The smart home market is exploding this year thanks to the marriage of mesh networking and smart devices such as smart sensors, smart bulbs, smart cameras and so much more. You might know TP-Link as one of the foremost providers of top-notch networking products. However, did you know that they also carry a wide range of IoT devices that include smart bulbs?
Yes, smart bulbs. Who doesn’t like being able to turn lights on and off using an app or their voice? It certainly feels both futuristic and magical. The TP-Link KL130 is Energy Star certified colour-tunable bulb that has been designed to reduce energy consumption by up to 80 percent without losing brightness or quality, thus ultimately saving you money.
The TP-Link Kasa Smart Light Bulb KL130 is one of the company’s many smart devices, which do not require a separate hub to function. The KL130 is so smart that all it requires is a router to function. The KL130 can work via the Kasa Smart app, which is available for both Android and iOS devices.
It offers a luminosity of 800 lumens, which is an incandescent equivalent of 60-watts. The KL130 draws 10.5 watts and connects to the standard E26 plug found in most homes in the UAE.
Connecting the device on your network is a walk in the park. Once you have screwed the bulb into the E26 socket, the next thing you do is download the Kasa Smart app for your smartphone or tablet.
Now, switch on the Kasa bulb and after 5 seconds it should blink thrice indicating that the bulb is ready to pair with your app. Then follow the instructions in the app to set up the bulb. In case the bulb does not enter the pairing mode the first time around, all you need to do is switch the bulb on and off thrice with a gap of a second between each on and off. The bulb should now blink thrice and enter into the pairing mode.
Since the KL130 is a multicolor bulb, you can choose between a wide range of colours and dimming. You can choose a light for everything from a dinner party to a late-night study session. As mentioned before, Kasa Smart’s multicolor light bulb also connects to your home’s Wi-Fi network, without the need for a hub or extra equipment.
With the Kasa Smart app, you can control the smart light bulb from anywhere with your smartphone. You can dim, turn on or off or change the colours of your light bulb remotely. In addition, you can use voice commands to control the KL130 smart bulb through Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant or Microsoft Cortana.
There is also an Auto White mode that lets you set your bulb to automatically adjust its colour temperature to match natural light patterns from dawn to dusk. The Kasa Smart app lets you schedule the light bulb to automatically switch on and off when you’re home or away.
You also get a usage meter that lets you track energy consumption and running time over the current day, the last seven days, or the last 30 days. We had no difficulty in either setting the bulb up or using it through the Kasa Smart app. The app is very responsive and so is the bulb. The TP-Link Kasa KL130 can be a very good addition to your smart home setup, especially since it does not require a separate hub or equipment to operate.
Price: AED 249
