Apologies for the slightly corny title, but as the UK Covid Vaccination program begins this week I thought it would be nice to have a bit of optimism for 2021, after all this year hasn’t been the best one ever.
Anyway, getting back on track if you are a regular reader to Flush the Fashion you will know that I am a big fan of smart technology and especially smart lighting. You can read my review of some LIFX lightbulbs here >
About
This week I have been testing out some Wiz Lighting Smart Lightbulbs. Wiz originated in 2015 as a French/ Asian business selling smart lighting software solutions until it was recently purchased by Signify (formerly Philips Lighting). It seems like they found the perfect match, combining Signify’s huge scalability with Wiz’s techno wizardry.
App / Installation
The biggest complaint I hear about smart light bulbs is the time and problems it takes to set them up and I can see why. Recently when I changed my broadband provider (before I got the Wiz bulbs) I had to remove and reinstall all my existing smart lightbulbs in order for them to connect up to my new internet router. Which when you have to do them one at a time and you have got 10+ smart bulbs is a bit of a pain to do. The great thing about the Wiz lightbulbs is that you can install more than one at a time, which can be a big time saver.
Setting up is very painless, simply switch the bulbs on and off quickly 3 times and they are ready to be connected to your Wi-Fi and paired to the free Wiz Lighting App (android or iOS) on your phone. You can set them up into rooms in order to control a set of lights at the same time or control them individually too. There are plenty of options in the App such as setting a routine every day for them to come on and switch off, vacation settings when you are on holiday or waking you up slowly in the morning or changing the light power to fit a Circadian Rhythm that follows the natural light you would receive from nature. I really like this option and if lockdown has kept you inside more than usual may help you to keep to a normal sleep routine (it did for me).
The bulbs can be changed to literally millions of colours and there are lots of preset moods too, such as ‘Christmas’ or ‘Fireplace’. I found this video (below) that gives you an idea of what you can do. The app is very well thought out and has a nice clean feel. I’m sure that most people would find it easy to get their head around even technophiles should find it fairly painless.
There is no additional hub needed to control the bulbs, which is also great as if you also have a smart doorbell and smart heating hub you can end up with things plugged in all over the place! The only real issue I have with all smart bulbs is that if your home internet goes down. You can still use them, but only with an OFF/ON settings on the wall switch. If you’ve decent internet it shouldn’t be a problem, but it’s worth bearing in mind if you have your lights dimmed normally.
Connecting Apps
If you have bulbs from different manufacturers probably the easiest way to control them is through the google home App, Google Home , Siri or Alexa. In fact, when I went to the Google Home App on my phone it was already asking me if I wanted to connect the Wiz bulbs to my ‘home’ light set up. After one-click it was done. Very easy.
You can then say ‘OK Google, turn down the lamp 50%’ etc, and it will do it. You can go one step further and connect them up to a range of other Apps like ‘Smart Things’ or IFTTT and do slightly silly things like flashing them on and off when your favourite team scores a goal.
Price
The price of smart bulbs can range from ridiculously expensive to mega cheap eBay bargains and the Wiz bulbs are pretty good value for money. I saw the coloured GU10’s available for £26.99 for a twin pack (price as of dec 2020), which is almost half the price of LIFX’s GU10’s are currently £19.99), the white ones are even cheaper. Wiz lighting have a good range of bulbs available and I especially like the look of the filament one that gives you that old fashion light bulb feel.
Overall
The bulbs are easy to set up, there is a well thought out App, and no hub is needed, when you factor in great quality and a decent price too what’s not to like? For more information visit www.wizconnected.com