With the Aether products, Razer is bringing smart home functionality to gaming rooms. In addition to LED strips, smart lamps and monitor lighting, there are now also the Razer Aether Standing Light Bars. These are two RGB bars that you can place on your desk to enhance your setup. Both lights are supplied with power via a cable, so there won’t be much cable clutter. If you use smart home systems, there is even Matter integration. Find out how the Aether Standing Light Bars perform and what other functions are available in our test.
Technical data
| LED service life | 25000 hours |
| Power supply | 5V 1.8A / 9W |
| Connection types | 802.11b/g/n 2.4 GHz, Bluetooth (initial setup), USB-C (power supply) |
| Cable length | 3 meters |
| Data Light Bars | Width: 24 mm Depth: 32 mm Height without base: 408 mm Height with stand: 442 mm Weight 375 g |
| Stand data | Diameter: 100 mm Height 42 mm Weight: 290 g |
Scope of delivery
The box contains the two light strips and two stands. Everything is neatly packed to avoid scratches. There is a USB-C plug at the end of the cable for connection to the computer. At half the length of 2 meters, the cable splits. The two light strips are located at the end and the cable is permanently attached.
Apart from the usual paperwork and the Aether Standing Light Bars, there is nothing else in the box.
Design, workmanship and function
The product consists of two cylinders in black. On one side we find a continuous RGB strip behind milky plastic, which makes the light appear diffuse.
Although the housing is made entirely of plastic, there is nothing to criticize about the workmanship. A little weight would be desirable in the base, as the cylinders wobble a lot when they are bumped or touched. The matt black housing should fit into any setup. We can almost completely dispense with complex cable management, as the Aether Standing Lights Bars manage with a single cable. It only splits in half.
To set it up, it is recommended that you have a Razer account and the “Gamer Room” app(Android / iOS) installed on your smartphone. After switching on, the Aether Standing Lights Bars are in pairing mode out-of-the-box for 15 seconds. This was not immediately apparent when first setting up and led to a little frustration. A quick search on the Razer website then revealed the trick. If you miss the time, there is a button on the front to switch the mode again.
You can now use the installed app or, for all Razer fans, the Synapse software for control. All you need to do is to be logged in with the same account on both devices. The Razer Aether Standing Light Bars can then also be controlled via the PC. Free color settings are then also possible via Chroma.
If you want to use your own systems, you can also integrate the RGB cylinders into Home Assistant, for example. To integrate the Aether Standing Light Bars, simply use Matter, just like in the Razer app. The whole thing is advantageous if you use an external power supply unit for the power supply. You can use Home Assistant or other smart home systems to switch the RGB lights via various automations and react to events or conditions.
Conclusion
If you need a nice gimmick to upgrade your gaming room or simply a few RGB lights for the living room, the Razer Aether Standing Light Bars are certainly not the worst investment.
Razer has succeeded in implementing the product, the setup and functions are child’s play, albeit with a small hurdle. Everyone should be able to cope with this. What’s more, you don’t have to rely on Razer’s own software, be it Gamer Room or Synapse. The standard Matter takes care of this, even if you can’t use all the available functions.
Only the price would certainly divide opinion. For users who are already in the Razer universe with peripherals or possibly other devices from the Aether series, the Razer Aether Standing Light is a good option. If you want to bring smart lighting to your desk, the price could be a deterrent, even if Razer has done a lot right with the implementation of the product.
VORTEILE
- Easy to set up, with minor pitfalls
- Matter support
- Sensible integration into the Razer universe (Gamer Room / Synapse)
NACHTEILE
- Setup mode switches off after 15 seconds
- Weights in the stand would be useful
Fazit
Great product for the gaming room in conjunction with the smart home. Matter lets you integrate the Razer Aether Standing Lights Bars into virtually any system.
