You are here: Home/Home & Garden/ 7 Best Long Distance Touch Lamps: (the Friendship Lamps Reviews & Guide 2023)
"Note that the products discussed on our site are independently selected by (obsessive) editors. At no extra cost to you, things you buy through our links may earn us a commission"
7 Best Long Distance Touch Lamps: (the Friendship Lamps Reviews & Guide 2023)
Let a friend know you care with just a touch—from afar!
If you’re seeking a great way to brighten up a room but also share a connection with a special someone no matter how far away he or she may be, long-distance touch lamps may be just what you want.
We will use friendship lamp or long distance touch lamp terms interchangeably and it basically means the same thing.
A touch lamp is generally a nightstand lamp that you touch to activate rather than flip a switch. A friendship lamp with touch capabilities—or a long-distance touch lamp—is usually paired with another lamp. When one lamp is touched, its mate lights up no matter where it is in the world.
Two childhood friends living on the same block or in the same apartment complex can enjoy them, but thanks to an Internet connection, these products work over very long distances as well. Share special moments daily with a loved one even if you’re in a different country or on another continent.
We’ve been intrigued by long-distance friendship touch lamps for quite a while now, and so we set out to learn more about them. Our team not only performed dozens of our own long-distance touch lamp reviews, but we poured over many expert and consumer reviews as well. We also worked diligently to answer the questions that people tend to have when googling about these kinds of products.
Comparison Chart: Best Friendship Lamps of 2023
In our comparison chart of the best long distance touch lamps, you’ll find some basic information about all the touch lamps that are further down in our review section. Before you rush out and pull the trigger on your most favorite option, we only recommend you to buy Friendship Lamps by Filimin. It is the only true long distance touch lamp available on the market right now. You can either buy a single lamp in classic and modern design or you can go with a set of 2 friendship lamps to fulfill its actual purpose.
Here we take a look at the top long distance touch lamps in this review section. As mentioned earlier, Filimin is the only actual long distance lamp we recommend to our readers. You can read its full review to analyze its features to help you make a quick, hassle-free and informed decision.
The long-distance touch light by Filimin is easily the best of the products we tested.
Our team isn’t sure if these are the first ever friendship lamps on the market, but we are confident that these are the products that set off the trend. It’s just a really well put together package, and the company does an excellent job of marketing these as simple long-distance touch gifts.
Filimin’s lamps measure 4.75 by 4.75 by 8 inches and weigh less than two pounds. The lamps have a black frame and black-and-frosted panes designed to look like stained glass. It supports hundreds of colors and will actually rotate through them randomly until you assign a default color for the lamp.
These are a bit on the pricey side compared to other products we reviewed, but we think it’s worth it just due to how polished the product is overall. Of all the friendship lamp setup protocols we went through, these were the simplest, and the product actually teaches you how to use long distance touch lamp. The person setting it up will need some familiarity with their Wi-Fi setup, but there is a one-step setup mode that can get even the most technologically challenged among us through it.
Each lamp does require a Wi-Fi connection, so keep that in mind. The built-in Wi-Fi adapter only supports 2.4 GHz and not 5 GHz. It does not work with captive portals. This may affect students living in a dorm, for instance, so be sure to check what your networking environment entails. Also, note that the plug is configured for U.S. and Canada standards, so if you’ll be using one or more of these lamps in Europe, for instance, then you’ll likely need an adapter in order to plug it into the wall.
These lamps are sold as standalone units as well as in pairs, and the neat thing is that you can actually mate any number of lamps by creating a group and assigning lamps to it. When a person touches his or her lamp, all the other lamps in that group with light up with that person’s chosen color.
This also means that you can have multiple groups. One person we know has one lamp shared with her husband overseas and another with her mom and grandmother who live in other states.
Important Note: All the lamps listed below are not long distance touch lamps. They are just general purpose lamps that provide multi-purpose operation like bluetooth speakers, LED lights, music, portable table lamp, etc. Filimin is the only actual long distance touch lamp that we recommend to our readers.
#2. Kainuoa Touch Table Lamp
The touch table lamp by Kainuoa is among the most polished products that we tested.
