Lamp speaker with bluetooth. Multicolor LED lamp with Bluetooth speaker and LED Music Bulb Light remote control. Setup and use

Modern technology can greatly simplify home life. By connecting the smart home system, you can fully automate the usual daily activities: turning the lights on and off, adjusting the heating, closing the curtains, blinds and much more. Today in the article we will talk about smart light bulbs that can be controlled remotely using a smartphone. Lighting with such smart devices has many advantages - it's setting the color of the lighting, setting a specific turn-on time, and even musical accompaniment from the built-in speakers.

We will consider light bulbs with the most common base in Russia E27. No special installation required, just screw it in and set it up with your mobile phone.

Company Xiaomi is a recognized leader in the development of all kinds of smart gadgets. wifi light bulb Xiaomi Yeelight is the brainchild of the Yeelight startup, which eventually became a division of the Chinese manufacturer. Together they produce high-quality lighting for the smart home. Now you can adjust not only the intensity of the light, but also choose the color of the light, brightness and set the time in advance.

The light source is energy-efficient RGB LEDs (6 watts), which consume much less electricity than conventional incandescent lamps. The service life of a smart light bulb is 20,000 hours. Control is carried out using an application on a smartphone via Wi-Fi with a maximum distance to the router of 30 meters. iOS and Android operating systems are supported. The price is 2500 rub.

Surely many people know about light bulbs from the company Philips. They are expensive, but very high quality and durable. The manufacturer also produces a system for smart bulbs, which includes a special bridge to combine all lighting into one. Up to 50 light bulbs can be connected and configured in this way. The smartphone application allows you to fine-tune each. Whether you are reading a book with optimal lighting or simply relaxing with dimmed lights, there are a lot of settings.

You can change the color (16 million shades), turn-on time and light intensity from 360 to 600 lumens. Remote control from anywhere using a web browser is also possible. The operating time of the E27 bulb is 15,000 hours. Any smartphone or tablet running Android or iOS is supported. If you decide to buy Philips Hue smart bulbs, you will get a set of three together with a transmitter bridge for 20 000 rub. One light bulb will cost about 4500 rubles.

The next manufacturer of smart bulbs with remote control via smartphone beewi lets in not only lighting, but also other interesting smart devices. The French company is dynamically developing and expanding its range. The model has a fairly bright maximum glow of 750 lumens, which is equivalent to the glow of a conventional 60-watt incandescent lamp.

The life cycle of the device is 15,000 hours when used every day for 3 hours (20 years of operation). Communication takes place via Bluetooth connection within a radius of up to 10 meters. The color of the light is adjusted from 16 million shades, the warmth of the light, the groups of lamps and there is a remote control. It is very convenient to use the preset modes in an intuitive smartphone application. Supported OS iOS, Android. Price - 3500 rub.

The smart bulb model has one interesting feature - the presence of a built-in speaker. It is useful as an alarm clock in the morning or just for listening to the radio, audiobooks during your leisure time. The sound power is 3 watts, which is enough to create a general background. Communication with the smartphone takes place via Bluetooth with a maximum range of 10 meters. Customize any RGB LED color, on-off time, glow intensity (maximum 550 lumens, 180 degree beam angle).

Quite an interesting gadget at a relatively inexpensive price in 3300 rub. At the same time, the built-in sound is a nice addition. Consumption is only 6 watts, which also saves electricity. To control the glow, you can use Android smartphones or iOS.

Company Mipow produces various kinds of smart gadgets, including Bluetooth smart lighting bulbs controlled by a smartphone. Light up your living space with different colors thanks to the appropriate settings in the app. Control color (16 million), turn-on time, glow brightness and other parameters. The standard E27 base allows you to turn the most ordinary lamp into a designer lamp.

The power consumption of the device is 5 watts, which is equivalent to 40 watts of an incandescent lamp. The service life is 20,000 hours, which is enough for 5 years of operation when working 10 hours a day. The system works under the control of any mobile devices on Android or iOS. As for prices, they start from 2000 rub. Relatively inexpensive with its high quality and long service life.

Among the various products of the company Mixberry a wide niche is occupied by lighting. If you are thinking of buying a smart light bulb, then take a look at one that works in conjunction with a smartphone via Bluetooth 4.0. With its price of 3000 rubles. The device is equipped with a fairly wide range of settings. This is a color change (16 million shades), adjusting the warmth of light, synchronizing with music, using it as an alarm clock and setting a timer.

At 7 watts, the maximum light output is 560 lumens, which is equivalent to a typical 60 watt E27 incandescent bulb. It is very easy to manage using the application on Android, iOS. You can create a system of 12 smart lamps and configure each one separately. This creates fully automatic lighting for home comfort. According to the manufacturer, the lamp life is 50,000 hours, which is very good. Price from 2000 rub.

