In today’s video we look at a TV light gadget, which promises to make viewing more enjoyable, by adding RGB colors to it, matching to the video content.
Sengled GmbH is a USA-based company of smart lighting products that produced its first smart speaker bulb in 2012. Their developers and designers are worldwide, and the company has applied for over 1,100 global patents! Since Aris and I are fond of smart gadgets, we got our hands on the Sengled Smart LED 4.8m-15.7FT Wi-Fi TV Light Strips with Video Sync.
Some notes before I jump into the review. The result won’t be as impressive if your TV’s backside is very close to the wall. If you don’t want or can’t turn off all your lights when you use the light strip, you will not be able to enjoy this gadget’s entire light show fully. Furthermore, if you cannot tie your laces, try to avoid twisting and bending the corners of the light strip at the rear of your TV. Call someone to help you!
The light strip has a 2-year warranty, and its wireless frequency range is 2.4GHz. It operates Wi-Fi channels at 1-11 with a maximum transmitted output power of 18dBm. The company supports that the light strip has a lifetime of 25,000 hours which is 1041 Days and 16 Hours, which is over 34 months! I must state that it is for indoor use only since it is not water resistant. Its price varies from $120 from the company’s official website to $140 from eBay. On Amazon, at the time of the review, it was more affordable, at $85. According to your TV’s size, this product has two versions—one for 50 up 65 inches TVs and one for 70 to 85 inches.
- Brand: Seglend
- Type: Light Strip
- Color Temperature: Multicolor 16 Million Colors RGBIC Technology
- Lifetime: 25,000h
- Connection: 802.11 b/g/n, 2.4GHz, up to 300Mbps
- Input: 100-240VAC
- Operating Temperature: 14 to 104°F (-10 to 40°C)
- Dimensions: 2.34 x 2.34 x 6.32 inches
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1.130 lbs
- Limitations: Indoor, Not Water Resistant
- Warranty: 2-year
- MSRP: $120
- Product Link
Box & Bundle
The bundle includes the LED strip, the camera, and a power adapter.
The power adapter outputs 12V with 1.7A max current output, meaning 20.4W.
Installation Process
Before installation, check if all LED indicators turn on before adjusting the strip to the rear of your TV, just like you do with the Christmas lights! If your TV or monitor is installed to the wall through a VESA mount, the installation process will give you a headache, so better have another person assist you with the alignment of the strip.
If your TV’s upper edge is thin, you might need some time to find the proper position for the camera. Before you peel off the double adhesive tape provided for the camera, make sure to find the optimal place for it, which is at the center of your TV, either the top or bottom side, because the double-sided tape has a stronghold.
Sengled has provided plenty of adhesive clips for the camera cables; thus, cable management is a breeze.
If, for some reason (e.g., for the needs of a gaming console), you need to mount an extra camera at the center of the screen, then you have a problem with your hands. If you are good with LEGO or Jenga, consider building a construction with one camera on the other and pray that they won’t fall! Or mount it at the bottom of your screen and pray that your cat won’t find the new thing in the house!
The strip is of excellent quality Synthetic Polymer (PMMA) and quite thick. The double-sided tape has a stronghold, yet it allows you to reattach it if you have made a mistake at the alignment. My TV is mounted to the wall; hence I would prefer a longer cable for the power adaptor since I found it hard to take it down to the socket.
How does it work?
To begin with, the Sengled HD g2 camera does all the work, so make sure to mount it precisely at the center of your TV; it can be mounted either at the top or bottom of your screen. Use a measuring tape to be precise.
The camera only scans the screen’s colors, so don’t worry about it, relax, and enjoy the show! All image processing is done locally on the device with a color-detecting lens connected to the light strip. The camera’s embedded video Sync tech analyzes various spots on different parts of the screen and tries to attribute each color on the wall behind the TV via its 16 million colors and RGBIC Technology. You might need to make a camera reset; therefore, a reset camera pin is included.
The Sengled Home is the app you need to download to use the Wi-Fi capabilities of the light strip. It is gratis and can operate with Android and iOS devices.
The Sengled app needs your email address and a password that you’ll create. It also asks for your location; I cannot understand why it does that! It’s unclear whether you can connect two different smartphones at the same time. I had one iPhone related already and tried to connect another, but I couldn’t find the Sengled Wi-Fi network. I guess this means that you probably can’t connect two smartphones simultaneously.
Via the Sengled Home, you can control the light strip’s brightness and color, and you may select through preinstalled customizable scenes such as Christmas and Halloween. It’s an uncomplicated app, so it will take you only a few minutes to get accustomed to it. The tricky part is during the setup procedure, where things can get tricky. I had to run it twice because, on the first try, the app couldn’t find the LED strip. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t say I liked that I had to turn on/off manually the light strip through the app. Yes, it is convenient that it has an off mode as well, but for me that I paid so much money to get this smart gadget, I would like it to be on the minute I turn on the TV and off, the minute I turn off the TV, and not the other way around.
If you are accustomed to using intelligent voice-based personal assistance, the Seglent smart light strip works with three of them, making your life easier. There is also a light schedule which can come in handy.
An interesting feature of the application is that it includes energy consumption readings!
Epilogue
Yes, it doesn’t come cheap, but it will transform how you watch movies. Yes, its installation requires knowing how to tie a bow, but you’ll pretty much make it! If you are a romantic person and want to keep it minimal or avoid the high electricity bill costs, there you have it; Sengled smart Wi-Fi light strip! However, if you are a party animal or just on a special occasion, the Sengled smart light strip can help you bring more color to your home! You only need your smartphone, a TV, and a power socket. The light produced is bright but belongs to the pal pallet. Even though I liked it, you may not, so Sengled has a dimer option.
I like how the colors synchronize on the wall and the ambient environment. It looks better if it is pitch black. It is very different from the plain RGB light strip I have had so far, and I am not going back to it, that’s for sure. The manual turn-on/off from the smartphone app was a bit letdown. I would like it to have the option to switch off automatically when the camera sees a black screen. Moreover, my TV is attached to the wall, so the light strip’s power cord was short, and I had to use a cable extension to connect it to the mains.
Buy Sengled Ambient TV LED Backlights with Camera
- Good LED quality
- Nice lighting features (it syncs with video)
- Bright enough
- Works with Alexa, Apple Homekit/Siri, and Google Assistant
- Good price for what it offers
- The app includes energy monitoring
- For a wall-mounted TV, the power adapter’s DC cable is kind of short
- Setting up the application should be easier
