Review of Razer Aether Standing Light Bars: Are They Truly Worth It?

When I got my hands on the Razer Gamer Room, Razer’s smooth entry into the world of smart home technology really caught me by surprise. The initial lineup of the Razer Aether smart lights didn’t just impress with their functionality using Razer’s software; they blended effortlessly into the existing ecosystems many of us already have in our homes. Thanks to top-notch lighting, a wide range of customization options, and straightforward setup processes, recommending the Razer Gamer Room is a no-brainer. Now, there’s a fresh face on the scene, and it mostly sticks to that easy recommendation path.

The Razer Aether Standing Light Bars bring that same vibrant lighting to your home as their counterparts, but similar to the rest of the Gamer Room, they seem a tad pricey. This price aspect stands out even more when these light bars feel like the most cost-effective element of the Gamer Room ensemble by quite a margin. And that’s not considering whether you have enough outlets or ports to fit the entire Gamer Room family on your desk.

You can count on me for some honest opinions. Reviewing an array of gadgets from laptops to smart lights keeps my perspective broad and thorough. I assess them for quality, ease of use, and what unique features they bring to the table—whether it’s a screen or just ambient glow.

In this review, made possible by a sample from Razer, you’ll find insights purely my own; Razer had no influence nor did they see this review before it was published.

Let’s dive into the Razer Aether Standing Light Bars’ pricing and specifications. These bars, selling for $99.99 and sold as a pair connected with a single cable, mark the sixth innovation in Razer’s Gamer Room lineup, or seventh if you consider the extender. They’re offered at Amazon and come standard with a one-year warranty from Razer.

Styled in black, without an alternative color option (unlike most of the other Gamer Room products which come in white), these standing light bars fit into the ecosystem with ease. Their setup is designed to be intuitive: simply plug them in, and use the Razer Gamer Room app for seamless integration into platforms like Razer Synapse, Matter, Google Home, and Alexa. This ease of use earns them a lot of praise.

Visually, the Razer Aether Standing Light Bars are quite impressive. With a smooth finish and bright RGBs, they bring a vivacious touch to any room. They’re built to adapt to your light and color preferences through Razer Chroma, enhancing your experience even more. As the Chroma platform evolves, these light bars are expected to become even more sophisticated, pairing spatial and contextual awareness further down the line.

The plug-and-play setup promises simplicity: Use the Razer Gamer Room apps, pair the light bars, and voilà, you’re set up in no time—a sharp contrast to more complex systems like NanoLeaf. Plus, the flexibility and length of the USB Type-C cable give you more leeway in placing them, though optimum performance requires plugging them into a power source rather than just any computer USB port.

However, not all is perfect. Despite the light bars’ visual appeal, their physical feel is somewhat underwhelming. The lightweight, hollow design, coupled with slippery bases, makes them prone to tipping over with the slightest bump. The RGB color matching between different Razer products also falls short, often resulting in a less uniform light output. Moreover, they are quite demanding on power, which can be a stretch for some setups, highlighting a need for an additional hub to manage connections.

Final Thoughts? If you’re already invested in Razer’s Chroma ecosystem, these will fit your setup nicely, blending well into your environment without much hassle. They offer an excellent light experience with seamless integration at $99.99 on Amazon. But beware, they might demand more ports and outlets than you have available, so it’s worthwhile to consider your current setup before diving in. While they might not feel as high-end as some of Razer’s other products, their performance and compatibility are right on point for tech-savvy users looking to expand their smart home setup.