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Belkin’s latest WeMo device comes by way of a partnership with lighting manufacturer Osram Sylvania. The WeMo + Osram Lightify White Tunable Starter Set ($99.99) combines Belkin’s WeMo home automation platform and a pair of Osram Lightify Tunable 60 smart bulbs that feature a wide range of color temperature settings. The kit has everything you need to jump right into the connected lighting game, including a WeMo Link Wi-Fi controller. It’s a bit pricey for a two-bulb solution, but it offers seamless integration with other WeMo devices and works with If This Then That (IFTTT) recipes. If you already own other WeMo devices, it’s a solid alternative to our Editors’ Choice, the Philips Hue Lux Starter Kit ($49.99 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) .
Kit and Design
As with the WeMo LED Lighting Starter Set , the Lightify set comes with two bulbs and a WeMo Link controller that plugs into any outlet in the house to wirelessly connect the bulbs to your home network. You can add up to 50 bulbs on a single Link, and mix WeMo LED bulbs with Lightify bulbs (additional Lightify 60 bulbs go for $29.99 each).
Each Lightify bulb uses a standard A19 screw-in base and has an 805 lumen rating, which in terms of brightness is equivalent to a 60-watt lamp. The color temperature (or white temperature) range starts at 2,700 K (Kelvin), which provides a warm yellowish light, and can be adjusted up to 6,500 K, which provides a cooler bluish light. The dimmable bulbs are rated to last up to 18.2 years based on usage of three hours per day and use an average of 9.5 watts of power.
The Lightify set uses the same free iOS and Android app as other WeMo devices, including the LED Starter Set, the WeMo Insight Switch ($69.99 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) , the WeMo Switch + Motion , and the WeMo Crock-Pot Slow Cooker . All of these devices can be controlled from the app, and the bulbs can be configured to interact with other WeMo-enabled devices such as the Mr. Coffee Smart Coffeemaker ($119.04 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) .
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Belkin WeMo + Osram Lightify White Tunable Starter Set
The main page of the WeMo app displays a list of all of your WeMo devices with their current status. Each Lightify bulb has an On/Off button next to its name that glows green when the light is on and gray when the light is off. Here you can also see the bulb’s last known brightness setting. Tapping a bulb opens a drop-down page with a Brightness slider and a Color Temperature ring. You can manually set the bulb’s color temperature by dragging the cursor around the ring, or choose one of five presets (2,700 K, 3,500 K, 4,000 K, 4,500 K, 6,500 K). The Sleep Fader feature gives you three preset times (1, 10, and 30 minutes) to have the bulb gradually fade to off, or you can set your own custom time between 1-60 minutes.
The Rules page is where you go to create and enable rules for each bulb. You can have the Lightify bulbs turn on and off by time of day or at sunrise and sunset. You can also set up an Away mode to give the appearance that somebody is home while you’re out of the house by setting different on and off times for each bulb.
Missing is the geofencing option that you get with the Hue Lux, where the bulbs can be turned on and off depending on your smartphone’s physical location. However, you can have the Lightify bulbs react to an existing IFTTT recipe, or you can create our own on the IFTTT website. IFTTT is a free web-based service that uses over 220 channels such as Facebook, ESPN, LinkedIn, Foursquare, and Spotify to create triggers that will make your lights turn on or off. For example, you can create a recipe that will turn your lights on when your favorite football team begins a game, or when you receive a Facebook friend request.
Installation and Performance
Installing the Lightify set is fast and easy. Start by plugging the WeMo Link into a centrally located wall outlet and screwing the bulbs into a lamp socket. Next, turn the lamps on and download the WeMo app. Using your phone or tablet’s Wi-Fi settings, connect to the WeMo Link’s SSID and return to the app to complete the installation. The app will scan for new devices and add them to your list of installed devices. You can now name each bulb or do it later using the Edit button.
Belkin WeMo + Osram Lightify White Tunable Starter Set
With the exception of a very slight lag when responding to color temperature adjustments, the Lightify bulbs and the WeMo Link worked flawlessly together. Manually turning the lights on and off using the radio buttons was instantaneous, and the bulbs followed my sunrise and sunset rule without issue. They never failed to respond to my IFTTT recipe to turn on when the Yankees started a game, and off again when the final score was reported. Overall light quality was outstanding; when set to a warm color temperature the lighting was low-key and inviting, while the cooler settings provided ample reading light.
Conclusions
The Belkin WeMo + Osram Lightify White Tunable Starter Set not only lets you control your lights from anywhere using your smartphone, it also lets you adjust the color temperature for warm, relaxing lighting or cool, bright lighting ideal for reading and working. The WeMo app lets you create rules to have the lights turn on and off at specific times, and you can create IFTTT recipes to have the lights react to all sorts of Internet-based triggers. Priced at just under $100, the WeMo + Osram Lightify White Tunable Starter Set is $20 more expensive than our Editors’ Choice, the Philips Hue Lux Starter Kit. Additional Hue Lux bulbs cost $19.99 apiece, so it’s ultimately a far less pricey solution if you’re looking to outfit your entire home. The Lightify set is a solid alternative, however, if you already own other WeMo devices.
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Source link : https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/belkin-wemo-plus-osram-lightify-white-tunable-starter-set