Putting a strip light on top of your desktop monitor is an easy way to add focused illumination in any workspace. Problem is, that’s the same place where you normally put your webcam, which creates a conflict. The Alogic Illuminate solves that by integrating a webcam right into the light bar.
That’s right, they made a light bar with a built-in 4K webcam, so you get to enjoy dedicated workspace lighting without having to worry about your webcam’s placement. Is the webcam as good as whatever model you’re using now? While it’s probably not going to compete with the best streaming webcams out there, it definitely seems like it can handle most standard webcam tasks just fine.
The Alogic Illuminate consists of a light bar with an asymmetrical optical design that, the outfit claims, uses reflectors to direct the light towards the desk without spilling any of it onto the monitor screen. As such, it’s able to adequately illuminate the space under the monitor without creating any unwanted glare or reflections right on the display. Users can change both brightness and temperature levels for the lighting, with the outfit recommending people to use 2,800K for reading (it’s warm and reduces eyestrains), 6,000K when working with colors (it replicates colors), and 7,500K for a more neutral light.
A touch bar on top the strip light makes it easy to adjust the illumination without having to actually open another app move some sliders onscreen. If you don’t want to stand up and reach out to the top of the monitor every time, it also comes with a remote control dial that you can use to make lighting adjustments from a more comfortable spot. The dial has magnets in the back, by the way, so you can snap it onto ferromagnetic surfaces within your immediate vicinity for a more secure placement.
The Alogic Illuminate comes with a 12MP webcam that’s supposedly based on the built-in webcams the outfit equips in their Clarity monitors. It supports 4K video recording at 30 fps and 1080p recording at 60 fps, with an 80 degree field of view, 50/60Hz anti-flicker technology, and rapid autofocus that, the outfit claims, can work from as close as 20 cm to as far as up to three meters away. It comes with a magnetic cover that you can snap on top the webcam if you want to ensure some privacy for your space, as well as a built-in mic, although they offer no detailed specs for the latter (which probably means you’ll want to use your USB mic instead).
The light bar comes with a mount designed to fit on top of monitors between 8mm and 30mm thick, with anti-slip rubber ensuring it both stays in place and doesn’t scratch any part of your monitor the whole time it’s mounted. You can tilt the light bar at a variety of angles, by the way, allowing you to find the ideal position based on how your workspace is set up. The whole thing requires a single USB-C connection.
The Alogic Illuminate is available now, priced at $149.99.