Among the manufacturers of smart light bulbs with a remote control via a smartphone, the company Elgato occupies a leading position. Its E27 base light bulb model can work with all Android smartphones and of course support iOS. With its power of 7 watts, the device produces 430 lumens of light. You can set natural lighting or choose from 16 million different colors, which will also decorate your home and create a cozy environment.

The color temperature fluctuates within 3000 K, and working temperature environment can be between 0 and 50 degrees Celsius. The application settings allow you to select a ready-made lighting mode: montain brize, fairy woods, calm province and others. They will help you immediately immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the forest or mountain coolness. Cost of a smart light bulb 4500 rub.

Unlike the previous smart bulb model, Wi-Fi is used to communicate with a smartphone, which has a wider coverage (up to 60 meters in this model). Therefore, if you live in a large house, then this gadget is perfect for you. The light bulb can change its color from 16 million shades, turn on or off at a certain time and be used as an alarm clock.

The consumption is 7.5 watts, which is equivalent to a conventional 40 watt E27 incandescent bulb. The savings in electricity are enormous, especially given the current trend of regularly rising energy prices. The aperture is 550 lumens. The app is available for Android and iOS smartphones. The price of the device is on the Russian market of the order 4000 rub.

Company Belkin is engaged exclusively in the development of smart devices and accessories for mobile phones. Among the entire range, a large share is occupied by devices for smart home. You can buy a smart light bulb with a remote control via a smartphone for 10 000 rub. For this money, the user will receive a set of a bridge-switch and two smart bulbs. Their durability according to the manufacturer is 23 years, subject to use 3 hours a day.

The energy consumption is 10 watts, which is equivalent to a 60 watt incandescent light bulb. You can change the color of the light from 16 million shades and set the inclusion at any time. The smartphone app is very clear and works on Android and iOS. Aperture - 800 lumens, and communication takes place via Wi-Fi.

Little known Chinese company Magic Blue first of all, they will be interested in the low price of their smart light bulb. The price of the gadget is only 700 rub. from a Chinese online store, which is several times smaller than the models presented above. True, the quality of such a cheap device is in question, but with such a price tag, you can take a chance.

Moreover, the capabilities of the device are not inferior to more expensive models. You can choose any shade from 16 million colors, set it to turn on or off at a specific time, and even create a combined backlight from several color shades. With a smartphone, the device works via Bluetooth and can glow to the beat of the music. The base standard is the usual E27.

Xiaomi has long been known on the market, and even far beyond China. I suspect that in the future the company will create a prototype of a completely smart home, since the assembly of this house can already begin in individual parts. And I bring to your attention a review of the Xiaomi Yeelight light smart bulb, which can be controlled both from the phone and fully reveal its potential, or simply used as a lamp for lighting, tritely clicking the switch. I invite you to read the review below.

Support: iOS 5.0+: iPhone4S, iPhone5, iPod Touch5, Android 2.3.3+
Base: E27
Power: 6W

look under the spoiler

Product Name: yeelight
Supported Devices: iOS 5.0+: iPhone4S, iPhone5, iPod Touch5, Android 2.3.3+
Connector Type: E27
Power: 6W
Light Color: Warm White, Natural White, RGB
Type: Globe Bulb
Voltage: 220V
Features: Dimmable, Remote Control
Material: Aluminum alloy
Color: As shown in the picture
Package Content: 1 LED Light Bulb
Net Weight: 155g
Size: 50 x 50 x 104mm

✔ PACKAGING AND APPEARANCE of Xiaomi Yeelight Mi light

The package took about 2.5 weeks to arrive, and arrived in a large pimply bag, knowing the Chinese economy, the presence of such a bag only suggests that the small ones are temporarily over =).

The packaging of the lamp is in the style of Xiaomi products, from the presence of a recycled paper sealed box to the minimalist design.

In the fight against this lamp, the post office will be 100% defeated, since the lamp is in a carved bed of polychthot and even covered with a cover made of this soft material. By the way, a hole is specially made in the lid so that it is easy to remove it. The packaging was thought out for 5 points. In the instructions that come with the kit, the most important thing is only the QR code for downloading the application, all other pages can not even be read.

✔ APPEARANCE Xiaomi Yeelight Mi light

E27 base, aluminum body covered with silver metallic paint and as a diffuser the lamp is covered with a thick cover made of matte plastic.

On the side of this LED lamp, the manufacturer applied its characteristics, namely 100-240 V, 6 watts and 500 lumens of light.

Compared with a conventional 100W lamp, the dimensions of the LED are only slightly larger, namely higher than that of a conventional incandescent lamp.

Speaking of dimensions, the diameter is 49.6 mm, the total length is 104.8 mm, and the weight is 170 grams.