While it comes up a bit short in regards to friendship and long distance—which is why it fell to the second spot—this is an extremely well-made touch lamp. It is a bit on the small side, which can be a positive or a negative depending on your needs and preferences. It measures 6.5 by 4.4 by 3.9 inches and weighs 9.6 ounces, and we found it perfect as a night-light for bedrooms, kitchens and almost anywhere.
The LED is rated for 40,000 hours even at the highest light setting. There are three light modes: low, medium and high. It also supports six distinct colors for mood, and each color can be activated regardless of which light mode is chosen. The LED could have easily handled more colors, so our team was a little disappointed that the product gives you no interface to select them.
During our review, we were impressed with some of the features it boasts, including a built-in mic and portable speaker that lets you take calls. We didn’t expect that to work well at all and were pleasantly surprised with just how clear and crisp the conversations were.
You’re also able to use these as Bluetooth speakers to play music from your smartphone, MP3 player or whatever. A missed opportunity was not having a setting that allows the mood music to change based on the music being played.
You can also use Bluetooth to connect your lamp to your PC and myriad other devices. A provided USB charging cable is how you charge the lamp but also serves as a wired data connection. Unfortunately, pairing this with another lamp is not supported out of the box and not nearly as simple as it should be.
#3. ZHOPPY Night Light
The ZHOPPY night light with Bluetooth speakers provides a lot of bang for the buck!
Many lamps are cheap, but inexpensive doesn’t have to mean poor quality and lacking features. This lamp for friends by ZHOPPY is an excellent example of that. The product is well made, loaded with features and looks great in practically any environment.
The long distance touch lamp you buy will depend a lot on your preferences and what you’re seeking to achieve, but we think that you can’t go wrong with all that this lamp offers. One complaint we have is that it only supports six colors. Nevertheless, those colors are vibrant and can fade in and out when transitioning from one to another. The colors and fade can even synchronize with your music!
Did we mention that these were speakers as well? Bluetooth support is included, which make it simple to pair these speakers with smartphones, tablets, MP3 players and so forth. There’s also an auxiliary port if you prefer or need a wired connection. It also has a TF card slot, which means you can bypass the player entirely and have the lamp play your music directly from an inserted card.
The lamp is fully portable, and you can charge it via a USB cable, or keep it connected at all times. The product can have a solid color if you prefer, and the orange at the lowest setting is rather neutral and perfect as a night-light. There are two higher settings as well: medium and high.
#4. AUKEY Table Lamp with Touch Sensor
This lamp by AUKEY is a looker that can add ambience to any room!
As we reviewed each touch lamp for long distance friendships, we came across some products that were a lot more serious in tone than we expected. This light by AUKEY is among those products. With neutral lighting activated, it looks at home in a high-end and modern living room.
That’s not to say that these lamps can’t party too. Each lamp supports six colors that are vibrant, rich and distinct. It can also blend those colors to create others. It can rotate through all of the hues, and the scan can be slow enough for you to pick out a perfect shade. Whether you opt for warm white light or color, you’ll have a choice of three intensities: the default soft as well as moderate and bright.
The intensity of the white light on the bright setting took us by surprise. Most of the products we looked at are excellent nightstand lamps but not actually lamps for reading and whatnot. That’s not the case with this lamp, which can provide significant illumination if you want even in large rooms.
It’s worth noting that these are not long distance Wi-Fi touch lamps by default. You have to pair them with the AUKEY Mini Wi-Fi Smart Plug Outlet or a similar product, which works well but may not be as user-friendly out of the box as the average consumer may prefer.
#5. YSD LED Touch Lamp by Pherunic
This touch lamp by Pherunic is a really simple and elegant solution.
It’s also among the most inexpensive lamps on our list but also another example of how cheap in this segment doesn’t necessarily mean cheaply made. The low price makes it perfect for those gifts where you shouldn’t spend a lot, such as Secret Santa or a tween’s birthday party. It’s also an excellent option if you’re buying for a large family and thus need more than just two lamps.
Something else that makes this a great lamp is the integrated lithium ion battery. A Micro-USB cable is included in the package, and you use that to charge it. A full charge will give you about 40 hours at minimum brightness, which makes it perfect for camping and other outings.
The lamp has a 360-degree surface that you can touch anywhere to activate it or turn it off. At the top, you’ll find a control panel that lets you cycle through the colors as well as select one of three brightness levels: low light, moderate light and high light. It only supports a handful of colors unfortunately, and there’s no option to combine them for variety as there is with the AUKEY product.
