Meross Smart Wi-Fi Light Strip is a recent addition to the ever-growing smart light segment. LED strips are becoming an essential part of modern home décor. They are no longer limited to false ceilings, coves, stairways, or the underside of counters. Homeowners are installing them behind desks, TVs and monitors, home theaters, and even bookshelves. Smart Wi-Fi LED Strips allow you to change the ambiance of your home according to your mood. You can install an app on your phone or command your voice assistant to change the color of the strip lights or switch them on or off. Meross Smart Wi-Fi Light Strip is one such item that has gained popularity because of various reasons. Let us take a look at this offering and see what it brings to the table.
What’s in the Box?
Let’s begin by taking a look at what all Meross includes in the box. The pack comes with two Meross Smart Wi-Fi LED light strips, each of which has a length of 16.4 feet or 5 meters. Each of them consumes 36 watts of power at 12V and 3A rating. A small module is provided in the package for controlling the LED light strips, along with a power adapter. The control box has a separate connector for each strip. While it allows you to connect both the strips conveniently, it also limits their use to a single room or area. If there were separate power supplies for each of the strips, it would have improved installation flexibility.
Meross Smart Wi-Fi strips can be cut at the marked spots for shortening their length. The areas are well-labeled for convenience. You also get a pair of connectors and ten fixing clips. The connectors make the installation process neat and tidy, and there is no need for soldering if you cut the LED strips. There is 3M tape on their rear side for easy installation. It sticks really well, and you don’t have to worry about the strips peeling off for at least a few years. Almost all equipment required is included in the Meross Smart Wi-Fi Light Strip package. There is no need for a separate Wi-Fi hub to access the smart LED strips remotely.
Features
Meross Smart Wi-Fi Light Strips have most of the features found in competitor’s offerings. You can control the Meross Smart Wi-Fi Light Strip using the Meross app available for smart devices. It can be installed on devices with Android 4.1 or higher or Apple devices with iOS 9 or later. The app enables you to adjust the brightness and the color of the LEDs. They can be automated according to a schedule or a timer, the latter being a unique feature.
Meross Smart Wi-Fi Light Strip supports various voice assistants. It works with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Samsung SmartThings, and is one of the few models on the market compatible with Apple HomeKit. However, do note that only the MSL320HK is compatible with HomeKit, while the MSL320 won’t work. The included controller connects to your home’s Wi-Fi network to provide remote access.
Performance
The performance of the Meross Smart Wi-Fi Light Strips is quite good. They are super responsive and work well with other supported systems. The Meross app deserves accolades as well because of its interface design and performance. First-time users will find the setup process fairly simple. If you already have Apple’s Home app, there is no need to register an account or install another app for these LED strips. You don’t even have to input the password to your home’s wireless network as it relies on the HomeKit pairing code. These features make its installation process one of the shortest among smart devices supporting Apple’s ecosystem. Although, users of Alexa and Google Assistant will have to download the Meross app.
When it comes to the app, it has a clean and easy-to-navigate interface. It enables you to set Routines for scheduling when the lights switch on or off. Adjusting the brightness and color of RGB LEDs is straightforward. There are five preset scenes available as well for different moods. These include Night for sleeping, Party for entertaining, Reading for a subtle ambiance, Relaxing for an easy-on-the-eyes experience, and Working for a conducive environment. The effects can be customized to your liking through the available options like flashing speed and brightness. Meross Smart Wi-Fi Light Strips can work in tandem with other smart lighting or home devices. You can create a Routine involving multiple smart devices.
The color performance of the LEDs on the Meross Smart Wi-Fi Light Strips is pretty good. However, some specific shades of color are not produced as well as one would like. In addition to green, an Achilles heel for LEDs, the smart light strips also struggle with colors in purple and yellow shades. Also, sometimes the light color emitted by its LEDs is significantly different from what is being shown in the app. While you can change the color of the RGB LEDs, it does not support color temperature adjustment.
The included extension clips allow you to join sections of the LED strips after they have been cut. However, working with them is a bit tedious. It is hard to align and seat the clips properly. Even slight movement of the strips can disrupt the connection. While the thought process behind the extension clips is commendable, we wish that Meross would refine the design for a better user experience. But we find the overall performance of the smart light strips to be pretty good.
Pros and Cons
Before summarizing this Meross Smart Wi-Fi Light Strips review, let’s quickly go through their advantages and disadvantages.
Pros
- Relatively cheap
- Includes two 16.4feet (5-meter) long LED strips
- Compatible with Alexa, Google Assistant, HomeKit, and Samsung SmartThings
- It does not require a smart hub
Cons
- Not waterproof, for indoor use only
- A single control module for two smart LED strips
- Extension clips could be better
Is It Worth the Cost?
So, should you buy the Meross Smart Wi-Fi Light Strips? The bundle containing two strips is priced at $48.99, which is relatively cheap compared to some of the other offerings on the market. Another impressive thing about these smart LED strips is that they are quite a bit longer in contrast to other models. Philips offers a 6-feet or 2-meter long Hue strip at almost double the price.
Meross Smart Wi-Fi Light Strip works with Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, and Samsung SmartThings. The Meross app is quite good as well. It has most features that homeowners want in smart LED strips. Their color performance is pretty good despite the limitations. We would have liked to see individual control modules for each Meross Smart Wi-Fi Light Strip, considering their long length. A weatherproof rating would have been nice, allowing the lights to be used in moist conditions or outdoors.
Overall, we find Meross Smart Wi-Fi Light Strips to be a great offering. They are highly recommended by us and will suit the requirements of most buyers. However, if you are nitpicky about their color reproduction, want to use them outdoors, or need to install each LED strip in a separate area, you may want to consider alternate options.
Meross Smart Wi-Fi Light Strip on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3tbox7c
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