✔ WHAT'S INSIDE Xiaomi Yeelight Mi light

With a force tearing off the upper part of the matte plastic, I got to the LEDs and the board on which they are located. The top cover was glued to the case on something resembling silicone, and abundantly and around the entire perimeter, which can indicate a minimum of moisture protection.
The LEDs are soldered onto a board, which, in turn, is glued to an aluminum substrate.

The manufacturer put a rubber ring between the case and the round LED board.

Here I have to stop the analysis of the lamp, it simply does not come out. Inside, everything is filled with something like rubber, and although I made good efforts, I could not pull the entire board out into the light. I think it's just the short wires going to the base that get in the way.

Therefore, I have to attach a photo from the manufacturer's advertisement to the review.

Figuratively speaking, there are only 4 groups of LEDs. There are 9 white LEDs along the outer radius, and a pair of red, blue and green LEDs inside. Here in the general "orchestra" they form different colors, temperature and brightness.

If you turn on the disco mode or select the color of the glow, then at a brightness below 70%, only colored LEDs are lit.

✔ SOFT Xiaomi Yeelight Mi light

Before turning on this smart lamp, I recommend opening the instructions, scanning the QR code or downloading the application from google play - link. After installation, all that remains is to find and add the included lamp to the application. The connection of the lamp and the smartphone is very fast and if the checkbox is checked, then automatically.

There can be many lamps and the manufacturer has provided an individual name and control for each of them. Also, each lamp can be turned on and off by a timer.
It will not work to make a full-fledged alarm clock mode, you can add only ONE action, that is, either turn it on at a specified time or turn it off. It turns on at the same color and brightness as it was turned off. After the timer has expired, you must set it again. Perhaps this will be fixed in the next firmware version.

I specifically called the lamp a corridor to check the possibility of displaying and saving Cyrillic names.
In Color mode, you can select the brightness and color of the glow of the lamp, but Sunshine mode allows you to choose the brightness and warm or cold light of this lamp.

The Flowing mode, I would refer to the disco mode, here we just set a few colors and the lamps display them in a circle. It is possible to set colors from a photo, then the program will select the most saturated colors in the photo and automatically begin to reproduce them in cycles.

The program has the ability to either change the color, light and brightness for all lamps at the same time, or select each "smart" lamp separately. As for the control range, then 2 concrete wall it breaks, but 3 is gone, which informs about the error and possible ways to eliminate it.

Since the lamp is smart, the manufacturer also decided to connect it with a bracelet. And now a bundle with a Bong2 bracelet is available, and Xiaomi and Misfit are in the plans.

In the menu, you can customize any lighting for yourself, for this, simply add color and lighting parameters to the Scene.
A very cool mode is Disco, when the lamp, reacting to the sound from the phone's microphone, turns from a simple lamp into light music, blinking and changing the color to the beat of different frequencies.

If you simply turn on the lamp with the switch, it will glow white like a normal lamp. But if it is in conjunction with a smartphone, then the software will allow you to control it both from the lock screen and from the curtain. Quite convenient if you need to quickly turn off, turn on or switch the lamp mode. When turned on and off from a smartphone, the lamp will turn on in the same mode and color in which it was turned off.

✔ TESTS Xiaomi Yeelight Mi light

Let's move on to practice, it conveys colors quite accurately, but it thinks for about 1 second before building the color and the degree of illumination, but it hits the color pretty well.

Here is an example when the photo does not keep up with the changes, namely the green one has not yet managed to.

Simple lamp mode, here we select the warmth of lighting and strength. This mode is very similar to a simple incandescent lamp, well, only yellower.

And now the manufacturer has prepared the “cold” light for the brightest lighting of the room.

Background mode for TV, select several colors or “feed” a photo and the lamp starts flashing randomly with the selected colors.

I have already spoken about the disco mode above and I propose to see the principle in the video review.

When first turned on, the lamp simply turns on and shines with white light.

Colors are rendered quite accurately.

As for simple lighting, the matte plastic of the top cover plays a good role here, which evenly distributes light.

In general, under this lamp you can see everything.

Well, I'll try to compare a 40W lamp with a 5W Led lamp. The first photo is a LED lamp, the second is a 40W lamp. LED at "cold" light shines brighter.

✔ VIDEO REVIEW Xiaomi Yeelight Mi light

- video reviews are always ahead of text;)

✔ SUMMARY ON Xiaomi Yeelight Mi light

Yeelight turned out to be a rather interesting “smart” lamp that can serve as a simple decorative lighting, or be used in a night lamp or as main lighting, but if used as a main light, then there will be little brightness and you need to think about increasing the number of such lamps. Of the pluses, I can single out a rather thick aluminum case, splash protection and a beautiful appearance. Among the advantages of the software, I will highlight the disco mode, the ability to control all the lamps with one click, the promises of the developers to make the lamp control with the popular Xiaomi bracelet and memorizing the modes when turned off from the smartphone. The pluses include the fact that if you don’t want to look for a smartphone at night (and it can be difficult to find it without light), then you can simply turn off and turn off the switch on the wall or wire, the lamp will turn on and will shine in the brightest “cold” light mode. But I will attribute the same function to the minuses, if it turns off, and then the light in the whole house turns on, the lamp will turn on by itself and will shine.

