account after logging in at the Driver Store.

Support Tickets: Log in at https://shpdrivers.services/store/ and submit a ticket from your account

Email: david@smarthomeprogramming.com.au

Terms of Service

All drivers are provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. You use this software entirely at your own risk. A free trial is included so you can verify compatibility with your system before purchasing. Do not purchase a licence if you have not tested the driver on your hardware. For full terms including warranty disclaimer, limitation of liability, and refund policy, visit:

https://smarthomeprogramming.com.au/store/terms.html

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