Good Points:
- Easy Setup.
- Control from Android/iOS app.
- Dim-able.
- Used alone or in a group of bulbs.
- Innovative hidden way to increase WiFi coverage.
Bad Points:
- Large Unit Size
- No ability to program on/off times
- Need to connected to same WiFi nerwork for app control.
In today’s wireless world, dead spots/poor coverage are as they say a first world problem, yes the latest all singing and dancing routers advertise better/stronger WiFi coverage, but there is always that place in your home or business that signal isn’t up to scratch.
Now the usual route to combating this is to install a WiFi booster/repeater. The market is currently awash with booster/repeaters, but one thing they all have in common is they need a power source. Well Sengled, a company that innovates in light bulb technology, has created an LED light bulb that also acts as a WiFi repeater and it’s all controlled from your smartphone via an app.
In Use:
Upon opening the box, the first thing I noticed was that the bulb was.. quite large. It was about the same height as a regular energy efficient bulb but quite a bit bulkier.
Setting up the bulb was an extremely easy affair. I placed the bulb into one of my lamps at home (the bulb comes with either a standard bayonet or screw in fitting), switched on the bulb and then fitted up smartphone app. From here you can connect to the bulb and put in the WiFi credentials for your home WiFi.
Once the bulb was connected to the WiFi network the light flashed twice and that’s it – you’re ready to control it from the phone.
The bulb uses its own SSID, but this can be edited (I changed mine to match my home WiFi) and it also uses the same WiFi password as my home setup.
That’s the setup complete, and I moved the bulb to my conservatory. This boosted the WiFi signal nicely in my garden. After the setup, I used the Ookla app and clocked the WiFi in the garden at 5.07 Mbps. That’s double what it was without a booster (I don’t have fibre interent yet). More than doubling the signal strength brings it in line with the rest of the house and finally lets me stream Netflix from my sun lounger without endless buffering.
From the smartphone app you can switch the light On/Off or change the brightness. You can also choose to control individual bulbs or all of them together if you have more than one installed – again all from the smartphone app.
Conclusion
Sengled have come up with a innovative way to incorporate a WiFi repeater/booster into your network that not only is hidden but doesn’t need a separate power source. Plus it’s a remotely controlled light t’boot.
Imagine a small business setup with multiple bulbs, the WiFi network is extended throughout the property, but with the app the lights can be controlled individually or turned off together at the end of the day.
There is a couple of additions I would like to have seen added, such as the ability to program the light with On/Times. I’d also like to control the bulb over the internet or a cellular connection. Currently for the smartphone app to work it needs to be on the same WiFi network as the bulb. The bulb needs to be switched On/Off via the app rather than the lamps switch, as using the latter kills the power to the bulb and hence looses the WiFi connection.
The Boost is currently available from Amazon for £39.99 and from the Sengled website, so if your after a way to boost your WiFi that is hidden from view, its worth looking at the Sengled Boost