Jiří Filip It's almost hard to believe, but this year's Christmas is slowly starting to take shape. Although there are still a few weeks left until their outbreak, it is still high time to decide on gifts and plan suitable decorations that would enhance the magic of these holidays even more. There are a huge number of decorations on the market and since we live in smart times, some of them are even smart. This is also the case with the clever Twinkly Icicle Multi-Color Christmas light curtain, which can perfectly (and not only) improve the peace and tranquility of this year's holidays. And since this product recently landed in our editorial office for a review, let's take a look together at how it fared in our pre-Christmas tests.
Packaging and design
Twinkly Icicle Multi-Color arrives in a relatively small black box, on which you can see the chain shown. Of course, there is relatively enough detailed information on the box about the product itself, i.e. about its manufacturer. It goes without saying that there is information about compatibility with smartphones, as well as certification guaranteeing its safety. The package itself contains "only" the chain itself, which is "tied" with a Velcro textile tape, an adapter for the socket and a short manual in case you fumble while operating it.
Gallery
In terms of appearance, Twinkly Icicle Multi-Color is actually not much different from classic "stupid" light curtains. It is therefore de facto a long transparent cord from which hang other cords of various lengths with individual lights. You definitely don't have to worry about this product looking extravagant above your windows. The truth is that you will probably hardly notice it when it is turned off - unless you are looking specifically for it.
Technical Specifications
For testing purposes, I got my hands on a model with 190 lights, which boasts a length of 5 meters. Even so, after unpacking it from the box, I was pleasantly surprised by how light it is. Thanks to its low weight, one does not have to worry that this light curtain would not be held up by, for example, window curtains or various curtain hooks, which many users probably use to install lights in windows. The model tested by me can shine with colors from the RGB color scale - i.e. from red, through green-blue to purple or pink, while these colors can of course be mixed in different ways to your image via the Twinkly application, which is used to control the chain. It is available for both iOS and Android and we will discuss it in more detail in the next part of this review. WiFi is used to connect the lights to the phone, and you have the choice of using your home WiFi, to which the lights connect and communicate with your phone wherever this wireless network is within range, or the WiFi module directly in Twinkly, which is in my opinion, more for use near the device, as it does not have such a range. The lights also have a Bluetooth interface, which, however, is only used for an easier first connection with the phone. These things are hidden in the imaginary brain of the product, which is a box located on the power cord. This box also hides a microphone used for musical synchronization of the lights. You don't know what it's about? In short, the fact that the lights can react to the sounds around them, for example by changing the color or intensity of the lighting.
As for other technical specifications, I must not forget the resistance to the penetration of small objects and splashing water according to IP 44, thanks to which the curtain can be used, for example, to decorate an outdoor pergola or your terrace. If this year's winter will be mild (which it should be), you don't have to worry about the functionality of the product. In addition to IP 44 resistance, the diodes last for over 30 hours, so you can count on them to last you a good few Christmases. On the contrary, the absence of HomeKit support and thus the controllability via Siri can freeze. At the same time, according to the manufacturer, the lamp gets along with Gogole Assistant and Alexa from Amazon. Damage.
Connecting to a smartphone
As I briefly mentioned above, the Twinkly lights are controlled through the application of the same name on an iPhone or Android phone, which can be downloaded for free in the App Store and Google Play. To pair the lights with your phone, just open the app and follow the instructions in it, which will first navigate you to the brain of the lights, where you need to hold a button for a while to ensure the connection. Furthermore, all you have to do is fill in the WiFi password if, like me, you choose to connect via your home network, scan the light chain you have hung with the camera and you're done. Connecting is really a matter of a few seconds or at most minutes, and I believe that each of you can do it without any problems. However, even before this process, I would definitely advise you to arrange the lights as best as possible in the place where you want them, so that it is not necessary to repeat their scans. Scanning as such is a matter of a few seconds, but why bother in this direction when everything can be handled the first time, right?
