TP-Link Tapo L610 and L630 Smart Wi-Fi spotlights Review

Verdict

These new GU10 bulbs from Tapo bring tunable , dimmable light to your kitchen , bathroom and other downlights . They ’re well-to-do to set up , reasonably effective , and work swimmingly via the Tapo app . If you ’re wait for a reliable GU10 fresh bulb , these are a big alternative .

Pros

Cons

Key Features

Introduction

Until fairly recently , smart bulb have been conventional look devices for screw and bayonet fittings . That ’s fine for most rooms – and light strips are upright elsewhere – but it ’s not much avail where you ’ve got recessed downlights .

These two newfangled bulbs from TP - Link ’s Tapo reach offer a result , supply dimmable and colour - exchange replacements for exist GU10 downlight bulb .

Design and features

To be clear , I ’m reviewing two electric light here . The TP - Link Tapo L610 is the more basic one , offering soft clean light at a fixed colour temperature of 2,700 Kelvin . For a few pounds more , the Tapo L630 tot support for a claim 16 million colour , and tender a white temperature range from 2,200 - 6,500K. Both bulbs are dimmable via the Tapo app , but not via a conventional dimmer substitution .

Visually there ’s not much to choose between them . They ’re a marvel of packaging , squeeze the necessary mains transformer , Wi - Fi gismo and LEDs into a standard - sized , white plastic GU10 bulb about 5 centimetre across . Both bulb have a 350 - lumen output with a 40 - grade beam angle , which is fairly standard for a 50 - James Watt tantamount LED downlight . Look in the lense of the white - only L610 ( when it ’s off ) and you ’ll see orangey LEDs , whereas there ’s not much to make out on the L630 .

If you ’ve stick an existing GU10 bulb , upgrading it should be as unsubdivided as turning off the lights , removing the fitting from the ceiling , swapping out the bulb and refit .

I say should , because not all GU10 fittings are so simple . Before purchasing , it ’s deserving checking that your current lamps really have removable bulb . If not , replacing them will involve buying new GU10 fittings and lampholders . If you ’re not fully convinced with suit them , You ’ll need an electrician .

One of the thing I particularly like about TP - Link ’s Tapo and Kasa products is that they do n’t require a hub – they just connect to your subsist wireless web . Once physically installed , it ’s mere to add these bulbs in the Tapo app . contract the + symbolisation , select the correct bulb from the list , supply your Wi - Fi detail and the app adds and update each incandescent lamp within just a moment or two . you could name single bulbs , and combine them into groups , giving you scope to quick modify stage setting for a whole room , or tweak single lamps to your liking .

Select a bulb and you ’ll see its status and potentiality lay out in a neatly graphical interface . Tap the base of the bulb icon to turn it on and off , or drag your digit to set a light . Each bulb put up a Seth of customisable presets – for the L610 these ascendance brightness level , whereas on the L630 they compound brightness and a colour .

On the L630 it ’s easygoing to tip a preset double to edit it . Editing a preset get up either a snowy balance slider or a colour bicycle , look whether it ’s a colour or white preset , along with a brightness level setting . you could use these controls to select and optionally keep an exact temperature or colour , but there ’s no crosscut to get to them – you could only open them by first selecting a preset .

There are a couple of conflict between these bulb ’ features . you could set up the L630 to power on and off gradually – over a 2nd or so – but there ’s no equivalent on the L610 . The L630 also has ‘ root word ’ include Party mode , which steps quickly through a set of colour , and loosen mode , which is tedious and soft . There ’s no eq on the white - only bulb . I only tested one of each , so I could n’t explore whether a group of L630 bulbs stay synchronised in Party or Relax mode .

Both electric-light bulb propose comprehensive programming feature , allowing you to configure actions for break of day , sunset or a specific time , on one or more day each week . In Away mood they ’ll switch on and off indiscriminately to fox would - be burglars . Each also dumbfound a simple timekeeper to turn them on or off after a set time has elapsed .

It ’s deserving mention a duet of feature woefully lack from the Tapo app . There ’s no geolocation feature film , so you ca n’t configure your bulbs to enact a scene when you leave behind or return to your home . There ’s also no support for IfTTT , which would otherwise enable you to trigger lighting change from other apps or equipment . There is support for both Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant , though , so you’re able to see bulb or chemical group using your voice .

Performance

These are n’t the bright GU10 light bulb you could buy , producing about a third of the 1,000 lumens you ’d get from a herculean 10W example . consequently , they might not be suitable where unlimited power is vital – for example in a in high spirits - ceilinged way or office . They ’re perfect for many rooms and applications , though : if you ’re in question , you could always check the power and production rating of your live bulbs and see if these fall short .

LED downlights detain far nerveless than their halogen forebears , but they can still get a little toasty . as luck would have it , neither of these bulbs got too hot , and the L610 in special seemed to draw cool than the stock run downlight it replaced . While it ’s classed cholecalciferol on the freshly update EU energy musical scale , it ’s rated at a lowly 2.9W at full mogul – impressively efficient .

The L630 is somewhat more mogul hungry , rated E and consume 3.7W for the same 350 - lm yield . I was n’t able to confirm these bulbs ’ material - world power consumption , but if they ’re genuine to TP - Link ’s rating , a Seth of ten L630 bulb would habituate only eight watt more than ten L610 bulbs .

Smart bulbs do utilise some electrical energy when on understudy , but in my experience it ’s fundamentally negligible , with most of the bulbs I ’ve tested descend below the 0.1W lower limit of my power beat . If you ’re peculiarly worried about it , you may always turn your lightbulb off at the electrical switch when you ’re not using them .

Both bulbs react apace during the time I had them , without any hitches or loss of communication . It ’s rare , but not unheard of , for smart bulb to make a noise , but neither of these did , even when dimmed or dimming .

Latest deals

Should you buy it?

If you need an affordable GU10 smart bulb , these are good options

These electric light are n’t suited if you require maximal brightness

Final Thoughts

Provided you do n’t require very brilliant lighting , it ’s voiceless to receive fault with either the L610 or L630 . While the former only offers dimming , it ’s cheaper and more efficient than the multicolour alternative , so it ’s a great pick if you do n’t bear in mind being limited to dimmable strong white . If you require colour , the L630 is also idealistic . While it costs slenderly more and uses a footling more index , it offers play features like company mode , and can be tuned to about any color or brightness you want . If you want more control over your bulbs , let in wireless controls , then learn out thePhilips Huealternatives .

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