Circadian rhythms are our body’s reaction to daily cycles in our environment and are related to our biological clocks.  These rhythms are connected to our metabolism and disturbances in these cycles have been linked to various health conditions such as obesity, diabetes, depression and sleep disorders, among others.  Since circadian rhythms are impacted greatly by light, managing the types of light we absorb can affect these rhythms.  It may sometimes be necessary to introduce artificial light sources in order to maintain these cycles and the VOCOlinc L2 Smart LED Daylight bulb can aid in this.  With its cool to warm temperature range and the smart scheduling feature of the LinkWise app, we can normalize our schedules and reduce the effects of the certain health conditions.  In this post, we’ll look at some of the features of this tunable white LED bulb, analyze its advantages and disadvantages, and hopefully help you decide if this is the bulb for you. 

A review unit was provided to myHomeKithome for the purpose of this review, but no compensation was received nor was the content reviewed before publishing. All thoughts expressed are purely those of my own.

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Features

• tunable, dimmable whites from warm to cool (2200K – 7000K)
• energy efficient LED bulb (8.5W / 50W incandescent equivalent)
• scheduling, timers, scenes, automations via Apple HomeKit (Home hub required) or VOCOlinc Cloud
• Works with Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, and Amazon Alexa

Need to Knows

• Base type: A19 / E26 / E27
• 25,000 hour life expectancy
• 650 lumens
• 2.4 gHz WiFi band

Features

Tunable smart LED bulbs are nothing new and honestly, aren’t that exciting compared to some other types of connected home products, but I would argue that they are essential for a truly smart home.  For me, the connected or “smart” home isn’t just about connecting everything and anything to the internet and controlling it via an app or with a voice assistant, the device needs to add value and make our lives better and, as explained above, the VOCOlinc L2 offers health benefits that enhance our lives.  If you’re interested in learning more about the health benefits of proper lighting, I’ve included a link to a National Institute of Health article in the Links & Resources section below.

When considering smart lighting for a home, the big debate is between smart bulbs or smart switches and tunable LEDs are a pro for smart bulbs.  While maybe not necessary for all parts of a home, tunable lighting can improve sleep patterns in places where you spend a significant amount of time such as bedrooms, offices, or kitchens.  The VOCOlinc L2 has a fairly wide temperature range and mimics the cool and warm temperatures that can help to manage our circadian rhythms.  The fact that this bulb doesn’t require a hub is great for those who are interested in having certain lights controlled via smart in-wall switches and other lights that provide added benefits such as color, temperature, and dimmability.  

Cons

In the world of HomeKit, we essentially have two ways of connecting devices: WiFi and Bluetooth.  Though Zigbee and other protocols are employed by a few different manufacturers, they require a hub or bridge to connect to HomeKit via WiFi.  While these do tend to be a bit quicker and more reliable, in my experience, WiFi is a much better choice than Bluetooth for lighting as there is comparatively less latency.  I did notice that there were some slight delays in the bulb responding to changes made in both the Home app and the LinkWise app, but I can’t say that these delays caused any problems or even frustration which has been the case with other WiFi bulbs we’ve tested.  

I’m not sure if this is caused by an issue with hardware, software, or the aforementioned WiFi latency, but I noticed stuttering when changing between color temperatures.  I’ve grown accustomed to the smooth transition between colors and temperatures afforded by Phillips Hue and LIFX.  Again, this doesn’t cause any problems and may even be a bit nitpicky, but with other similar bulbs we’ve tested, we’ve not encountered this issue.

The App

My approach to reviewing HomeKit apps is pretty straight-forward.  I first look for how easy the device is to track down in the app.  This examines the user interface and assesses navigability.  I feel the LinkWise does a pretty good job in this regard.  I personally find the color schemes a bit confusing leading me to think that maybe there is a lighting scene or something going on, but I like the idea of the drop-down menus..

Secondly, I look at ease of setup.  Though with other VOCOlinc products we have reviewed in the past we didn’t really encounter any hiccups, the L2 gave us a bit of trouble.  Even after going into our phone’s WiFi settings and connecting to the bulb, we weren’t able to set it up in the LinkWise app and we resorted to Apple’s Home app.  Once this was complete, all features of the bulb appeared in the LinkWise app and it was as if nothing had ever gone awry.  

Lastly, I make a final and, for me, the most important assessment of an app asking the question: Does this app deserve a space on the first page of my “Home” folder which contains all of my HomeKit apps.  This decision is largely contingent upon value added features and the LinkWise app definitely has a place on page 1.  VOCOlinc has made significant efforts to ensure that they provide the user with added benefits for their lighting products, in particular the lighting effects.  For the L2 bulb, we have the option of choosing between Breathing, Candle, and Flashing effects, of which I find the Candle effect most appealing and useful.  Furthermore, the Daylight feature allows us to define four different periods throughout a 24-hour cycle which mimic sunlight and help to better balance the light we receive.

Final Thoughts

Admittedly, I get a kick out of technology for technology’s sake, but I really get excited when technology can fundamentally improve our lives.  I’m not saying that tunable LEDs will save the world or even cure ailments, but research does indicate they attempting to maintain light schedules can improve how our brains process different signals and the VOCOlinc L2 bulb can help with this.  I don’t often speak to price during my reviews, but I can’t avoid it here.  If we compare hardware and software features with other smart daylight bulbs on the market, VOCOlinc has a clear advantage at its price-point.  While sure colored smart lighting adds a dramatic flair to a space, but they aren’t always necessary, dimmable and tunable white lighting can impact your mood and your health and the L2 is a solid contender.

Do you use tunable daylight smart lighting?  Do you prefer smart switches to smart bulbs?  State your case in the comments down below.  Don’t forget to check out our social media for more HomeKit goodness @myhomekithome.

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Links & Resources

Find out more about VOCOlinc’s lineup of HomeKit-compatible products at https://www.vocolinc.com

NIH article on Circadian Rhythms: https://www.nigms.nih.gov/Education/Pages/Factsheet_CircadianRhythms.aspx

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