Testing
Although the Twinkly hanging chain may at first glance seem like an absolute classic, which we have been used to seeing in the windows of many homes during Christmas for many years, however, once you start to examine it in depth, you will find that it is really far from a classic. It offers possibilities that you probably didn't even dream of. No more boring lighting or flashing of one color, i.e. increasing and decreasing the light. This smart chain offers so much more and it is a sin not to use it to the full.
To make the most of it, the section called Effects Gallery in the Twinkly application will help you. In it, you will find a huge number of different light effects that you can project into a smart light curtain, either in the exact form you see in the gallery or in the form you want. The effects can be adjusted in various ways in the gallery, in all possible directions. So, the problem is not with color mixing, flashing speed, lighting intensity or perhaps the elementary arrangement of lights on chains - or rather with the lighting density of individual colors, when you can either very easily narrow down individual color sections or, on the contrary, expand them.
Of course, you don't have to limit yourself to editing pre-made color combinations. The gallery also offers an editor for creating your brand new light combinations with which you want to make the chains shine. The creation is carried out directly into the scanned "map" of your chain, thanks to which you can very precisely determine which parts of it should shine in this or that color. In addition, of course, you can also set whether the effect should be permanent or whether the lights should dim after a certain time and then brighten again, or how much. In short, there are really plenty of ways to get creative in this direction, and I believe that many a creative user of these lights will certainly be excited. However, to tell the truth, there are so many pre-made color combinations that I personally got by just with them during the testing period, although I also made a few minor adjustments to them.
One of the funniest things about this smart string of lights, in my opinion, is the aforementioned microphone, thanks to which the lights can "react" to sound stimuli. This trick is activated very easily - by selecting the musical note icon next to the lighting effect you selected in the gallery. Practically immediately after that, the lights start to "interact" with the surrounding sound, which looks very good indeed. Sure, you would probably be annoyed by the constant flickering of lights while watching a movie, but I found this gadget really nice when listening to music, for example. If I were to look at this thing from a purely technical point of view, I must admit that I was surprised by how well the microphone recorded all sound stimuli. Even the quietest sounds were often reflected in the lighting, which is simply pleasing. In general, it can be said that all the sounds recorded by the microphone were analyzed really well by the lights, and each sound was able to conjure up a slightly different light effect.
If you were wondering how the lights perform in displaying colors compared to the colors selected on the phone's display, know that they are really excellent. When I compared the colors selected on the phone with the colors of the lights up close, I was honestly surprised at how perfectly they matched. Of course, for a product like this, matching is key, but you'd be surprised how many manufacturers of smart lights go to great lengths to perfectly match the colors of the app and the lights, so to speak. Fortunately, this is not the case with Twinkly, and I have no choice but to give him a shout out for it. The same also applies to all control of the lights, which takes place without the slightest hitch in real time, or to the timer, thanks to which you can set the time at which your decoration should light up or, conversely, turn off. However, I would have a small complaint about the application. From time to time I observed small jams in it, which did not reduce its usability in any way, but were simply not pleasant for user comfort. Fortunately, their removal is a matter of an update, so I would certainly not make any drama out of them now.
Summary
I wonder in vain what light decoration I would rather install in my home for Christmas than this one from Twinkly. This is a really great product that will conjure up the right Christmas atmosphere according to your taste. It is the possibility of customization that makes it a truly attractive addition to the home, but also a toy that will entertain you from the first time you plug it into the mains, and guaranteed year after year - that is, if you have the heart to unplug it after Christmas. So, if you are always thinking about Christmas light decorations, for example for your windows, and you are also a fan of smart technologies, buying Twinkly Icicle Multi-Color will definitely not burn you, on the contrary. Enthusiasm is guaranteed with this product in my opinion.
- You can buy Twinkly Icicle Multi-Color here
- The Czech instructions for Twinkly Icicle Multi-Color lights can be found here
Sorry, but this is really unreadable. I really tried, I'm interested in the product, but I didn't even get half way. It can't be read.
Agreed, so forcefully and dryly praise the product, it wants to sink really deep.