Uncommon Goods | Long Distance Friendship Frame | Wi-Fi Touch Photo Frames

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Long Distance Friendship Frame
customer photos

A winning gift for long distance families!

5 stars out of 5
Gina

Long Distance Friendship Frame thumbnail 1video play button
customer photos

A winning gift for long distance families!

5 stars out of 5
Gina

Long Distance Friendship Frame

Light up loved ones' favorite photos, across town or across the world, with these in-sync photo frames.
Limited-Time Offer

Previous Price  $125.00 - Previous Price  $250.00 New Price  $119.00 - New Price  $237.00

Easy to use Thoughtful gift Stay connected Daily reminder Creative invention Perfect for long-distance Fun for kids

Delivery dates vary, select an item for an arrival estimate

Independent Maker

Made in USA

What Makes It Uncommon

Love & Light

Light up someone's favorite photo—across town or across the world—with a pine wood picture frame that displays the picture of your choice. (The back comes off, so you can change the photo as often as you like.) Where the matting would be on a traditional frame, there's translucent glass that lights up and changes color. Touch yours, and its mate emits the same glow, no matter where in the world it is. Each person sets up their frame via Wi-Fi, then reaches out and touches it whenever they want to send a little "thinking of you." Want to create a group? You can assign each person their own color of light. The frames can stand up on their own or be hung on a wall, oriented either horizontally or vertically. Designed by John Harrison and Vanessa Whalen. Assembled in Kansas.

Pair your frame with either or both of our Long Distance Friendship Lamps.

Learn how to set up your frame.

Please Note: The vendor has added a paid Remote Touch feature to the app for this product that unlocks the ability to send and receive touches through the app when you are away from your lamp. This feature is completely optional. No subscription is required for the lamp's base functionality—to operate through physical touch.

created by

John Harrison and Vanessa Whalen

“I see magic everywhere I look, but making something--then I get to touch the magic.”

When John Harrison and Vanessa Whalen first met, John was Associate Professor of Violin at Wichita State University and Vanessa was a pianist accompanying his students. Instantly friends, they did not start dating until many years later. By then, John had developed a second career as an electrical and computer engineer and Vanessa was a psychotherapist in private practice. John proposed to Vanessa on Christmas morning 2014 and their first touch lamps were also gifted that year. The two built them in their basement to connect John's family members spread out across the US and Canada. John now works with nonprofits to assemble the lamps while contributing back to the community. By marrying Vanessa, John also gained two sons, Brendan and Sean. The family now enjoys a blended household of dogs, as well as a small school of goldfish. John and Vanessa also founded a startup which develops mobile apps for kids to help them learn about and manage their feelings.

Visit the blog for a Q&A session with John that touches on the beauty of code, the power of capacitive sensing, and much, much more.

Usually ships within 24 hours.

See all shipping options and costs

This item is not available to ship outside of the U.S. See International FAQ for more info.

Sadly, we are unable to ship to APO, FPO, or DPO addresses at this time. We are working towards a solution that will allow us to resume this type of shipping.

Made from

brass, glass, cardboard, mylar, pine, electronics

Measurements

9" L x 7.25" W x 2.5" H; Fits up to a 5x7" photo

Care

Clean with a dry cloth

Notes

Sold individually or in pairs (make your choice in the pull-down quantity menu). Requires power (100-240V AC) and WPA, WPA2, WEP or open Wi-Fi connection. Does not work with captive portals such as found at public Wi-Fi locations or with WPA Enterprise used in some academic and corporate environments.

Requires a 2.4 GHz connection, does not work with 5 GHz connection.

Frame illumination timer has a default setting to fade off in 1.5 hours but can be set to fade off in 1/2 hour, 1.5 hours, 8 hours or 24 hours.

One-step set-up requires access to your home router.

PLEASE NOTE: This item is built to U.S. electronics specifications and may need additional modifications or converters to be used in countries other than the U.S. and Canada.

Item ID

51526

Still haven't found the details you're looking for? Check out our Product Q&A!

Also by John Harrison and Vanessa Whalen

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Easy to use Thoughtful gift Stay connected Daily reminder Creative invention Perfect for long-distance Fun for kids

People love this product for its ability to keep loved ones connected, especially across long distances, through a simple and thoughtful gesture.

AI generated summary

  • 5 stars out of 5

    I'm currently finishing up graduate school and I live a decent distanc…

    • Warm hearted
    • Saint Louis, MO

    read full review

  • 5 stars out of 5

    We use this on a daily basis to let my parents know we are thinking ab…

    • Sunshinerun
    • NY, NY

    read full review

  • 5 stars out of 5

    Everyone loves it. Provides a fun and easy way for my kids to connect …

    • Tim
    • Austin, TX

    read full review

5
5 stars out of 5
based on 23 reviews
100%
of respondents would
recommend this to a friend
5 stars
23 users rating this 5 stars
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0 users rating this 4 stars
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0 users rating this 3 stars
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0 users rating this 2 stars
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  • 5 stars out of 5
  • Warm hearted
  • verified reviewer
  • Saint Louis, MO

The perfect gift for anyone long-distance...

