I tried Govee’s massive new Lightwall and it’s the ultimate splurge for your next outdoor party

Govee’s new Lightwall takes the idea of smart curtain lights and flips it on its head. You still get a giant, customizable pixel-art tapestry, but it’s no longer tethered to a permanent installation in front of your windows or garage door. Instead, the Lightwall is a rugged, self-standing display built for backyards, parties, and events.

While I skipped Govee’s original curtain lights, I currently have the Govee Curtain Lights Pro installed in my son’s playroom. They’ve been a permanent fixture for months now, turning a static window into a customizable canvas of 960 LEDs with hundreds of preset scenes to choose from.

With the new Lightwall, Govee has upped the ante, jumping from 960 to a whopping 1,536 LEDs. Since these pixels are packed tighter together, animated GIFs appear significantly clearer. They’re smoother, too, thanks to a 35 frames-per-second refresh rate. But the best part is the versatility: in 10 to 15 minutes, I can set up the Lightwall and instantly transform my backyard or any outdoor space into a dynamic canvas of light.

I’ve really enjoyed testing the Lightwall and, just like with the Curtain Lights Pro, I’m impressed with all of the pictures, text, and animated GIFs it can display. However, at $449, this is Govee’s most expensive curtain light yet — and even with all those extra LEDs, you’re better off turning it on at night than during the day.

My Govee Lightwall review will help you decide if this is the best smart light for your backyard or if it makes more sense to spend less on a set of Govee’s more permanent curtain lights instead.

Govee Lightwall: Cheat Sheet

• What is it? A portable and customizable smart light curtain that can display text, images and even animated GIFs.
• Who is it for? Smart home enthusiasts with money to spend, renters that want a less permanent smart curtain light and small business owners that want to set it up at events.
• What does it cost? The Govee Lightwall costs $449 on Govee’s website and Amazon.
• What do we like? How easy and quick it is to set up and break down, the strong, sturdy frame, its higher pixel density, its large display area and the included carrying case.
• What don’t we like? Its higher price compared to Govee’s previous curtain lights and that the LEDs still aren’t bright enough to be seen in direct sunlight.

Govee Lightwall: Specs

Govee Lightwall: The ups

Although the Govee Lightwall is a brand new device, it builds on the company’s previous smart curtain lights by adding a portable twist. However, its larger size and just how easily everything fits into the included carrying case is what impressed me the most.

Perfectly portable

Unlike the other Govee smart lights I’ve tested in the past, the Lightwall comes in a plain brown box with a small picture on the front. After opening it, I slid a large black carrying case with a handle out of the box and immediately realized I was dealing with something else entirely.

The strands of LEDs and the aluminum tubes that make up the Lightwall’s frame were neatly packed away in black fabric sleeves. At the front of the case, zippered compartments hold the power adapter and all of the accessories needed to put the Lightwall together.

Govee always does a great job with its packaging, but the way this massive 8.5 x 6.2-foot smart light fits so perfectly into such a compact case completely took me by surprise.

An almost tool-free assembly

With everything out of the case, it was time to start putting the Lightwall together. I did have to refer to the large paper instruction manual a few times, but for the most part, the setup process was streamlined and easy enough that even a smart home newbie could manage.

I started by connecting the poles that form either end of the Lightwall’s frame, a process very similar to pitching a tent. I then used the included screwdriver and bolts to attach the metal base plates to the bottom of each pole.

From there, I placed the two end poles 8.5 feet apart and laid the long top pole across them. The Lightwall is made of three separate sections of LEDs, which are secured to the top pole using detachable brackets.

Once the Lightwall was standing, I connected each section of LEDs at their base and used the included clear plastic clips to perfectly align the strands.

I’ll admit I had a few things out of place the first time I set up the Lightwall inside my house. However, after breaking everything down and reassembling it in my backyard, the process was much smoother. After doing this a couple of times, I’m confident you could easily put up or take down the entire display in 10 minutes or less.

Now for the fun part: turning it on and bringing this massive pixel-art tapestry to life.

A customizable big-screen canvas

If you’ve never seen one of Govee’s curtain lights in person, they’re a real sight to behold. After the Govee logo flashed across the display, I was greeted with an animated series of hearts that showed off exactly what the Lightwall is capable of. From there, I tapped the "plus" button in the Govee app, which walked me through the rest of the pairing process.

Just like many of the company’s other smart lights, the Lightwall can be controlled via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. The latter is a great addition here; if you bring the Lightwall to a friend’s house or set it up at an event, you don’t have to worry about joining a local Wi-Fi network to have full control over its 1,536 LEDs.

Within the Govee app, there are over 200 preset scenes ranging from Animals and Art to emojis in the "Funny" category. With a single tap, you can switch between them, display a single color, or choose from 10 different music sync modes. You can also use Govee’s DreamView feature to sync the Lightwall with the rest of your indoor or outdoor smart lights for a more cohesive light show.

