Price: $75
Govee aims to illuminate every surface of your home, and the RGBIC LED Neon Rope Light for Desks helps get the job done in your office or gaming space. The vibrant, pulsing, reactive, and customizable light strip is a brilliant touch to your desktop, running along the edge for a clean aesthetic.
Govee has long since enamored me with its impressive range of lighting, first with a pair of TV light strips, then with its AI Gaming Sync Box Kit. I didn’t think my experience with the RGBIC LED Neon Rope Light would be any different, and, for the most part, it wasn’t. A simple installation and convenient remote control make this a great lighting option even for the tech unsavvy.
It does work with Govee’s arguably overly complicated app to create custom scenes and sync up with other Govee light kits, such as the AI-powered box, so there is quite a bit you can do with the rope light if you care to put in the effort. I did, and I wasn’t disappointed with how well it worked in conjunction with the AI Gaming Sync Box Kit. In fact, the two go hand-in-hand and should be sold as a full set.
As appealing as the rope light is when it’s working its magic, there’s a reason why most light strips are hidden behind TVs and computer monitors. This one is especially bulky, and the off-white stands out against my solid black desk. If there is one major drawback, though, it’s that the seam of the strip against your desk winds up acting as a difficult-to-clean trap for dirt, dust, and, if you eat while gaming, crumbs.
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Installation: A Breeze for the Right Desk Size
- Density: 84 LEDs/m
- Color variety: 16.8 million
- Cord length: 10 ft (3m)
- Connection: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
Right out of the box, the light strip comes as a single rope with an attached three-button remote. Unlike monitor and TV light strips, there’s no break in the LEDs, which creates a clean aesthetic as it wraps around your desk neatly.
The full strand is 10 feet (3 m) long, but thankfully it can be cut down to size to fit smaller desks. My desk is about 54 x 27 in (137 x 68 cm), and I had to cut about a foot off. I was skeptical that it would ruin the light, but the strand is designed to be shortened to a certain length without disrupting the LEDs.
Attaching Govee’s rope light was as easy as it gets. Peel off the adhesive backing and slowly press the strand to the desk’s edge. While the rope bends easily around outside corners, you’ll need an included attachment for inside edges. After a few stress-free minutes of lining the strip up with the center of the edge, I was good to go.
A wireless remote would have been a nice touch, but the wired option can mount on the underside of your desk if you want to keep it out of way. It’s one of the cleanest lighting installations I’ve dealt with.
Dynamic Lighting for Your Gaming Setup
I’ve gotten used to Govee’s incredible range of lighting, and the RGBIC neon rope light does not disappoint. The coloring is bright without being harsh, and rather than illuminating an entire room, the LEDs give off a comfortable accent glow. And best of all, the strip doesn’t get hot, which is good since your body is right next to it.
The rope boasts 14 zones of 84 LEDs placed every 3 feet or so, which helps emit 16.8 million colors. I didn’t count, but there are definitely so many colors to choose from, you’re not going to see them all in use. You can use the attached remote to cycle through colors and modes, including several responsive displays that react to noise. I was surprised by how sensitive the input is, as it picked up even the slightest sound.
Through the remote, there wasn’t much customization to be had. If you wanted a reactive light, it was typically going to be red or a rainbow of colors. To personalize the LED strip, you’ll use the accompanying Govee app (available on iPhone and Android).
The Govee App: Complex, but Feature Rich
Govee’s app is anything but limited. You can customize all 14 zones to display a different color, set scenes to fit your mood, create your own scenes, set a wake-up and sleep timer, and more. The app also lets you pair the rope light with other Govee lighting kits, and I found this strand works very well with the AI Gaming Sync Box Kit.
Though the kit itself is limited in what games it works with, the rope light syncs up perfectly with the AI light to match what’s happening in games like “Apex Legends” and “Overwatch 2.” When I downed an enemy, my entire desk lit up as the rope light mimicked the AI kit. Getting the two to work together took some exploring in the app, but once paired, the box kit does the work. While the AI-powered kit will be the focal point of your gaming desk, with its two wall-facing standing lights, the rope light is a great complement.
Along with other lights in the Govee ecosystem, the rope light can pair with Razer Chroma RGB devices. For even more convenience, you can control the light with your Amazon Alexa device, though the commands are a little limited.
A Minor Design Flaw
If you’re at your desk quite often, and especially if you eat at it, you tend to notice a build-up of dirt and dust over time. Unfortunately, the RGBIC rope light acts as a well for all of this. It wouldn’t be as bad if you could actually clean along the seam between the light strip and your desk.
With the way the light attaches, all this build-up is actually landing on part of the sticky surface, and I’ve yet to find a suitable way to clean it. I try scraping it out but wound up only pulling up some of the adhesive. If the light strip itself was flush against your desk, you could easily wipe it down.
Should You Buy the Govee RGBIC LED Neon Rope Light for Desks?
The first question you have to ask yourself is whether you care about ambient lighting or not. If not, then no matter how much I praise Govee’s RGBIC LED Neon Rope Light for Desks, it’s not for you. Gamers that want to spruce up their station with as much RGB as possible, though, will find a lot of value in the rope light. It covers the one area of your desk that would otherwise be unlit, allowing you to bathe yourself in the soft glow of LEDs.
The attached remote offers limited color options and settings, so you’ll be relying heavily on the Govee app. That’s not such a bad thing so you long as you don’t mind learning as you go. Having a little more control without needing to download an app would have been a nice touch, but when you do get used to the Govee app, you’re treated to a bounty of ways to personalize the display.
While the rope light shines on its own and produces a wonderful array of colors, it’s at its best when accenting another Govee light. I’d even argue that it should be sold as part of the AI Gaming Sync Box Kit to make the most out of the desktop unit.
The RGBIC light is a great addition to any gaming setup, radiating a soft glow that will liven up your space.
Price: $75
Here’s What We Like
- Easy to install
- Can be shortened
- 16.8 million vibrant true colors
- Syncs with other Govee products
And What We Don’t
- Strand top can collect dirt
- Seems costly for a rope light
- Needs Govee app for true potential