If you have any questions - I will be happy to answer them.

We have already seen multi-color LED lamps controlled via a wireless connection. Today, the market for such solutions is developing quite actively and in almost every specialized store you can find such products. Among the use cases commonly mentioned are interior design, exhibitions and events. The main deterrent to distribution is the high cost of solutions. In addition, “multi-color” significantly changes our understanding of lighting and it’s quite difficult to come up with interesting use cases on the go.

In this material, we will get acquainted with the product of the young company Yeelight, which, nevertheless, has already managed to win the recognition of customers in many countries of the world. In addition, interest in it has increased significantly since last year's October announcement by Xiaomi, dedicated to their version of the home automation system. In the official photos, you could easily spot the Yeelight logo on the LED lamp.

Unfortunately, there are almost no details about Xiaomi's solution, so in this article we will take a direct look at the Yeelight product - the Bluetooth-controlled Yeelight Blue II lamp. At the same time, the device, judging by the name, belongs to the second series. In addition to it, today the company also offers a set of three Yeelight Sunflower lamps with a ZigBee interface and a special gateway for working via Wi-Fi. We also mention the development of a Bluetooth-controlled led strip Lightstrips, it can already be found on foreign online trading platforms.

Our video review will tell you the best about the capabilities of the Yeelight Blue II lamp:

Contents of delivery

The packaging of the device is made of strong cardboard, and the lamp itself is additionally protected by foam inserts. The design looks quite reliable for buying in an online store. In addition, LED lamps are less sensitive to external influences than other models. In particular, the device suffered a fall on the office carpet without any problems.

In the case of a single lamp, the box contains only the lamp itself and a brief instruction manual in English and Chinese.

Appearance and characteristics

We tested the modification for the E27 cartridge. Some time ago, it was one of the most popular home options for connecting traditional incandescent lamps, but today it can already be difficult to find it.

The lamp has a massive base made of gray-painted polycarbonate, which acts as a heatsink and electronics housing. Above it is a white matte cylindrical cap, under which LEDs are placed.

According to the height of 105 mm, the cases are divided into 30 mm of the base, 50 mm of the metal part, and 25 mm given to the cap. The maximum lamp diameter is 50 mm. The weight of the product is 167 grams. In general, the lamp seems compact enough to fit in place of traditional incandescent lamps.

The manufacturer indicates the possibility of adjusting not only the color shade, but also the temperature within the range of 1700-6500 K. The idle consumption is stated at 0.3 W, and during operation should not exceed 6 W. The maximum brightness of the lamp is 500 lumens. The manufacturer estimates the operating time at 20 thousand hours. According to the parameters of the supply network, the model is universal and is capable of operating with voltages of 100-240 V and a frequency of 50 or 60 Hz. The Bluetooth LE protocol is used to control the device. The device is designed for indoor use. The manufacturer does not provide permissible ambient temperatures.

Setup and use

The instructions for connecting the lamp are very concise - we screw it into the required place, turn on the power, download the application for a smartphone or tablet, turn on Bluetooth on the mobile device, launch the program and start playing with colors.

With the choice of location, in addition to the availability of the necessary space, there is only one essential feature - you cannot use the connection via dimmers. As for the switch on the wall - it is not required, but desirable. True, it should be noted that the state of the lamp after turning off is not remembered - it turns on in white at full brightness. However, this corresponds to the standard lamp control option, but it is not very convenient in case of power outages in the absence of the owners. Probably, the manufacturer should have provided for the choice of behavior in such a situation.

The easiest way to download the application is to use the QR code provided in the instructions. The program with the expected name Yeelight Blue is available both in the AppStore and in several stores for Android, including Google Play.

In any case, the control device will need to support Bluetooth LE. Among the compatible models, the manufacturer indicates Apple iPhone 4S and older, iPod touch fifth generation and older, iPad third generation and older, iPad mini, Xiaomi 2S, samsung galaxy S4, Note II, Note 3 and others.

Bluetooth LE (from low energy - low energy consumption), also called Bluetooth Smart, has appeared on the market relatively recently. This solution is focused on use with devices for segments of wearable electronics, home appliances, healthcare solutions and other similar areas. This standard is not compatible with "classic" Bluetooth and differs from it, first of all, in simpler controllers with lower consumption, which is important for stand-alone devices, and lower cost. “Under the knife” was high speed, as well as sound transmission. At the same time, they promised to keep the range of work at the level of hundreds of meters and implemented profiles specific for the intended use.

So if you plan to use this equipment with your smartphones or tablets, you should check that they are capable of working with Bluetooth LE. For example, you can take a look at the site listed on the Bluetooth SIG website.

