It seems like every week there’s a new initiative or product announced pushing us towards a more complete smart home. Revogi is one such company with various products available with smart home functionality and our Revogi Smart Candlelight review takes a look at a smart light that looks like a regular candle.
Specifications
The Revogi Smart Candlelight has the following features and specifications:
- Multicolor (RGB) light
- Dimmable, Music Visual, Proximity Sensory, SMS Alerts, Timer
- Power: 4x AA batteries (not included)
- Power Consumption: 13mA (lighting On), 10mA (lighting Off)
- Communication: Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy
- Range: 49.2′ (15m)
- Dimensions: 3.15 x 3.15 x 3.15″ (80 x 80 x 80mm)
- Weight: 4.58oz (130g)
- Operating System: iOS 6.0+/Android 4.3+
- Warranty: 1 year
What’s in the Box
- 1x Revogi Smart Candlelight (LTB006)
Design
Revogi’s Smart Candlelight looks like your typical square candle in a jar. It’s pretty much a cube in shape without a top and has some curved edges to mirror a candle holder. The plastic exterior is frosted white and is translucent so you can see the bulb through the sides. The Revogi is printed in grey on one side of the candle near the bottom.
Looking down into the Smart Candlelight, the LED bulb is shaped like a candle flame and is set into a base that looks like melted wax. On one side of the base is an on/off switch and just below that is a small microphone hole.
The bottom of the Smart Candlelight has a removable cover under which is where the four AA batteries are housed. Two small triangular rubber feet sit on two sides of the bottom to protect your table or counter from scratches when the Smart Candlelight is placed on them.
Overall the design of the Smart Candlelight is pretty basic, but at a glance it looks remarkably like a regular candle.
Ease of Use
The Revogi Smart Candlelight is extremely easy to use. Simply download and install the Revogi Delite app from the App Store or Play Store, and then turn on the Smart Candlelight. The app will scan for new devices and quickly discover the Smart Candlelight after which you can use the app to control its features.
Software
Revogi’s Delite app is pretty basic and could definitely use a bit of design help, but it is easy to use and functional for the most part. In the case of the Smart Candlelight, you can use it to set the lighting mode, Timer, Proximity Function, and Incoming Call/SMS Alert. Unfortunately the Schedule — and as a result the Anti-burglar mode — don’t work with the Smart Candlelight.
Lighting modes that work with the Smart Candlelight are configured with on/off switches and include a music/sound visualizer, kaleidoscope, strobe, show, candle flicker, and shake mode. You can also set up or choose from preinstalled scenes which match the colour mode on the Smart Candlelight to an image or colour preferences.
My main complaint about the Delite software was that each time the app was launched, it seemed to take awhile — sometimes up to 30 seconds — before the connected lights would register and you’d then be able to set or manipulate them. I tested this out on multiple phones, one running Android 7 and the other Android 6 and saw the same delayed behaviour.
Performance
For the most part, the Smart Candlelight functioned quite well as a digital candle. The candle flicker is by far the most realistic looking mode, but it’s fun to have the candle cycle through colours as it reacts to music or ambient sound with the music/sound visualizer mode.
The kids loved the fact that you could blow on it — the microphone would pick up the noise — to turn it on and off, much like a real candle (the off part at any rate). The timer worked as expected, and the light would turn off after the set number of seconds or minutes.
The other modes worked fine as well, the only one that didn’t really work was the Proximity Mode and I’m sure this is due to the range of the signal. A range of 49′ is pretty far, and in an average house you’re likely to be within that range so the light didn’t seem to want to go off. I did test it by running my phone out to my vehicle and leaving it in there and when I returned to the house the light was indeed off. So while the function does work, the range of the Bluetooth signal on the light made it a pretty useless feature.
You can also use the Smart Candlelight as a regular light as switching it off and then back on will turn the light on to its default state.
Battery Life
Powered by 4 AA batteries, Revogi claims you should get around 200 hours of battery life out of the Smart Candlelight before having to replace them. Once switched on, which it needs to be in order to function, you’ll probably want to leave it on which does cause some battery drain as the Candlelight is then always listening for a connection. You can, of course, turn it off when not in use to extend battery life.
That being said, the Smart Candlelight had been running for about a month so far with no sign of the batteries needing to be replaced. Based on usage when I’ve been around, it’s been on probably for 30 hours or so but who knows how much longer it’s been on with the kids playing with it.
Regardless, it looks like it should last for quite some time, but I would have preferred to see an internal rechargeable battery instead.
Price/Value
With an MSRP of $19.99USD, the Revogi Smart Candlelight is currently on sale for $16.40 at Amazon and is a pretty affordable little device to add some extra mood and ambience to your house. Granted, you’re not going to get whatever smell of the month you prefer out of it like a regular candle but then again you don’t have to worry about having an open flame in your house either.
Wrap-up
If you’re looking for an easy to use smart light with a look that doesn’t look out of place the Revogi Smart Candlelight is one such option that will fit the bill.
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