I'm currently finishing up graduate school and I live a decent distance away from my family. While my mom is able to visit my grandma often, I'm not always able to drop in even though I wish I could. My grandma lives alone and is starting to show signs of memory loss, so this was the perfect gift for her and I to let each other know we're thinking about one another. It also helps with her memory, since she has to remember what color was on the frame to see if I've touched it. We used to share a wall when she'd come to visit when I was younger and we would knock on it back and forth before bed time. Now, it's a new way of knocking for us. My heart gets so happy when I see it's changed color, and it's amazing how we can feel so close even though we're far apart.

  • 5 stars out of 5
  • Sunshinerun
  • verified reviewer
  • NY, NY

Great Product

We use this on a daily basis to let my parents know we are thinking about them!

  • 5 stars out of 5
  • Tim
  • verified reviewer
  • Austin, TX

Definitely happy with this purchase

Everyone loves it. Provides a fun and easy way for my kids to connect with their grandparents and vice versa

  • 5 stars out of 5
  • Risa Roo
  • verified reviewer
  • Bloomington, IN

I would buy thus product again.

We love the idea of this product. I have lived away from my family and friends for over 20 years. We live in different time zones, so it is difficult to pickup the phone and call when we are thinking of one another. This is the perfect way to show they are in our thoughts. I also purchased 2 sets of the friendship lamps. My mother and mother-in-law have the other. We all love them. I tell everyone about them!!!

  • 5 stars out of 5
  • iregina
  • verified reviewer
  • Austin, TX

Wonderful was to stay connected

I gave these frames to a friend of mine who has 4 children, all living in difference states. The youngest texted me last night, saying they have them all set up and they are "soooo cool!!" It was a great project for them to pick out the photos for each family member and they ended up assigning each person a color too. Love that they're able to stay connected even while miles apart.

  • 5 stars out of 5
  • Happy Camper
  • KY

Perfect!

We bought 2 frames and 1 lamp. Setting one up for each of the grandkids' houses as well as the grandfather's house. He lives far away and this has been such a unique and thoughtful gift we all enjoy. Highly recommend for anyone who has a loved one far away, rather temporarily or permanently. Due to COVID we had a loved one who we were separated from for several weeks, while she was hospitalized. I wish I had known about these then. It would have helped my sister and niece feel less isolated.

  • 5 stars out of 5
  • Gina
  • verified reviewer
  • Lake Wylie, SC

A winning gift for long distance families!

This was the perfect gift for my dad who lives 900 miles away. Neither him nor I are one for small talk, but I have a 5 yr old who likes to say hi often. This gives her a way to do that! She gets so excited when it lights up from him and she is so happy to touch the frame to say hello to papa every day. It is a great daily reminder to just let your family member know you are thinking of them!

  • 5 stars out of 5
  • Emma
  • Colorado Springs, CO

Makes long distance feel like nothing!

I bought this as a gift and set up the picture in the frame before I sent it to my boyfriend. All he had to do was plug it in and make an account! It has been fun creating meaning for different colors. Yet another way to communicate and feel closer when distance is feeling too far!

  • 5 stars out of 5
  • Momof3
  • New Jersey

Buy This!

For my mother's birthday my sisters and I each bought ourselves a frame and one for her and my father. Each house has the same family photo and picked their own color. We all love touching the frame to tell our family members near and far that we are "thinking of them". Everyone who comes into our house knows which color is which family member and loves to touch the frame. I can't say enough about this, it was so great we bought another one for my husband side of the family.

  • 5 stars out of 5
  • Brittany
  • Arlington, VA

Former Buyer, Current Buyer, Future Buyer

This item has helped my family stay connected in a time when we weren't able to be together in person.

customer photos

Long Distance Friendship Frame from Uncommon Goods. Customer submitted image.Long Distance Friendship Frame from Uncommon Goods. Customer submitted image.Long Distance Friendship Frame from Uncommon Goods. Customer submitted image.

photos from reviews

  • Long Distance Friendship Frame from Uncommon Goods. Customer submitted image.
  • Long Distance Friendship Frame from Uncommon Goods. Customer submitted image.
  • Long Distance Friendship Frame from Uncommon Goods. Customer submitted image.

  • NY

Help! The website says 'up to 5x7" photo', but the black mat that blocks the light from the photo is 4x6". Is it necessary to create new 5x7 mats in order to use 5x7 photos?

Verified reply from Robert

Thanks for reaching out! We are sorry for any confusion caused on our end. The frame is designed with a 4 x 6 photo in mind and the sample photo shown on our website is 4 x 6. However 5 x 7 will work, it will simply have a smaller border around the photo where the light will be seen

  • undisclosed

If you connect four of them, can you tap it to send your color to just one of the four or do all light up?

