GE Cync Smart Lights review: Is this a Philips Hue killer?
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- čas přidán 26. 05. 2022
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Smart home systems are all about gadgets and devices that work well together and can seamlessly integrate into your routines. For the last few years I’ve been using systems like Ring for security as well as Philips Hue for lighting, but recently I learned about GE Cync smart home system, and that’s CYNC. GE’s system has a few more options than either Ring or Philips Hue so I was keep to give it a try. In this review I’ll talk about how the system as a whole works and then break out some of the products I got to sample including :
Cync Wire Free Dimmer Switch
Smart Motion Sensor
Direct Connect Colour Smart Bulb
Direct Connect Light Strip
Outdoor Smart Plug
Cync Indoor Smart Camera
GE Cync Thermostat
Do Lighting as one, camera as one, and thermostat as another??
Setting up GE Cync using Cync app
This is definitely a very easy smart home system to get set up and install. The first thing you will need is the GE Cync app. As the nerve centre of your smart home, the app will allow you to remotely control and view devices, set lights on schedules and group deices as you may need them; getting a motion detector set up with a light for example.
To get started you merely need to create an account. The app is delightfully uncluttered, modern looking and easy to navigate… Even for new users. You'll start by creating your home, then you'll add rooms and finally you'll set up each of your devices in a room. Adding devices is as simple as clicking the + then choosing the type of device you'd like to set up. This system has everything from lights and light strips, to downlights or what are called wafers, as well as indoor and outdoor cameras wired and wire free switches, plus a thermostat, temperature and motion sensors and more. It's quite a versatile and robust collection and I'm actually surprised it's taken me this long to get turned onto the brand.
Every single device I set up inside the app was ready to roll in second. The system appears to work quite seamlessly.
No bridge or hub needed
I will pause here for a second and point out what this system does not have… And that is a hub or bridge. While many smart home and lighting systems currently use pubs or bridges to connect these devices to your homes Wi-Fi net work, GE Cync has opted to make its devices direct-connect, meaning no extra (and expensive) components to buy.
Smart lighting
In my home I set up the GE Cync Direct Connect Colour Smart Bulb to be connected with the Cync Wire Free Dimmer Switch in my bedroom so that I could turn on my bedside lamp from across the room. Getting both the lightbulb and the switch set up was very easy inside the LG app requiring just a couple of tabs on the screen and everything was connected.
The light bulb changes colors, and has different temperaturs of white light too; perfect for setting a mood.The Dimmer Switch works great with it, and gives me additional control where I don’t previously have a switch for this light.
Next I set up the Direct Connect Light Strip. This one I chose to be a background ambient light in my living room, and ran the strip behind the sofa. I also set up the motion sensor to turn on the light when I enter the room. Again, the set up took seconds and I was able to customize the motion sensor to turn the strip light on whenever someone comes in the room, and to automatically turn it off when no motion is detected for 10 minutes.
Outdoor Smart Plug
Lastly I tried the outdoor Smart Plug, and this is a great device for automating older patio lights, or something like a water fountain.
One thing I was not able to do was figure out how to link devices together into more complicated scenes. For example if I wanted the lights to turn on when the motion sensor was tripped and the cameras to start recording (Ring can do this, for example), it seems that type of interconnectedness is not yet available in this app. And perhaps that's not a bad thing… Since I just got finished praising the simplicity of the system.
The other feature I like that’s missing is a sunrise/sunset automated timer that will manage lights coming on and off at sunrise and sunset.
Overall review: GE Cync smart home
Overall I have to say I’ve been really impressed with the GE Cync Smart Home system. There’s a wide array of devices, it’s super easy to set up, a breeze to use, and uncomplicated to manage multiple home devices. Downsides? I really have nothing bad to say about this system. Anything that’s missing-like that extra connectedness of devices or sunrise sunset timers-isn’t a must have, just a ‘maybe down the road’. - Věda a technologie
Thank you Erin,looking gorgeous as always and very informative!😀
Just ordered some of the light bulbs used from Amazon to try out the brand. I like the wafer downlights and light strips, and the ability for CYNC products to be integrated with the Google Home app which I'm already using. Prices are a little more reasonable than Phillips HUE also. Thanks for the review!
Thank you for watching!
Great review and insights Erin... Fresh, no nonsense presentation. Gonna give the GE stuff a chance. 😉👍
Please do! And thanks for the kind words
@@ErinLawrenceTV Indeed... Bought 6 bulbs, and now have a cool aqua loft during the day, and a warm pink / magenta at night... We love the mood! Thanks again! 😎👍
Was there ever an update to this video? Did you eventually get the issue resolved?
you put a bulb "outdoors on the patio"? How did that go? They don't recommend using those outside.