The implementation of this type of control has certain features - you will need to be relatively close to the lamp. The official range is 30 meters, but in fact it will depend significantly on the smartphone model, layout features, interference and other external factors. Of course, if we are talking about working within the room, then there should be no problems. Well, remote control via the Internet is also impossible in this case.

Another controversial point is the simultaneous control of several lamps. We only had one for testing, so we could not estimate the delays. Judging by the technology used, it is likely that they will appear when working with a dozen lighting devices at once.

The next remark to the system is the absence of its own "mind" in the lamp. That is, to implement, for example, scenarios related to schedules, direct control is implemented from a smartphone or tablet, so if you left home with it, the lamp in most cases will not do anything by itself.

True, there is one loophole here - the manufacturer has published on the website a description of the API for controlling lamps via Bluetooth, so that with a certain interest from developers, specialized programs for modern PCs or automation controllers may appear that can implement complex work scenarios.

But first, let's get acquainted with the mobile application, which was tested on Apple iPhone 5S and Sony Xperia Z3 compact. There are no significant differences in working with iOS and Android in this case. Note that the Windows store also found a program from the manufacturer for working with lamps, but we were not able to see the lamp through it, although it was found when searching for Bluetooth devices.

When launched, the program searches for all available Bluetooth LE devices. Note that there are no means of control and access restriction in the system. If friends with compatible smartphones and programs come to visit you, they will also be able to control your lamps.

Lamps are best connected in series one at a time and renamed through the program, otherwise it will not be easy to figure out several models with the same name. In addition to changing the name, there are few settings in the program. In particular, there is an item for updating the firmware of the lamps and a section for connecting fitness bracelets as control devices (only in iOS). The current version supports bobg II and work is underway on compatibility with Xiaomi and Misfit solutions. Also the program has brief reference and a feedback form.

The user can control several lamps selected from the list at once. Three screens and an editable list of scenes are provided for selecting operating modes.

The first screen, as expected from its name - Colors, is designed to work with color. There is a choice of brightness on a scale from 1 to 100 in the central field and a choice of color on a circular scale. On the one hand, this is simple and convenient, but on the other hand, it may not provide the required accuracy. There is an off button at the bottom of the circle. A long press on it opens a menu with a time setting for turning the lamp on or off. This is practically the only stand-alone lamp function that works with a built-in timer, judging by the presence of commands in the protocol with a delay. True, it was not possible to turn on the lamp according to the schedule in the desired mode or color. This is probably a bug in the program. The protocol provides for setting the activation color, but there is no direct setting for it in the program.

The second screen, signed Sunshine, is used to work with white lighting. The design of the control is similar to the first screen - in the center of the circle there is a general brightness control, and the color temperature is selected on a circular scale. Here, too, you can enter the setting item for turning on or off with a delay. Strange, but the program cannot be started from the “off” state. It has only one button on the screen. Note that turning off the program remembers the last state of the lamp and sets it up when it is turned on again.

The third mode of the lamp provides a change in colors according to the program. At the top is a speed setting slider. The button to the left of it allows you to select from a palette of up to four colors that will be used in this mode. The button on the right opens a gallery of smartphone photos for selecting animation colors based on the analysis of your image. Brightness cannot be adjusted in this mode. Note that the specified program continues to work even after the application is turned off or the smartphone is removed.

Additionally, the use of scenes is provided, which are simply a set of pre-set settings without reference to a schedule or timers. If desired, you can add your own entries - you must first turn on the lamp in the required way, and then click the "+" icon in the scene menu. Scene editing is not possible. So in this case, you will have to delete the scene and reprogram.

Separately, it is worth mentioning the Disco mode, which uses the signal coming from the microphone of the smartphone to dynamically change the brightness and color of the lamps. It has no settings, as well as complex sound analysis algorithms. So it is more suitable for parties than for visual accompaniment of audio recordings. If necessary, you can turn on music playback on the smartphone itself, so that it will enter the microphone through the speaker.

In general, the program has the expected set of functions and options for controlling lamps. In practice, there may be certain features associated with the background operation of programs in different mobile devices. operating systems and the need to spend a couple of seconds reconnecting to the lamp. From the point of view of unlocking the potential of such solutions, too little has been done. In particular, it would be possible to implement a color change according to a schedule or depending on time, as well as synchronous control of several lamps with the installation of different modes for participants. The question of the possibility of working with a large number of lamps and the convenience of managing groups of devices remained behind the scenes. From a technical point of view, there are no significant problems here. In any case, these issues can usually be resolved with a software update or alternative third party software.

It is worth noting that for iOS in the store there is another program for working with these light bulbs. This is probably an older version of the utility. There are practically no differences in functions, you can only pay attention to a slightly different management organization.

