An Eleven-Year-Old Lightpack Still Going Strong

I just got given Rob Belgrave’s ultrawide monitor. He’s moved from the UK to the USA, and rather than shipping the monitor, he passed it on to me. When I set it up, I noticed something attached to the back: a Lightpack, still operating perfectly.

That Lightpack is 11 years old.

The Original Lightpack

The Lightpack was a Kickstarter project - an ambient lighting system that attaches to the back of your monitor and extends the colors from your screen onto the wall behind it. It was one of those projects that seemed like a perfect use of Kickstarter: a clever idea, well-executed, solving a real problem (reducing eye strain and creating immersive lighting).

I backed it myself back in 2014, and my original Tumblr post from January 16th, 2014 shows me installing it on an OpenELEC (XBMC/Kodi) media center setup. The caption says “One of the best things I’ve backed on Kickstarter to date.”

It worked perfectly then, and apparently Rob’s is still working perfectly now.

Eleven Years Later

Think about that for a moment. Eleven years. That’s:

Multiple monitor upgrades
Multiple computer upgrades
Multiple operating system changes
Multiple moves (Rob moved countries!)
Countless hours of use

And the Lightpack is still there, still working, still doing its job.

That’s remarkable longevity for a piece of consumer electronics, especially one from a Kickstarter project. Most hardware from that era has been replaced multiple times. But this Lightpack? It just keeps going.

What Makes Hardware Last?

There are a few things that probably contributed to the Lightpack’s longevity:

Simple Design

The Lightpack is fundamentally simple. It’s LEDs, a controller, and some software. There aren’t many moving parts, no complex mechanisms, no delicate components that wear out. Simple designs tend to last longer.

Good Build Quality

The original Lightpack was well-built. The Kickstarter campaign delivered on its promises, and the hardware was solid. Good build quality pays off in the long run.

It Just Works

Once installed, the Lightpack doesn’t require much attention. It sits on the back of the monitor, does its job, and doesn’t need updates or maintenance. The software runs, the LEDs light up, and that’s it.

No Planned Obsolescence

Unlike many modern products, the Lightpack wasn’t designed with planned obsolescence in mind. It wasn’t built to be replaced in two years. It was built to work, and it does.

The Contrast with Modern Hardware

This longevity stands in stark contrast to much of modern hardware. We’re used to devices that:

Stop receiving software updates after a few years
Have batteries that degrade and can’t be replaced
Break just outside warranty periods
Get replaced because they’re “too old” even if they still work

The Lightpack is a reminder that hardware can last. That well-designed, well-built products don’t need to be disposable. That sometimes the best technology is the technology that just keeps working.

The Value of Longevity

There’s something satisfying about hardware that lasts. It’s a testament to good design, good engineering, and good manufacturing. It’s also environmentally better - less e-waste, less consumption, less replacement.

But more than that, it’s a reminder that technology doesn’t always need to be replaced. Sometimes the old stuff is still perfectly good. Sometimes the best upgrade is no upgrade at all.

Rob’s Monitor

Rob’s monitor came with the Lightpack still attached, still working. He didn’t remove it before passing the monitor on. It was just part of the setup, something that had been there for years and was still doing its job.

That’s the mark of good hardware: it becomes invisible. You stop thinking about it because it just works. You don’t notice it until someone points it out, or until you realize how long it’s been there.

The Lesson

The Lightpack’s longevity is a good reminder that:

Good design lasts
Simple solutions often outlive complex ones
Well-built hardware doesn’t need constant replacement
Sometimes the best technology is the technology you forget about

Eleven years is a long time in tech. Most products from 2014 are long gone, replaced multiple times over. But Rob’s Lightpack? It’s still there, still working, still doing exactly what it was designed to do.

That’s impressive. And it’s a good reminder that not all technology needs to be disposable. Sometimes, the best technology is the technology that just keeps going.

Thanks, Rob, for the monitor. And thanks to the Lightpack team for building something that lasted. Here’s to another 11 years.