How the LuvLink Friendship Lamp Works: A Plain-English Guide for Kiwis
Quick answer: Touch your lamp — their lamp lights up in the same colour, wherever they are in the world. No text, no call, no awkward timing. Just a quiet glow that says "I'm thinking of you."
If you've been Googling how the Friendship Lamp works in NZ, here's the plain-English version. If someone you love lives across Cook Strait, across the Tasman, or on the other side of the planet, you'll know the specific ache of wanting to reach out but not having much to say. The LuvLink Friendship Lamp was built for exactly that moment. This guide breaks down how it actually works — the tech, the setup, the colours — no jargon required.
What is a Friendship Lamp, exactly?
A Friendship Lamp is a WiFi-connected touch lamp. You keep one, your person keeps another. When either of you touches your lamp, the other lamp lights up — instantly, in whatever colour you chose. It's a physical signal that travels through the internet, but it lands like something much more personal. The lamp on her bedside table in Invercargill glows blue at 11 pm, and she knows exactly who it's from.
The lamps come in sets — pairs, or groups of three, four, five, or six — so you can connect an entire whānau across different cities or countries at once. One touch, everyone in the group knows you're thinking of them.
A quiet glow that says "I'm thinking of you" — no words needed.
“Such an amazing lamp! It works from America to Australia. Setup was easy. I ordered one from Australia to be shipped to an Australian address. I ordered a second lamp from the manufacturer’s Amazon store in America for myself. They both work together. We are so impressed! And it’s so cool you can customize little messages to each other in the app and send different colors to each other at anytime. Pretty solid device. Great gift.”
How does the Friendship Lamp work, step by step?
Yes, it really is as simple as it looks. Here's what actually happens when you touch your lamp:
- Your lamp detects the touch and registers the colour you pressed (more on colours in a moment).
- It sends a signal over your home WiFi to LuvLink's servers.
- The server pushes that signal out to every lamp in your group, anywhere in the world.
- Their lamp glows in the exact same colour — within a second or two.
That's the whole loop. No app needed to send or receive the signal once you're set up. The lamps talk to each other on their own. You can be at Pak'nSave, your person can be asleep in London, and the lamp on their bedside table will still quietly light up when you touch yours.
How do you set it up in New Zealand?
Setup takes about five minutes. New Zealand's standard 2.4 GHz WiFi works perfectly — you don't need anything special. The full step-by-step process is covered in detail in the Friendship Lamp setup guide for New Zealand, but here's the short version:
- Download the free LuvLink app on your phone (iOS or Android).
- Create an account and add your lamp using the app.
- Connect the lamp to your home WiFi — the app walks you through it.
- Share a group code with the person getting the other lamp, so they can add theirs.
- Touch your lamp. Watch theirs light up. Done.
The person receiving the other lamp does the same process on their end — download, connect, join the group. Once both lamps are in the same group, they're linked (unless you change it). You can manage everything, including renaming the group and adding more lamps later, from inside the app.
What do the colours mean?
This is one of the best parts. The lamp doesn't limit you to a handful of preset colours — you can choose from over 200 shades. You decide what each colour means to you and your person.
Some people keep it simple: one colour for "good morning," another for "I love you," one for "call me when you can." Others treat the full spectrum like a little secret language built just for two. Soft purple at 7 am might mean "I'm on my way to work, thinking of you." There's no rulebook — you write your own.
To pick a colour, you tap the top of the lamp and rotate your finger around the rim until you land on the shade you want. The lamp glows that colour, then sends it. Takes a second once you get used to it.
Who is the Friendship Lamp made for?
Honestly? Anyone with someone they miss. The most common situations Kiwis use it for:
- Couples in long-distance relationships — a daily glow that keeps the connection feeling real between visits.
- Parents and adult kids who've moved cities — Mum in Christchurch, daughter in Auckland; Dad in Wellington, son studying in Melbourne. One touch at 8 am is enough to start the day feeling less far away.
- Best friends who've drifted apart geographically — a tap instead of the "we should catch up" text that never leads anywhere.
- Kiwi families spread across the Tasman — with so many New Zealanders living in Australia, a set of lamps is one of the most practical ways to stay genuinely connected. The guide on staying connected across the Tasman goes deeper on this.