Note that there’s also an upgraded version of this product that costs about twice as much but includes Bluetooth, hands-free calling, an alarm clock display and PC support. This is the version you’ll need if you want to take advantage of long distance capabilities, but it’s still a pretty good value.
#6. KMASHI Touch Lamp
The KMASHI product is a rechargeable LED portable touch lamp.
A micro-USB cable is included so that you can easily charge it and take it with you. A full charge takes about three hours, and you can use it while it charges—but that will take longer. Once charged, you’ll get about 30 hours out of it at the minimum brightness setting. It also serves wonderfully as a bedside table lamp for either children or adults, and we were very pleased with the default warm white light.
The product also supports thousands of colors and anything supported by the RGB color model. You can have the lamp cycle through them for effect or slow enough that you can choose the perfect color for your room or mood. Something else we really liked about this product is that brightness isn’t a switch.
Touch the lamp anywhere on the sides to turn it on and off, but touch it at the top to make it jump to the next brightness. It cycles from soft to low to moderate to bright. There are also convenient switches at the top that let you select colors as well as revert to the neutral white light.
#7. Aquiv & MLGB Alexa Smart Wi-Fi Table Lamp
This is actually two distinct products: an Alexa Wi-Fi smart lamp from MLGB and an Alexa Wi-Fi smart lamp by Aquiv. These products are almost identical in terms of feature. The only real difference is that one is circular and the other is square, and we didn’t that was enough to choose one over the other.
Something else worth mentioning is that these aren’t touch in the sense that the long distance touch lamps above are. Instead, they communicate with your smartphone or tablet, and you touch the screen to turn on the light, change the color and activate a host of other features. Neither Amazon Alexa nor Google Home are required, but both are supported if you want that integration.
These products have more programming options than the other lamps we reviewed. We like being able to set this lamp to automatically turn on at a particular time. That was great in cases where it served as night-light. This is also the easiest lamp to dial in the exact color and intensity you want.
So, why rank it at seven then? Well, for the purposes of this list, this lamp is a bit difficult to set up for long distance friendship behavior. It requires some knowledge of networking that the average person in the market for a touch lamp may not have.
How These Long-Distance Touch Lamps Were Tested and Selected
The first aspect we assessed was the light. Long-distance friendship lamps at any price had to at least provide adequate light. The could mean serving as a night-light or providing colored or natural mood lighting. Many of the products we looked at and that we selected served all of these purposes.
Our team considered build quality as the next component of our long-distance touch lamp reviews. After all, this is a product that you may touch every day or even multiple times a day. It has to stand up to that wear as well as be reasonably easy to clean of the inevitable dust and skin oils.
The final phase of the process involved setting these up online. Our team experimented with a number of different configurations: on the same network, on different networks and in separate physical locations. The very last thing we did was mail our top two dozen or so to a sister group across the pond so we could experience what it would be like, for instance, if one lamp is in the U.S. and the other is in the U.K.
Factors to Consider before Buying a Long Distance Touch Light
There are few key factors that you need to consider before clicking on that add to cart button on your favorite long-distance touch lamp.
Budget: If you have a specific budget in mind, it will surely help you narrow down your choices. More features equate to a higher price. Unless you need something fancy, there aren’t any deal breakers when shopping for a long distance touch lamp. Distance: With touch lamps, long or short distances don’t matter at all. No matter where your loved one is staying, you can always connect as long as you both have an internet connection.
Size: When shopping for the best long distance touch lamp, be mindful about décor of your home. Do not pick anything that is either too small or too large to negatively impact the ambience of your room.
Glow: Not all friendship lamps offer same kind of intensity and glow. If you are someone who likes mild light, you should opt for a lamp that provides low to medium brightness. For light-sensitive individuals, strong glow can irritate and affect the eyes. Make sure that it is either adjustable or comes equipped with medium flare by default.
Colors: Majority touch lamps can light hundreds of colors and not just one specific color. So, you may not need to base your buying decision based on a color choice.
Wi-fi Enabled: The long distance touch lamps only work with help of an internet connection. Without Wi-Fi, you won’t be able to connect with internet and ultimately cannot pair with the other friendship lamp.
