LED light columns with RGB for gaming and decor

What a light column is meant for

Let us start with the need: you have a dark corner of the room, a bare wall behind the monitor or a sofa that could do with more atmosphere in the evening. A light column solves exactly that, because it needs little floor space and spreads its light over the whole height. It is a floor lamp in rod form, usually called a corner lamp in everyday use, and belongs in the floor lamps category.

By the term light column we mean lamps in which an LED strip or several segments are arranged vertically and can output colours. The purpose is mood lighting, not task lighting. If you want to read, write or draw at a desk, you need directed white light of sufficient brightness, and a colour column does not usually deliver that in the quantity required. How much light a room needs in general is explained on the page how many lumens each room needs.

We did not have any of these lamps in hand, and we have not measured anything. All statements on this page come from this editorial team's product pages, which in turn rely on retailer listings and, in one case, an official product data sheet. This is an assessment with no documented hands-on testing.

RGB or RGBIC: the technical difference

With simple RGB, the whole lamp shows one colour at any given time. With RGBIC, sections can be controlled individually, so several colours stand side by side at once and run as a gradient along the column. That is the core of the difference, and it explains why RGBIC models are popular for decor and gaming setups: the effect is more three-dimensional.

Which variant a model uses is stated in the listings. The Govee RGBIC LED floor lamp black with Matter and the Govee RGBIC corner lamp 136 cm silver are described as RGBIC in the listing. The riyo RGBIC corner lamp, 146 cm with 168 LEDs has RGBIC in the title and, according to the listing, 168 LEDs, of which 84 are RGB and 84 white. For the TRUMPETS YK32 RGB LED floor lamp, 165 cm and the ONSTUY WS8816B RGB corner lamp, 1.6 m, the listings speak of RGB without mentioning individually controllable segmentation.

A second point is the white light. Some columns can output white in a kelvin range as well as colours. According to the listing, the white range of the riyo runs from 2,800 to 6,500 kelvin, and for the two Govee models from 2,700 to 6,500 kelvin. What kelvin means for the lighting mood is explained on the page colour temperature and kelvin. For a model with no white figure, whether and how well white light is possible is not documented.

Controls: remote control, app, Matter and Hue

In daily use the controls matter more than you think when buying. A column that runs only via an app is annoying when you want to change the light briefly in the evening. According to the listing, the riyo RGBIC corner lamp, 146 cm with 168 LEDs gives three routes: a 24-button remote control, a Bluetooth app and a cord switch. The microphone for music sync and the more than 300 modes are likewise listing claims.

According to the listing, the TRUMPETS YK32 RGB LED floor lamp, 165 cm is controlled by remote control or a free Bluetooth app, a built-in microphone controls the music mode, and there is also a timer function. The ONSTUY WS8816B RGB corner lamp, 1.6 m gives a Bluetooth app and remote control, 234 dynamic modes and 33 theme modes. Alexa and Google Assistant are not advertised for this model according to the product page; control runs via Bluetooth and remote control.

If you want to integrate the column into a smart home, look at other models. According to the listing, the Govee RGBIC LED floor lamp black with Matter connects via Matter with Apple Home, Google and Alexa, plus 85 scene modes and 12 music modes. The Govee RGBIC corner lamp 136 cm silver gives voice commands via Alexa or Google Assistant in the listing, and likewise Matter. Important: both listings point out that the model is changing to a new version. Check before buying which version is in the box.

The Hue system is a line of its own. According to the listing, the Philips Hue Signe White & Color Ambiance floor lamp gives 16 million colours and cool to warm white tones, and can be controlled and automated with a separately available Hue Bridge. The number of lamps that a bridge can manage is limited, as explained on the page Hue Bridge and lamp limit. You will find further notes on smart lamps and switches under smart lamps and light switches.

Brightness: what the figures show and what they do not

For light columns the lumen figure is the trickiest number. The example of the riyo RGBIC corner lamp, 146 cm with 168 LEDs shows it clearly: the listing gives 2,400 lumens in the title. The official product data sheet under EU Regulation 2019/2015, stored for this lamp, gives instead 24.0 watts and 2,100 lumens at a single colour temperature of 4,500 kelvin, plus class G. The two figures do not fit together, and we cannot say which comes closer to reality.

For the two Govee models, the listing gives 1,000 lumens for the white light, and no manufacturer document is available. For the TRUMPETS YK32 RGB LED floor lamp, 165 cm no light output is documented, either in lumens or in lux. For the ONSTUY WS8816B RGB corner lamp, 1.6 m there is no lumen figure at all. The data sheet on file belongs to a different model and gives 196 lumens at 2.6 watts, so it cannot be transferred to this lamp. For the Philips Hue Signe White & Color Ambiance floor lamp, the listing title gives 2,550 lumens, and an accessible manufacturer document for exactly this silver version no longer exists.

The consequence is simple: plan a light column as an additional light zone, not as a replacement for the ceiling light. How watts and lumens relate to each other is in the lumens-to-watts chart. An important note on the white light: the riyo data sheet does not separate the RGB and white shares, so the brightness of the white channel alone is not documented.

Six models compared

The table summarises what is on the individual product pages. Gaps are marked as not documented. All values are listing claims, except where the data sheet is named. No ranking follows from this, because the models pursue different goals.

For the ONSTUY model, the only official height figure in the data sheet on file (122 centimetres, a different model) differs from the 160 centimetres in the listing. The listing has four variants, so measure the corner and check the variant in the basket.

Which design suits whom

For a gaming setup with music sync, a column with a microphone and many modes suits. According to the listing, that applies to the riyo, the TRUMPETS, the ONSTUY and the two Govee models with their 12 music modes. The question is then not the lumen figure but how far the column stands from the monitor and seat, and whether it causes glare in your field of view. An exposed LED strip at eye level is a nuisance if you look straight into it.

For a living room with a smart home, a model with a matching connection suits better if you already use Matter devices or Hue. The two Govee models are an alternative to the Philips Hue Signe White & Color Ambiance floor lamp here if you do not want to build up a Hue system. Conversely, the Hue column is an alternative to the Govee models if a bridge is already in the house.

For pure decor in the corner, a remote control and simple colours are enough. Check the cable length and footprint. For the TRUMPETS, the pole is plugged together from four sections according to the listing, so you can shorten it. For children's rooms and bedrooms: coloured light in the evening can affect the phase of falling asleep, and the page light and sleep gives an overview. Light therapy does not replace medical treatment, and a colour column is not a SAD lamp in any case.

If you are looking for a lamp for tasks that need light in one spot, you are better served by floor lamps with a reading light. And if you are unsure how light sources, zones and controls work together, the lighting calculator helps with room planning.

Check before buying

The product pages point to several issues that cause problems more often with colour columns. First, the figures: check the light output, colour temperature and dimming in the current listing or in the manual if that matters to you. Second, the variant: the Govee listings point to a new version, and the ONSTUY listing has four versions.

Third, the documents: for several brands no manufacturer page can be found. For the riyo, the TRUMPETS and the ONSTUY, the respective product page states that no brand page with lamps was found. So keep the order date, model designation and papers in the box. In the event of a complaint, the retailer is then the first point of contact.

Fourth, the place of use: none of the product pages gives an IP rating for these models, so the bathroom is not a documented place of use. What the ratings mean is explained under IP rating in the bathroom. Fifth, power consumption: for the riyo the data sheet gives 24 watts, while for the other models the figure is missing on the product pages; notes on calculating costs are given in LED running costs.