Geeni Smart Plug and WiFi Light REVIEW

Geeni brings the power of lighting to your fingertips.

Home automation is all the rage these days. Just a few short years ago all we could do is dream or watch science fiction to see home automation at work. Now we finally get to live in the future. We don’t get our flying cars, hoverboards, personal robots, or instant meals, but we still get the ability to do some more basic tasks around the house from our smartphones, tablets, or computers. Every day we see something new hit the market that makes our life just a little bit easier, just a little bit better, just a little bit more awesome. I am obsessed with lights and anything that will let me automate lights makes me feel like Tony Stark. I want the ability to perform basic functions like turning on and off, dimming the lights to that perfect level, and to be able to change the colors to my moods or with the seasons. There are quite a few solutions on the market, but some tend to get extremely pricey. I do want all of these features, but I am on a budget due to bills and adulthood.

After a little bit of shopping, I landed on the Geeni product line from Merkury Innovations. I got the Energy Tracking Wifi Smart Plug for my wall outlet and the PRISMA 450 Smart Wi-Fi LED Color Light with the Geeni app to control them. Right out of the gate I was slightly discouraged by the enclosed directions. They were on a single page and printed so small that I had to use a magnifying glass to read them. After giving up with them I just decided to figure it out as I went. As it turns out, it went pretty easily. Everything is very straightforward. I followed the prompts within the Geeni app and I was done within a few minutes.

The Smart Plug works like most of its competitors. It’s controlled through your home WiFi connection. You can turn it on and off, set a schedule, and a timer. The energy tracking feature is what sets it apart. For anyone trying to reduce their carbon footprint or just trying to save a little bit of money on their electric bill, this quite the handy feature. I found it very handy for controlling my daughter’s television watching. After setting up a schedule I know when she can watch it and I have the ability to turn the outlet off with a simple click of the button.

The Smart WiFi Light was all for me. After the initial setup, I was playing with everything. Setting up schedules for when the light should come on and what color it would be. I was like a kid in a candy store. With the scenes feature you can have the light change colors automatically. It was really fun to turn the light on and off and change colors on my girlfriend while I was at work. Unfortunately, she didn’t find it so amusing. Now I just need to get myself a few more for each room.

For more information, visit merkuryinnovations.com/geeni