The solution uses 256 levels for each channel, so brightness and color adjustments are quite smooth. The issue with the color temperature is not very clear, since there are no commands for setting it in the protocol description. It is possible that it is emulated through colored LEDs. Judging by the scheme on the manufacturer's website, fifteen LEDs are installed on the same plane. But the matte diffuser is quite effective and the bulb is visually perceived as a single light source without a clear advantage of the frontal flow direction.

The operating range significantly depends on the presence of obstacles and the state of the air, not to mention the implementation of antennas in a smartphone. Recall that the 2.4 GHz band today is heavily used by Wi-Fi equipment, and mobile devices usually focused on working with Bluetooth devices at a short distance. In particular, with our devices, it was possible to control the operation of the lamp at distances of about eight meters through a pair of non-permanent walls. When placing the lamp near the window, we were able to get a range of about 20 meters from the street. We would not count on control in cottages and private houses through several concrete floors. On the other hand, the solution is still more local, and there will be no problems when working within the room.

Testing

The lamp turns on with a noticeable, but not yet too annoying delay. Start schedule:

After the actual switching on, the brightness increases linearly for about 0.4 s until it reaches its maximum. Variant of "polite" illumination. When working outdoors without a cover, the lamp warms up in about 10-15 minutes to a more or less stable body temperature (feelings to the “very warm” level), which is accompanied by a decrease in brightness by about 10%. The luminous flux corresponds to the level of a conventional incandescent lamp with a power of 40 W, but the pronounced directivity of the radiation creates a sufficiently high luminous intensity, which makes it possible to use this lamp, for example, in a lamp like a desk lamp for reading from paper.

The minimum luminous intensity (1% on the dimming scale) for the variant with white and initially the brightest light was about 7.1 cd (this corresponds to a luminous flux of about 34 lm). That is, the minimum brightness is low enough to use the lamp as a soft night light.

The efficiency of the lamp as a light source (luminous efficiency) is noticeably lower than the best representatives among LED lamps two years ago. The colorimetric characteristics are good, the light is moderately warm and quite white, the spectrum is filled evenly, that is, colored objects under the light of this lamp will look more or less in accordance with their true color. All this in the option of white color mode with maximum brightness. This is what the spectrum of white light looks like:

And so the family of spectra obtained by varying the color of the lamp:

The shape of the spectra suggests that the lamp uses at least two types of emitting devices. These are white LEDs (blue emitter and yellow phosphor) and colored LEDs with relatively narrow spectral emission bands of blue, green and red. The first - actually for lighting, the second - for creating color effects.

The device can register brightness modulation with a large amplitude. For example, this is how brightness versus time looks like at three different levels of brightness set in white light mode:

And so in the color mode for conditionally red, green and blue colors:

The modulation frequency is high - 980 Hz. With a strong desire, flickering at this frequency can be seen in tests for stroboscopic effect, however, during normal use of the lamp, no flicker is visible.

Conclusion

The question of the need for RGB lighting is certainly interesting, but clearly beyond the scope of this article. However, it is worth recognizing that such solutions can be useful in certain usage scenarios both in the home and in the commercial sector. The Yeelight Blue II product reviewed is a Bluetooth LE-controlled, multi-color, mid-power LED lamp with an E27 base.

The device turned out to be quite compact for its format and is capable of performing the functions of decorative lighting, as well as spot and main lighting. Since the model is similar in terms of luminous flux to 40-watt incandescent lamps, for the latter option, in most cases, you will need to use several lamps.

Bluetooth LE control can hardly be called a universal option, and it has certain features that are worth considering when evaluating a product. In particular, you need a compatible smartphone or tablet, control is only possible from a short distance, there are no access control functions and integration into automation systems (at the moment). Also note that offline functionality is severely limited.

The proprietary utility offered by the manufacturer for Android and iOS generally does a good job of doing its job. However, in our opinion, its possibilities could be wider. Unfortunately, we were not able to test the convenience of working with a large number of lamps at the same time, and the practical use of this scenario raises certain doubts.

The cost of the lamp in foreign stores at the time of writing was about $40. If you don’t want to wait, you can find a product on the domestic market, and in this case the price may be even lower.

You can have different attitudes towards the ideas of a smart home and connecting to the Internet and smartphone everything that can be plugged into a power outlet. However, the future, as they say, has already arrived, and smart lamps are one of the brightest (in every sense of the word) representatives of this future. Today, there are many manufacturers of smart lamps on the market, but the prices for their products are high, which pushes many people towards the idea of ​​buying a Chinese counterpart two to three times cheaper. Here, however, you never know what you pay for. Let's try to bring some clarity to this issue.