I was impressed with the simplicity of the setup, the range of capabilities, and the intuitive nature of the app--surprisingly inexpensive, too! All I wanted was the ability to control the lights in my house, including scheduling. The smart bulbs look great after I tweaked the white temperature--I don't need the colors, because I'm not interested in making my house look like a hookah lounge. The bulbs, though dimmable, were still slightly too bright for the purely decorative lights in the house--entertainment center, tiny decorative lamps, etc, and for those cases, I just used Cync smart plugs and kept the existing, low-wattage incandescent. Overall, the GE system is fantastic!
Great feedback, Lars. Thank you so much for posting it here.
Can you tell me what this means when it says(direct to bulb factory reset settings)please anyone.
The Cync app could use some updating. It's a bit slow. But, I finally got one of the light bulb/motion sensor combo my sister got to work. It's pretty cool. So, I got a light/plug combo for my bedroom.
Nice!
I’ve had trouble connecting the bulbs to the app in the past but I think they’ve fixed that issue. I wish the buttons on the app were bigger and easier to adjust colors. Other than that everything has been fine with my bulbs. I’ve noticed they’ve released some new products over the last few years, including an integrated TV strip light which I was wished they had back when I started buying Phillips hue. Not needing an expensive hub, and having substantially lower prices for their products…*adds to cart.*
Hey Erin, just finished watching your video. Hope all is well with you. I wanted to point out that some of the features that may not be available directly might be available if you connect the bulbs to Alexa, or Google Home, or even HomeKit, if it's supported. I've never heard of Cync, but I've heard of C by GE, and maybe it's the same thing. From what I remember C by GE is Alex, and Google compatible. (unsure about HomeKit.) I use Geni bulbs and they work well with Alexa, in fact I find them easier to use with Alexa than their own app as far as automatons, routines, etc.
Yup. It's the new name for C by GE, with a few upgrades and a redesigned app. (The old GE bulbs also work in the app.) The app is ok for what it does, but it ONLY connects to other CYNC products, whereas Alexa can connect with other devices outside of CYNC. So for example, if I want the lights to flash when the Ring doorbell is pressed, it has to be done through Alexa. And yeah, she should be able to do the sunrise/sunset thing through an Alexa routine.
I believe the same is true for Google. It should be able to do pretty much anything Alexa can. But I don't think Homekit is supported yet.
Thanks for the info!
Can you help me kn the lights changing colours I only see the white light
What did GE have to say about the motion sensor failures? Great revue as usual, Erin.
Thanks Albert. No feedback yet. Now we are conversing about their indoor camera. (You’ll have to watch that review to see why) 😉
Have you had any problems with the cync bulbs? I like them but I've had 2-3 go bad. I use a cync switch and a few plugs too.
Great question. I recently moved a few items to a new location with new wifi ( and did factory resets) and now they are only intermittently working. I’m going to update my review.
It does make me wonder if they are more fragile than a typical bulb and subject to being easily damaged internally.
Thanks Erin.
Thanks 🙏
I'm going to go with Philips Hue, seem like a better product. Thanks Erin good review.
Hue is better (the best available really)... but far more expensive. One color CYNC bulb costs around $12, where a color Hue bulb costs around $50. Light strips are $35 vs $170. Smart plug is $14 vs $34. You get the picture. Hue also has more options and versatility, and a bigger "family" of products.
I went with CYNC, because while Hue is better, it just cost too much for what I was trying to accomplish. I can still control the lights by voice, and have one on a schedule to wake me up in the morning, and a couple of routines. Nothing all that advanced. But if you're going "all in" and price isn't a problem, then Hue would be your best bet.
Thanks for the comment and information!
Does it still require Alexa or Google? I have neither and I want a bulb that uses only the app, no bridge, no hub, nothing. Just WIFI and my phone.
Yes... you can run it fine with just the CYNC phone app. Alexa and/or Google are completely optional. No bridge or hub needed either.
Thanks!
Sounds like it’s not ready for prime time. Sensors that don’t trigger & lag times of up to 20 seconds is unrealistic!
I agree. These bulbs and switches are terrible. The app also leaves a lot to be desired. I jumped head first into these (marketing really got me) and regret every cent. Too late to return.
Cync is extremely unstable system, I'm not sure how can a company size of GE even release this into market. Literally even WiFi router reboot can wreak havoc on the system, including devices changing their settings out of the blue and fail to connect. Run not walk.
Do not buy these. They work fine in the app but not once have they worked with Alexa voice commands or the Alexa app several of my friends had them and immediately replaced them they are absolute garbage
Nothing showing how to actually set the devices up. Pass....