Nowadays the homes are becoming more and more technologicaland the charm behind this transformation is palpable, however the first step that is normally taken is to purchase smart bulbsand the Meross MSL120 they might be a good option.
Having a smart home translates into many operations that we will no longer have to do manually but that will be managed by a third-party virtual assistant that we will choose, such as Google Assistant or Alexa if we want voice control, or a hub where we will have all our devices. and we can control them with a simple touch (this function is obviously also offered by Google and Alexa).
In addition to having LED lamps like the Meross MSL120, to give you an idea, you can also unlock the lock of the front door with the telephoneoperate a robot vacuum cleaner that will clean the house for you, and much more, just to give you an idea of what a smart home is and the benefits it would bring.
In the case of the Meross MSL120, you can use them to create color combinations or make them turn on automatically when you are not present, and you can monitor it from your smartphone, the important thing is to have an internet connection for when you are out, and a wifi connection when you are at home.
Having made a bit of premise, let’s see how these bulbs behave, also making some comparisons with bulbs from other manufacturers such as Wiz and the most famous Philips Hue.
Package content and design of the Meross MSL120
Unfortunately for me, the shipment suffered a bit of ailments during transport, as you can see in the photo above, however, despite the carelessness of the courier, the package withstood the blow managing to protect the bulbs.
In my opinion much more could be done in packagingthis is because the box turns out to be too tight and the risk that a blow can break them is quite highalthough like all smart bulbs, the Meross MSL120 are made of plastictherefore the blow they would have to suffer is far greater than that needed to break a glass bulb, but why risk it?
Inside you will find:
- the two bulbs;
- a multilingual instruction manual (English, German, Spanish, Italian and French);
- instructions with stickers for pairing with Apple HomeKit;
- the usual manual with the declarations of conformity.
As I said, as regards the design, they have nothing different than the vast majority of smart LED bulbs currently on the market, average size, average weight, classic E27 socket, however on one side they carry the bar code for the ‘pairing with Apple HomeKitthis in case you lose the stickers present in the package.
Having said that, let’s see how it behaves in daily use, the lighting level, the connection system, its app, and in general its testing.
Technical specifications and testing of the Meross MSL120
The first thing to consider when buying smart bulbs is to check how they will work, that is, if they will need a HUB or notin addition there is also to consider whether they will be compatible with our virtual assistants and / or with the system apps on our smartphones (SmartThings, Apple HomeKit, etc ..).
Important products of Nest, Ring and similar companies, have their own apps from which you can control their basic functions, and the same goes for the Meross MSL120, however I have seen that it cannot be detected by Smart Lifea third-party app that, in most cases, packs various products so that you only have to use one app rather than one per manufacturer.
Among the compatibilities declared by the company, we find the one with Apple HomeKit, but I have been experiencing major problems with pairing between the bulb and the appand to be honest, I still haven’t been able to solve it.
However, using the Meross app, the connection was quite fast and simple, not least because the only thing mentioned you will need will be a Wi-Fi connection (remember they will only work on one 2.4 GHz line), this will act as a bridge between your smartphone and the Meross MSL120, and I assure you that it will be avery simple operation also thanks to the guide that you will have within the same app.
Once you are able to connect the bulbs to the app you will have access to the various ones functionality of the Meross MSL120 which, although they are very basic, for a beginner they might be more than enoughIf, on the other hand, you are someone who already has an approach with this type of product, forget about the compatibility with music and / or a little more complex iterations.
One thing I appreciated – in part – are the smart functions of the Meross MSL120, and these are divided into two:
- the first, that is the “scene” mode, which allows you to group your devices as you prefer and control them with a touch, and automatically tell them what to do, for example, when you come home, perhaps by switching on the lights in the living room or other ;
- the second, the “routine” mode, which allows you to create, set and program precisely the daily routines, for example, in the morning at dawn the kitchen light turns on, or on the contrary, at sunset, they turn on house lights, etc.
As for the interaction, a few seconds pass from the moment of touch to the moment the lamp actually receives the inputbesides the passage between one color and another it is not very fluidfar from it, without considering the brightness which, despite the 810 lumens, turns out to be lower than the 806 lumens offered by a competitor.
Obviously, it should be used for a bedside lamp and / or desk, however it could also be used to illuminate a small room such as the bathroom or a closet, while it certainly would not perform as it should in the living room.
The Meross MSL120s offer a good variety when it comes to choosing between a warm or cool colourway, however, again, the transition is not smooth, and despite the classic 2700K-6500K range, it felt like it actually there were 4-5 preset varieties.
As for compatibility with third-party apps, the Meross MSL120, apart from the problem I encountered with Apple HomeKit, had no problems connecting to the Google Assistant of my mobile phone, nor with the Alexa ecosystem I have at home ( Echo and Show).
If I’m honest, connecting with Samsung SmartThings was a bit more complicated than expected, and the functionality I had previously with the Meross app has further diminished, which forced me to do without the ecosystem of Samsung.
Availability and price of the Meross MSL120
The Meross MSL120 are available on both official company website at the price of $ 19.99 with free shipping (there will be to consider the logistical times for its arrival), both on Amazonwhere the price is normally € 24.19 but at the moment they are on offer at € 14.99 and there are significantly shorter waiting times.
The price is attractive, and in line with the competitors, however there are many things that need to be fixed, first of all the app, not so much for the functions that are the basic ones present in almost all manufacturers, as for not being dedicated solely to that function; in fact, the app also acts as a “bazaar” where you can make purchases, and there is a “forum” which I consider useless as you cannot relate to other users.
Both by purchasing on Amazon and on the company’s website you will have a 24 month warranty (2 years), however, it is clear that with Amazon, in case of problems, everything would be much easier to solve.
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