Following on from my review of TCP Smart’s WiFi Light Strip, I wanted to dig deeper into the products the company has on offer. Having been impressed with the WiFi Light Strip, I was keen to try their other smart devices and TCP Smart kindly sent me several of their WiFi Multicolour LED Bulbs and WiFi Plugs to test out. I’ve been on the fence for a while now about whether to switch out my lighting for smart lighting so I thought I would finally take the plunge.
Now that I’ve spent a few weeks with these products, I can say that I’m incredibly impressed. The WiFi Multicolour LED Bulbs are so simple to install that all you have to do is place them in a light fitting, turn on the power and then head to the TCP Smart app to install them. This process was very quick and super easy, and dare I say much more straightforward than my experience with the WiFi Light Strip. Available with both screw and bayonet caps, the bulbs are surprisingly bright and they really improved the lighting situation in my home. My house doesn’t get a lot of natural light and using traditional bulbs has still resulted in dim ambience. These bulbs are very bright (806 lumens) and the ability to dim them is a definite plus.
Once I had the lights installed, I set them up with Google Home so I can now turn them on and off either from the app or by using my voice to speak to my Google Nests. Like the installation of the bulb, this was really easy to set-up and for the most part turning the lights on and off using my voice has been straightforward. Occasionally Google Nest mis-hears me but nine times out of ten, it does exactly what I want. You can also ask Google Nest to change the colour and the brightness of the lights, which means you don’t have to fiddle around in the app if you don’t have your phone handy.
Being able to change the colour of the bulbs is another plus point. Having 16 million hues to choose from, there’s a colour for every occasion. Fancy chilling out in the evening with some wine and music? You can turn the bulbs to a vibrant red or soothing blue to create the right ambience. I really like this feature and it makes these bulbs so much more interesting than your average every day white bulb.
The WiFi Plug was similarly easy to set up. Why might you need one I hear you ask? Well not every device in your home is going to be smart but these plugs make sure that you can control pretty much anything. The installation, like the bulbs, is simple and done via the app and once set-up, you can connect them to any device in the house. I used the two I was sent for some lighting around the fireplace and my bedside lamp in the bedroom. I also sent them up to use voice commands using Google Nest.
A feature of both the bulbs and the plugs is the ability to create schedules using the app. This is particularly handy if you want to give the impression that you’re home on the occasions you may be out for the evening or on holiday. You can set a variety of different schedules to suit your needs so that the bulbs and plus turn on and off at specific times. For testing purposes, I scheduled the plug connected to my bedside lamp to come on at 6am Monday to Friday and it’s worked every morning without fail. I’ve also turned my bulbs and plugs on remotely, for example if I’ve gone out of the house in the daylight and the darkness starts to set in. All I had to do was either set up the schedule or simply use the app (or Google Home app) to turn the lights on.
Another aspect of the TCP products I liked is that you can essentially map out your home and group all of your TCP Smart products by room. This allows you to turn them all on or off by room rather than by individual product. For example, I have three TCP Smart products in my Living Room so by simply saying ‘Hi Google, turn on all living room lights’, everything comes on within a second or two. You can also activate all lights/products in the same at the same time using the TCP app (or in my case the Google Home app).
I was really impressed with both the TCP Smart WiFi Multicolour LED Bulb and WiFi Plug. Having the ability to schedule my lighting has been a real bonus and it’s given me extra piece of mind if I’m out of the house. Transforming non-smart devices into smart devices using the plugs is game changing, and I’ll definitely keep adding more products from the TCP Smart range to my home as and when I need them. If you’re considering turning your lighting smart, look no further.
Released by: TCP Smart Shop the TCP Smart Range at Amazon
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