Introduction

Although the idea of ​​smart bulbs that can be controlled from a smartphone seems rather ridiculous (isn't it easier to flip a switch?), in reality they turn out to be in a good way create the right atmosphere in the room. Smart lamps can not only turn on and change brightness on command, but also change their shade, both on command and automatically - for example, depending on the time of day or even the proximity of a person to the lamp itself. Almost all of these lamps are able to arrange color music, reacting to what is playing in the room, and there are even those that can blink or change color when you receive a message on your smartphone or tablet.

Therefore, I would not put the question, to take or not to take - it is more interesting what exactly to take and how to get the best value for money. It just so happened that lately it is best to go to the Chinese with such questions. Electronics store gearbest.com kindly provided us with four lamps of different price categories. We have tested them.

So in this review:

• Yeelight Blue II - one of the most famous Chinese-made lamps, the price is $26;
• MIPOW BTL200 (Playbulb Rainbow) - a lamp produced by a fairly well-known Chinese company MIPOW, price $ 29;
• MagicLight Smart LED - a lamp of the mysterious Chinese company MagicLight - in fact, a noname, the price is $ 21;
• BL-08A - a no-name lamp with a built-in speaker (!), Price $ 19.

All four lamps are low power and primarily designed for use in table lamps or for decorative lighting. Moreover, if Yeelight and MagicLight lamps can somehow still be used to illuminate rooms (500 lm), then MIPOW and BL-08A are not suitable for this role at all, since their luminous flux is only 300 lm, and this is an analogue of an incandescent lamp with a power of 25 Tue

We also note that all lamps communicate with a smartphone using the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) protocol, so it will not be possible to steer them from a computer using the usual RESTful API, but you can sniff the protocol and write your own implementation of the control application. In addition, lamps with Bluetooth can be used as beacons (Beacon).

Yeelight Blue II

Anyone who has ever unpacked Xiaomi smartphones or even looked at reviews of these devices will immediately understand who actually manufactures these lamps. Hard cardboard box without a glossy finish, almost no inscriptions and dark foam rubber inside. It is easy to guess that Yeelight is a brand of the well-known company Xiaomi, which was recognized by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as the most innovative company in the world.

Yeelight Blue II is not the best light bulb in the world, even compared to classic LEDs, but it is definitely an excellent product for the price. Outwardly, the lamp looks expensive, the metal matte body does not give the impression of being flimsy, the polycarbonate diffuser cap can easily withstand a fall on the floor without any consequences.

The characteristics of the lamp are quite ordinary:

• power consumption: 6 W;
• idle: 0.3 W;
• color temperature: 1700-6500 K;
• luminous flux: 500 lm;
• service life: 20,000 h;
• warranty: 1 year;
• control: Bluetooth LE.

At maximum brightness, the lamp is comparable in power to a forty-watt incandescent lamp, and in color temperature - with any lamps, from incandescent lamps to cold-light fluorescent ones. That is, the light emitted by it can be both warm and cold, depending on the settings. However, it is worth bearing in mind that Yeelight, like any other smart lamps, adjusts the color temperature, reducing the brightness of the cool white LEDs and brightening the color LEDs so as to mix in more yellow-orange tint. Inside, Yeelight has three white LED blocks with a color temperature of 6500 K, as well as red, green and blue LEDs.

The lamp control app is called Yeelight Blue and is available on Android and iOS in the official app stores. It allows you to adjust the color temperature and brightness, as well as enable dynamic color change and set the speed. There is also a "Disco" mode, in which the lamp flashes in different colors to the music (it is recognized from a microphone or through a smartphone player). By holding the power button for a long time, you can set the timer. There is also a function of simultaneous control of all available lamps, so if you bought three lamps in a chandelier at once, you will not suffer with the settings of each of them.

Yeelight has a very important advantage compared to the rest of the lamps in this review - its API is open and documented. Moreover, you can find the sources of a working application for controlling the lamp on the Web, and an unofficial AutoYeelight plugin for Tasker is available in the market. So you can program the behavior of the lamp without even knowing how to write code (the plugin, by the way, determines the distance to the lamp, so you can use it as a bluetooth beacon).

If Bluetooth is inconvenient and you still want to use Wi-Fi, there is another option - Yeelight Sunflower. This is a set of several lamps controlled from one hub. The hub connects via Wi-Fi and can receive commands over the local network. The bulbs themselves are exactly the same.

All in all, the Yeelight Blue II is a quality Bluetooth LE lamp at an affordable price. A great option for anyone who wants to not only control the lighting from a smartphone, but also program the lamps on their own.

MIPOW BTL200

The Chinese company MIPOW is known primarily as a manufacturer of portable chargers for mobile phones and tablets. In addition, the company produces headphones and Bluetooth headsets, and more recently, smart lamps and fixtures. We tested MIPOW BTL200 (commercial name - Playbulb Rainbow), which at lower power and large sizes more expensive than a Yeelight lamp.