Management: All touch lamps either use an app or web-based manager to control their functioning. They must be easy to setup and shouldn’t require complicated instructions to follow and then implement.
How Friendship Lamps Work and Foster Stronger Long-Distance Relationships
Long-distance relationships are never easy. We all lead busy lives. When we don’t see a loved one daily, it’s easy to lose touch. Technology has certainly made it easier. Texting allows us to exchange thoughts as they come to us and without the pressure that a phone call can bring. When we do have time for a phone conversation, technologies like Skype give those sessions a much more personal touch.
But texting and video conferencing don’t recreate those little moments we get to experience on a daily basis with people we love: a brief touch, a knowing look, a wry smile and so on. And herein lies the genius of the long-distance touch lamp. When your lamp is lit, you know your loved one is thinking of you, and when you touch your friendship lamp, your loved one knows that they’re on your mind.
So, how do these devices actually work? Each product is a bit different but the core concept of a long-distance lamp with touch capabilities is they are connected to the Internet and then paired via that connection. Friendship lamps generally don’t have a conventional switch and are activated or turned off by touching your hand to the shade. Touching also sends an indication to the paired light to light up too.
Touch lamps for long distances often support a wide range of colors, and you can choose a particular color for yourself or to send to your sweetheart or family member. Color can represent what mood you’re in or set a particular ambiance. Often, these products let you disable them during certain time periods so that, for instance, a touch from a loved one doesn’t wake you in the middle of the night.
Note that products like the Uncommon Goods long-distance touch lamp include software that handles the pairing for you. However, many other touch lamps are more do it yourself. A long-distance touch lamp DIY kit may support Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, but often, you’ll need an additional product to facilitate it. An example would be a smart plug that turns practically any device into a Wi-Fi enabled gadget.
Touch lamps make great gifts. When you buy this kind of product, you’re not only treating yourself but also getting a gift for another person who you care deeply about and will miss while they’re away.
Another great reason to purchase these kinds of lamps is that they’re relatively inexpensive. Most long-distance touch lamps are cheap frankly. There aren’t too many gifts that you can buy for a person that will have this kind of impact that don’t cost a lot more than this pair of lamps will.
Impact is another excellent reason. When you pick out a gift for a loved one, you want it to have an effect. You want them to know that you spent time picking it out because of how much you care about them. These lamps are different than most presents because it isn’t about the merchandise itself but rather what the lamp represents and how it will let you stay in contact and nurture your relationship.
It’s also a gift that will last. The best friendship lamps can remain in a family for generations. There aren’t any moving parts that are prone to failure. The lights are often LEDs and will last for decades and are replaceable as well, and traditional bulbs as well as the shades are often replaceable too.
Final Thoughts
Well, there you have it. Hopefully all of your questions about these ingenious products have been answered and our long-distance touch lamp reviews have made your choice clearer.
Our entire team had a great deal of fun testing these. There were even those of us who had no previous familiarity with these products who were inspired to purchase them for family and friends. They really are a sweet gift that has great meaning. It also doesn’t hurt that most long-distance friendship lamps are cheap as well as fairly straightforward to set up, and they require very little maintenance afterward.
Paul is a compulsive tinkerer and inventor who loves writing about latest machines technology. He is especially inclined towards home improvement, exercise and outdoor equipment that every sports enthusiast and house dweller would love to get their hands on.
The long-distance touch light by Filimin is easily the best of the products we tested.
This lamp for friends by ZHOPPY is an excellent example of that. The product is well made, loaded with features and looks great in practically any environment.
more serious in tone than we expected. This light by AUKEY is among those products. With neutral lighting activated, it looks at home in a high-end and modern living room.
cheap in this segment doesn’t necessarily mean cheaply made. The low price makes it perfect for those gifts where you shouldn’t spend a lot, such as Secret Santa or a tween’s birthday party. It’s also an excellent option if you’re buying for a large family and thus need more than just two lamps.
three hours, and you can use it while it charges—but that will take longer. Once charged, you’ll get about 30 hours out of it at the minimum brightness setting. It also serves wonderfully as a bedside table lamp for either children or adults, and we were very pleased with the default warm white light.
by Aquiv. These products are almost identical in terms of feature. The only real difference is that one is circular and the other is square, and we didn’t that was enough to choose one over the other.