To test the Lightwall’s higher LED count and tighter pixel spacing, I started with a few of my favorite scenes from the Curtain Lights Pro. Van Gogh’s Starry Night looked noticeably better on this higher-resolution display, as did animated scenes like the spaceship flying through the stars.

I also tested the Display feature, which is one of my favorites on the Pro model. With a tap, the Lightwall transforms from a blank canvas into a giant digital clock, a weather station, or even a timer across its 7.9-foot screen. From Santa to pumpkins, holidays are where the Lightwall and the rest of Govee's curtain lights truly shine though.

With the preset scenes out of the way, it was time to move on to the DIY features and make the canvas my own.

Just a prompt away

Within the Govee app, you have full manual control over the Lightwall, with the ability to draw your own scenes or write out custom text. However, if you’re short on time or feeling less creative, you don’t have to do the heavy lifting yourself.

By tapping the “AI” section next to “Illumination,” you can pull up Govee’s AI Lighting Bot 2.0. This chatbot can generate entirely new scenes from scratch based on a simple prompt. I’ve used this in the past to create The Grinch for a holiday party, and it’s surprisingly good at rendering well-known characters.

While hanging out in the backyard with my son, I asked the AI Lighting Bot 2.0 to create a scene featuring Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas — even though it’s spring, the holidays are always on my mind. In about 60 to 90 seconds, the scene was generated and ready to be applied to the Lightwall. The Pumpkin King was clearly visible with animated movements to boot.

If a creation doesn’t turn out exactly as you imagined, you can re-prompt the chatbot or ask it to tweak the initial design. If you’d rather skip the AI altogether, you can also upload your own images or GIFs and watch them come to life on the Lightwall’s high-density grid.

Govee Lightwall: The downs

The Govee Lightwall represents brand new territory for smart curtain lights, but this one-of-a-kind display isn’t without its downsides. Most notably, its images and animations only truly shine after the sun goes down, and at $449, this certainly isn't an impulse buy for your smart home.

Not quite daytime ready

Since Govee’s Lightwall has an IP65 weather-resistance rating, I felt comfortable leaving it out in my backyard overnight. When I turned it back on the following afternoon, it certainly lit up, but I found myself squinting to make out the colors across its LEDs.

As is the case with most smart lights, the Lightwall works best at dusk or at night when its LEDs aren’t competing with direct sunlight. While you can make out pictures, text, and GIFs if the display is in the shade or used indoors with the blinds drawn, this is a device designed for the dark. To see it in all its splendor, you'll want to time your setup for when the sun is going down.

More investment than upgrade

Govee’s original Curtain Lights were an instant hit, largely because they launched at a very affordable $129 price. While the price has increased gradually with subsequent models, even at $199, the Curtain Lights Pro are still within impulse-buy territory for many. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case with the Govee Lightwall.

At $449, the Lightwall is more of an investment than a simple upgrade. Given its portable nature, it’s almost an entirely different category of product. You often pay a premium for convenience, and that’s certainly true here. However, depending on your needs and living situation, the higher price could absolutely be worth it.

For starters, unlike the Curtain Lights 2 or the Pro, the Lightwall doesn’t require a permanent or semi-permanent installation. Instead, you can put it up for New Year’s and take it down right after the ball drops. This makes it an ideal choice for renters who want a high-end smart home experience without drilling holes in their walls or risking damage to their curtains.

The other more likely use case I envision for the Lightwall is for small business owners. If you’re a DJ, photographer, or event planner looking to add a touch of fun to your next gig, this is a game-changer. In 10 to 15 minutes, you can have a customizable backdrop or a pixel-art style digital display with your contact info that is not only clearly visible but will draw exactly the kind of attention you’re looking for.

For smart home enthusiasts like myself, you might still be better off getting another set of Govee’s standard curtain lights — or even multiple sets — to recreate the larger canvas you get with the Lightwall.

Govee Lightwall: Verdict

The Govee Lightwall is an impressive piece of hardware, thanks to its expansive, pixel-dense canvas and its uniquely portable design. While installing the Curtain Lights Pro took me most of an evening, I had the Lightwall unboxed and fully assembled in just 20 minutes — even while stopping to take pictures of the process.

At $449, the Lightwall is undeniably expensive. However, if you value convenience and portability over a permanent installation, it is a worthy investment. Likewise, if you plan to use it for a small business or professional events rather than just casual get-togethers, the value proposition becomes even stronger.

Having tested both the Curtain Lights Pro and the new Lightwall, I’m excited to see how Govee iterates on this technology — likely just in time for the next holiday season. For now, I’m heading out to the backyard to pack up the Lightwall for our next big family party and potentially as a backdrop for my wife’s next school dance.

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