The appearance of MIPOW does not raise any complaints, but the rest of the shortcomings were discovered quickly. Firstly, the luminous flux of the lamp is only 280 lm, which corresponds to a 25 W incandescent lamp, that is, the lamp is designed exclusively for use in table lamps or for decorative purposes. Second, the Android version of the app simply doesn't work. We were never able to find out what exactly failed - the OS version (tested on Android 5.1.1) or the smartphone model. The application either does not see the lamp at all, or it sees, but cannot connect. The iOS version works flawlessly.

The functions of the application are the same as those of Yeelight, plus a few additional ones: the ability to adjust the brightness with a wave, the ability not only to set a sleep timer, but also an alarm clock, the ability to set a PIN code to access the lamp and a set of effects. There are no separate settings for adjusting the color temperature.

From the official specifications that we managed to get:

• power consumption: 5W;
• luminous flux: 280 lm;
• control: Bluetooth LE.

There is no more information on the box or on the official website.

Conclusions: a little expensive for 280 lm, the Android application may not work. But it turns on faster than all the other lamps in the review - almost instantly.

MagicLight Smart LED

We managed to find exactly zero information about this company, which gives us every right to call the lamp a classic Chinese noun. However, in this case, even looking for information was redundant: the lamp looks cheap, the diffuser cap is made of plastic and is not firmly attached to the body. When shaking, the insides of the lamps dangle, which, however, did not prevent it from withstanding transportation by Russian Post.

This could have ended, but we went further and found that as a lamp MagicLight is not bad. Firstly, with a specified luminous flux of 500-550 lm (like Yeelight), it is noticeably brighter than all the other lamps in the review. Secondly, this is the only lamp that can save the state (on / off, color, brightness) between power outages.

Thirdly, the light bulb application, although it seems to be made in haste, works flawlessly on all platforms and has the richest feature set among those reviewed. There are many presets for dynamic color and brightness changes, a built-in music player with a set of color music modes, a timer to turn off, the ability to fine-tune your own algorithm for dynamic color and brightness changes, the already familiar Disco mode and the ability to select colors using the camera.

Characteristics that we managed to collect:

• power consumption: 7.5 W;
• color temperature: 2700-3200K, 6000-6500K;
• luminous flux: 500–550 lm;
• service life: 20,000 h;
• on/off cycles: 50,000;
• control: Bluetooth.

Of course, there is little trust in such a manufacturer, and, quite possibly, the lamp will fail much earlier than the stated period. We tested for several days and did not reveal any problems during this period.

Conclusions: very low quality, but a good application and low price.

BL-08A

Another no-name, but not without Chinese-style innovation: this lamp is combined with a speaker. It's hard to imagine what use case was in the head of the inventors of this gadget, but it can be used - for example, used as a plug-in turntable for the bathroom. The sound is transmitted to the lamp via Bluetooth / A2DP, so you can turn on the music, put your phone on the sofa and go take a shower, cheerfully singing along with the lamp.

In all other respects, the lamp is standard:

• power consumption: 6 W;
• speaker power: 3W;
• color temperature: 6520 K;
• luminous flux: 300 lm;
• color rendering index: 70.9;
• control: Bluetooth 4.0 + EDR.

Interestingly, this is the only manufacturer who indicated the color rendering index in the characteristics of the lamp (how much the natural color of the illuminated object corresponds to the visible one). This is one of the main indicators of the quality of light. 70.9 is not the best possible index, but it is quite expected. Most LED lamps approximately the same indicators, and very cheap ones have an index of 65. For comparison: the color rendering index of an incandescent lamp is 96, a fluorescent lamp is 80–85.

The application for controlling the BL-08A is quite simple. All it can do is change the color of the lamp (manually or with music), turn the lights on and off, play music, and set a timer to turn off. Moreover, the color change here does not occur smoothly, as in other lamps, but through the choice of predetermined values. The color wheel and brightness sliders don't work on either Android or the iOS version.

But the assembly does not cause any complaints. The lamp looks monolithic, nothing makes noise inside when shaken. She even passed the test with an old Soviet cartridge, in which the lamp has to be screwed in with great effort.

The speaker, of course, is not Yamaha, it has obvious dips in almost all frequency ranges, but not bad for a Chinese noun. More than suitable for listening to a podcast in the shower, even low frequencies are somehow traced.

Conclusions: cheap durable lamp with dubious characteristics, very long inclusion and useless application. Of the pluses: a sound signal upon successful connection with a smartphone and an exotic use as a speaker.

conclusions

There are smart lamps of decent quality in China, and, I think, if you review all possible nonames, you will be able to find five good ones. Having tested four lamps, I can say the following: the undisputed winner in all categories is Yeelight, here you have both quality and an open API. The second place could well have been given to MIPOW, if not for the overpriced and low power (I'm sure they will fix the application). Noname with a speaker, oddly enough, is of good quality, which cannot be said about its application.

We thank the gearbest.com online store for providing lamps and consultations for testing.