- Grandparents and grandkids — no typing, no apps to navigate. Just touch.
Read more: How to keep a long-distance friendship alive in NZ
Sets of three, four, or more lamps work especially well for families. When Nan touches hers in Dunedin, all five lamps in the family group light up at once.
Friendship Lamp options: what can you choose from?
The Friendship Lamp comes in the following set sizes, so you can match exactly how many people you want to connect:
| Set Size | Best For |
|---|---|
| Single Lamp | Adding to an existing group |
| Set of Two | Couples or best friends |
| Set of Three | Small families or friend groups |
| Set of Four | Families with multiple members in different places |
| Set of Five | Larger families or close friend groups |
| Set of Six | Extended whānau or big friend groups |
If you're not sure which size to start with, most people go for a Set of Two and add individual lamps later as others want to join.
Is a Friendship Lamp a good gift for someone in New Zealand?
It's one of the most thoughtful going-away gifts you can give — far more personal than a gift card, far more lasting than flowers. Kiwis buy them for Christmas, for friends heading overseas on their OE, and for anniversaries when one partner has relocated for work. The gift lands with both people at once: the person who gives it and the person who receives it both get something to keep. If you're stuck on what to get someone who already has everything, this is the answer that actually means something.
Is the Friendship Lamp worth it?
That depends on how you value connection. If you're after a practical gadget with a feature list, there are cheaper options. But that's not really what this is.
What the Friendship Lamp does is create a ritual — a tiny, daily moment of "I thought of you." Couples say it makes the space between them feel smaller. Parents say it gives them peace of mind just seeing the lamp glow, proof that their kid on the other side of the world is okay and thinking of home.
On the practical side: sets ship to New Zealand addresses, all lamps carry a 12-month warranty, and returns are covered if something's not right. Check the product page for current NZD pricing — sets start from an accessible price point for what you're getting, and free shipping to NZ is available.
For Kiwis specifically, where long distances are a fact of life — between islands, across the Tasman, or out into the wider world — a physical token of connection tends to mean more than another app notification. The lamp sits on your shelf. It glows. It's real.
If you want to explore other lamp styles — including the Infinity Lamp (which adds voice messaging) or the sleek Modern Range — the guide to LuvLink lamp styles is a great place to compare them all.
Ready to close the gap? Browse the Friendship Lamp sets here and find the right fit for your people.
“I love love love my lamps. I have 1 paired with my Son many states away and 1 paired with my family in another state. One day this week both of them went off and I knew they were all thinking about me and my heart was so full. It's easier than texting which is why it works. A simple touch.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Friendship Lamp work between New Zealand and Australia?
Yes, absolutely. The lamps connect over the internet, so distance is irrelevant — they work just as well between Auckland and Sydney as they do between Wellington and Queenstown. As long as both lamps are connected to WiFi, the signal travels instantly.
Do both people need the app to use the Friendship Lamp?
Both people need the app during the initial setup to connect their lamp to WiFi and join the shared group. After that, day-to-day use is entirely lamp-to-lamp — no phone, no app, no screen required. Just touch.
What WiFi does the Friendship Lamp need in New Zealand?
A standard 2.4 GHz WiFi connection is all that's needed — the kind most New Zealand homes already have. The lamp doesn't require a 5 GHz band or any special router settings. If your phone connects to your home WiFi, the lamp almost certainly will too.
Does it work on 5 GHz or mesh WiFi?
The lamp connects on 2.4 GHz only, which can catch people out if they have a modern mesh network (Eero, Google Nest, or similar) that auto-selects the band. During setup, you may need to temporarily connect your phone to the 2.4 GHz network specifically — your router's app or settings page usually lets you split the bands for a moment. Once the lamp is set up and running, it operates independently and you can switch your phone back to whatever band you prefer. The lamp itself runs fine alongside a mesh network after that initial step.
Can more than two people be in the same Friendship Lamp group?
Yes. You can connect multiple lamps into one group — the Friendship Lamp is available in sets of up to six. When any one person touches their lamp, every lamp in the group lights up in that colour simultaneously. It's a brilliant option for families spread across different cities or countries.
