Vocolinc connected bulb test: HomeKit compatible without hub (and smart speakers)

To enrich your home automation installation, the choice is increasingly wide. In fact, for some time now, more and more accessory manufacturers have been turning to connected objects. In France,Koogeek, which we testedseveral HomeKit accessories, but alsoEve,Netatmo,Philipsor evenFibaroare among the best known, because they are well established in the Homekit landscape.

Recently, a newcomer appeared,Vocolinc. The latter already offersseveral HomeKit accessories on sale, to be found here, including essentials of the genre.Connected socket, but also connected bulbss are there, among other more unusual objects, including an air humidifier. Two models of WiFi bulbs are found in the range of Vocolinc lighting fixtures, theL1, colors andL2, in white light.

It is this second L2 version that we had the opportunity to test recently. Enough to see if the quality is there at Vocolinc, which is positioned at rather attractive prices compared to the competition.

Not to be missed,note page dedicated to HomeKit, to learn everything about the Apple connected home ecosystem, get started and discover useful and varied accessories and apps!

Unpacking

The Vocolinc L2 bulb comes in a small cardboard box. Inside, there is a booklet detailing the information and operation of the bulb, and the bulb itself.

The bulb looks like amost classic bulb. Nothing seems to mark its ability to work in conjunction with HomeKit, except a QR Code necessary for its installation.

The bulb base is E26/E27 type and therefore compatible with a wide range of lighting fixtures. The Vocolinc bulb then takes the place of any other bulb of the same type, on a desk lamp, a light fixture suspended from the ceiling, or even a bedside lamp.

Discover the LinkWise companion app

To benefit from bulb management from the smartphone, it is possible to download the LinkWise companion application,available here on the App Store.

The bulb pairing procedure is then done like any addition of HomeKit accessories on iOS. Simply scan the barcode of the bulb and it will automatically be added to the list of HomeKit connected objects displayed in the app.

The user can obviously rename the bulb as they wish, but also position it in one of the rooms configured in their HomeKit installation.

In the Vocolinc app, there are several tabs:

Maison: brings together the HomeKit connected objects in its installation. Here it is possible to display them by room. A special feature of the Vocolinc app is that the “All On” and “All Off” buttons allow you to turn off all the devices in a room without any prior configuration.
Types: this tab groups accessories by battery type, temperature detector, humidity detector, bulb, socket, etc.
Programme: the user finds here the action scenes created in the app or in other HomeKit apps, like that of Eve for example seen inour recent homekit tests.

The Vocolinc bulb is then represented by a bulb icon in all of these views. To access the light adjustment of the latter, simply make a long press on the corresponding icon.

The app then offers different views, once again:

Preview: general settings of the bulb, including management of the hot or cold temperature, the intensity, but also the on/off state
Moments: activates dynamic bulb switching or temperature presets. For example, the bulb can simulate breathing, or a candle, or even flash, with even more advanced settings for each time (flashing time, brightness, etc.). Sunset or sunrise light effects are also included, as well as settings according to daylight hours.
Programme: allows you to set up lighting programs according to the days of the week and hours of the day
Configure: offers some more technical settings

In practice

The app is particularly complete as seen in the previous paragraph. Many settings are possible. But hisergonomics needs to be reviewed. Some pages are indeed not very clear. The app requires a few minutes of manipulation to understand where to find what you are looking for.

So, to adjust the color temperature of the lamp in the simplest way, you simply use the classic HomeKit shortcuts from iOS, control center, scenes or via Siri. This is the strength of Homekit, as long as an accessory is compatible, all other third-party apps (even competing) and basic iOS possibilities are compatible.

But for specific uses, such as flashing or imitation of candle fire, the use of the companion app is essential. These effects are alsovery successful and convincing!

As for the bulb itself, the test shows that it responds well to commands. There is no latency to report, other than when the Wi-Fi signal is weak. And then she seems morevery solid, well constructed. Its light ranging from very cold to very warm can be adjusted in intensity. It perfectly replaces my vintage filament bulb which I appreciated for its very warm lighting. And of course, by leaving it activated, the bulb can be turned off with the lamp switch, and turned back on with the latter,like a classic light bulb.

Note that the bulb does not workonly on a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network, like many connected accessories elsewhere (the Koogeek socket,tested here in particular). Any 5 Ghz Wi-Fi network is not supported. You must therefore take care of this regarding your modem before a possible purchase.

Finally, for those who do not use HomeKit, you should know that the bulb isalso compatible with Google home automation and Amazon Alexa. However, we were not able to test these two solutions with the Vocolinc bulb.

Conclusion

The Vocolinc L2 bulb is a success in many respects. Its only fault is perhaps noted on the side ofthe companion app. This is complete, but can be aslightly poorly constructed. Fortunately, the majority of rules and actions can be managed through other HomeKit apps, including Apple's Home app.

The price of the bulb is not excessive either. Especially since it offers many more possibilities than just lighting to be turned on remotely. Many effects are included,far from being simple gadgets. Finally, camouflaged under the appearance of a classic bulb, it will be discreet and find a place onany lamp with a compatible base.

What we liked:

No action latency
Appearance and shape similar to a classic light bulb
Complete companion app
Very convincing candle effect
HomeKit/Google/Alexa compatibility

What we liked least:

Not very ergonomic companion app

To find out everything about HomeKit, findour complete file here. To follow the latest news on HomeKit iPhone and iPad home automation,it's over there, including the publication of our HomeKit accessory tests, including:

And to go even further, here isour selection of more than 30 connected accessories to control with the iPhone and iPad, including several HomeKit compatibleas well as our sections by product:

Finally, not to be missed:our summary of accessory tests in images, as well asour recent iPhone accessory tests, dont :

The Vocolinc L2 white light HomeKit/Alexa/Google smart bulbis noted4,5stars out of 5par iPhon.fr

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By : Keleops AG

Editor-in-chief for iPhon.fr. Pierre is like Indiana Jones, looking for the lost iOS trick. Also a long-time Mac user, Apple devices hold no secrets for him. Contact: pierre[a]iphon.fr.