Verified reply from Leslie

Yes! You can set up groups with multiple frames. You can visit the manufacturers page for more details on setting up a group here: https://support.filimin.com/hc/en-us/articles/360046650054-Setting-Up-Groups-and-Inviting-a-Loved-One

  • Virginia

Hi, I see where the info notes that in order for these frames to communicate outside the US and Canada, they need modifications. I'm in the US and my friend is in Mexico. What modifications would be needed?

Verified reply from Leslie

Hi there! If you are planning to use or send a Friendship Frame internationally, please be aware that all our devices come with US plugs only. You will need a plug adapter (also called a travel adapter) to fit other types of outlets. Our products are dual voltage though, so you won't need a voltage converter.

  • SC

The device that connects with the router is not working. There are pieces that are rattling in within it. How do we get a replacement piece?

Verified reply from Amy

Hi Doreen! We see there was other correspondence and it is in the works to send you a replacement bridge. Please reach out if you need any further assistance!

  • undisclosed

I bought 3 frames for Chirstmas to give to my two best friends and one for me. Two of the frames work great but the third sometimes won't change color at all when touched. There doesn't appear to be any rhyme or reason as to why it doesn't work. Do I need to get a replacement?

Verified reply from Amy

Hi Molly! It sounds like you may have gotten a defective frame. Please shoot us an e-mail at help@uncommongoods.com with your order number and brief description of the problem, or call us at 888-365-0056 so we can help sort out a return/replacement.

  • undisclosed

Hi and Happy New Year! I would like to purchase a set so we can communicate with family out of state. If I purchase two, do I need to set up at one location and subsequently mail the second or do I ship one to the other home? I am not sure if the two need to be set up in the same WiFi or not. Thanks!

Verified reply from Leslie

Hi there! They don't need to be on the same WiFi. If you'd like to purchase two and have them ship to difference addresses you can add 2 of the single frames to your cart, and choose to ship separately at checkout.

  • undisclosed

Periodically, the light will flash and change colors on its own (not while the other person is touching it). Any idea why or what to do?

Verified reply from Lelio

It sounds like the Friendship Lamp thinks it is being touched when it isn't. This issue is called 'Phantom Touch'. Try resetting the touch calibration on your lamp. Do this by unplugging it and plugging it back in. There are a few things to note, however: 1) Make sure you set the lamp down before you plug it in, as the touch calibration is calculated for the environment when initially plugged in. 2) Make sure you aren't touching the lamp at all until it has fully started (after the celebratory rainbow). 3) Make sure you are using your whole hand to touch it. 4) Try another location to see if there is something in the location throwing it off. Sometimes smart devices or metal surfaces can cause signal interference. You can even try moving your lamp to a different room. If it still doesn't work, leave it on and try it again in 5-10 minutes. If the initial calibration is off for some reason, it will gradually correct.

  • undisclosed

If you purchase a set of 2, and then later on want to add another frame or frames to the existing group, is that possible to do? Thanks!

Verified reply from Leslie

Hi there! Yes, you can add as many frames or friendship lamps as you'd like to an existing group.

  • PA

If we form large group of say 8-10 people each with a mix of frames and lamps- and would like to assign as many people as possible in the group a unique colour- what is the maximum number of colours available to be assigned and what are the colours?

Verified reply from Leslie

Right out of the box, your Filimin Device is set to produce 256 unique colors. Once your device is set up to Wi-Fi using our Filimin Bridge or our Direct to Wi-Fi Setup, your Friendship Lamp or Frame will respond to your touch by randomly selecting one of these colors to glow until the Fade Time completes or until it's touched again. If you would like to customize the colors, you can follow the instructions here: https://support.filimin.com/hc/en-us/articles/360016916534-Setting-your-Lamp-s-Colors

  • Md

How does the one-lamp option work? If we buy one lamp, can we light it up, or is two the minimum

Verified reply from Amy

Hi Megs! Two is the minimum, because the lamps communicate with each other. We sell individually so that you can make a network larger than 2, but are not limited to adding in pairs. Let us know if you have any other questions!

This gift is great for ...

  • Friends Who Live Far Away

  • Long Distance Couples Who Connect

  • Best Friends Who Cherish Memories

  • Partners Who Value Communication

With birthdays and special occasions on the horizon, it’s the perfect time to show your friends how much they mean to you, no matter the distance. Check out our curated selection of Mother's Day gifts and Father's Day gifts that are sure to make their day unforgettable!

If you’re looking for something that truly stands out, our gifting team has got you covered! Browse through our unique gifts for her and gifts for him to find that special something that reflects their personality and strengthens your bond. Celebrate those connections with thoughtful gifts that say, "I'm thinking of you!"

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