Freely cut to length! Smart home compatible tape light "Tapo L900-5" review

　Cut and adjust to your desired length! Besides, it supports Google assistant, Alexa!

　I purchased the smart tape light "Tapo L900-5" sold by TP-Link, so I will review it. By the way, I decided to switch from Alexa to Google Assistant with the purchase of this device, as I will explain later.

About the Tapo L900 series

　There are two major features of TP-Link's smart tape light "L900" series, "the point that you can cut and adjust the length" and the point that it is "smart home compatible".　

　First of all, there are four models in the "L900" series, and the "L900-5" that I purchased is the cheapest model in the series. Basically, all models have a total length of 5m, and "L900-10" is a set of 5m x 2 pieces. The LEDs are three colors of RGB, and the "Tapo L930-5" and "Tapo L900-10" are also equipped with white LEDs. In addition, except for the "Tapo L900-5" reviewed this time, it also supports gradation display.

　All models support operation from the dedicated Tapo app, Google Assistant / Alexa, and connection to IFTTT. Only "L930-5" can use Apple HomeKit.

　The bundled items are the LED main unit, AC adapter, connection adapter, and quick start guide. 3M double-sided tape was also included for fixing the connection adapter.

　When using, connect the AC adapter and the connection adapter, and connect the connection adapter and the terminal of the LED body. A Wi-Fi module is built into the connection adapter and must be connected to Wi-Fi during setup. You can also turn the power on and off from the white button in the center.

　The back of the tape light is all 3M double-sided tape, making it easy to apply. The terminal on the LED side is the same 4-pole as a general tape light, and the width is 1cm. Although the pitch between poles is less than 1mm, it seems that a third-party adapter sold by Amazon etc. can be used. With an adapter, you can still connect the tape light even after it has been turned off, or you can connect it to another device.

turn on the power

　Before thinking about where to install it, I decided to turn it on once. When you connect the AC adapter, the connection adapter, and the LED, and press the button in the center of the connection adapter...

　The tape light began to glow alternately green and yellow!　It seems that the brightness in the standby state is 100%, but I was surprised that it was brighter than I had imagined. However, if you leave it in the standby state for a while, the wound part will heat up considerably. Also on the roll of the LED, there is a note saying " Don't use it in a rolled state " and "Be sure to unfold it before connecting it to the power supply ". is dangerous to Don't imitate.

set up

　For full functionality, you'll need to connect the unit to Wi-Fi using the dedicated Tapo app, so set it up.

　After installing the Tapo app, creating a TP-Link ID, and signing in, tap the "+" button displayed in the center of the screen. From the "tape light" column, look for Tapo L900 and tap it. Since the notes are displayed, follow the instructions to connect the connection adapter and the terminal directly with Wi-Fi, and then set up Wi-Fi for the connection adapter. In addition, it does not support the 5 GHz band.　When the connection is completed, you will be asked for the device name, the place to install the device, and the icon, so select each to complete the setup.

Cooperation with Google Assistant, Alexa, IFTTT

　You can also link with external services from the Tapo app. Select the "Me" tab and select "Third Party Services" in the middle. Select the service you want to connect to and follow the instructions to complete the connection with your account. When connected to Google Assistant and Alexa, it is recognized as lighting and can be operated from smart speakers and displays.

Temporary installation

　It's too scary to suddenly remove the double-sided tape on the back and cut the tape light with scissors, so I decided to temporarily install it in the place where I assumed it would be pasted with curing tape

　By the way, the tape light can be used even when bent, so it can be crawled into a corner. However, the quick start guide instructs you to "bend at an angle of 90 degrees or more", so you can't bend it completely.

lighting test

　I will try to turn on the lights.

　The default white color and 100% brightness look like this. As mentioned above, it does not have a white LED, so it has a bluish tint rather than a perfect white.

　Of course, it supports multiple colors. You can change the color tone by operating from the app.　Although there is no gradation function, you can change the color as a whole, so you can create a gaming-like effect. Of course, I don't feel like I'm wearing it all the time.

cut and paste

　In the end, I decided to stick it under the bed and use it as an indirect light instead of a night light.

　It is a tense moment when the length of the bed and the length of the tape light are matched and the tape light is cut with scissors. I didn't cut it properly, so I got a diagonal cut.

　And here is the final form. In the image, the reflection from the floor may look quite strong, but it's not, and even at 100% brightness, it's not dazzling at all. It looks pretty good as indirect lighting. Personally, warm colors are more calming, so I usually use a slightly yellow color.

where I was concerned

long cable

　"Tapo L900-5" requires an AC adapter and a connection adapter to control the tape light and share the power supply. It seems that it is assumed to be placed under various conditions, but I feel that the cable length is too long. The main body only comes with double-sided tape for fixing the main body of the connection adapter, so I was a little worried about what to do with the excess cable.

　If the terminal is equipped with a USB Type-C terminal instead of a DC plug, it will be more flexible, such as being able to supply power from the USB terminal of a Wi-Fi router, so I think this is an area that could be improved a little more. .

Too many tape lights

　As mentioned earlier, the 5m tape light is quite long. In fact, I also have a considerable length of unusable LED tape on hand, and I made another almost identical device using a third-party adapter and a microcomputer (Raspberry Pi Pico W) sold on Amazon. Deaf and groping.

　It's quite a waste, so I'd like you to officially sell the connection adapter after cutting and the connection adapter that comes with the main unit separately, but it doesn't make sense to sell it as a set, so I don't think I can expect it. is.

Alexa is too bad

　While this isn't directly related to the Tapo L900-5, I was pretty blown away by Alexa while using this device.

　I have an Echo Show 5, and I have been using it for a while by connecting this terminal, Echo Show 5, and the main terminal Google Assistant and "Tapo L900-5".

　With Google Assistant, if you specify an appropriate color and instruct "Set the tape light to ○○ color", it will set that color or a color close to it almost 100%.

　On the other hand, Alexa does not recognize even the rudimentary color "orange". Sometimes it recognizes me on a whim, but when it comes to colors, the coverage of Google Assistant and Alexa is just too different.

　Furthermore, even if you call "Change the color of the light" with a name that is not the name of the specified device (in my case, I registered it as "bed light"), Google Assistant will change the color from among the registered devices. It will search for compatible devices and change the color. On the other hand, Alexa responds that it can't find the device or that the device doesn't support that operation unless you specify it with the registered name.

　Even when using a smart remote control to operate home appliances on a regular basis, I felt that there was a considerable difference in the limits of "voice control" between Google Assistant and Alexa, but using "Tapo L900-5" I realized it again. I'm already thinking of getting rid of my Echo Show 5 and buying a Google Nest Hub.

Overall review

　I felt that the "Tapo L900-5" was overall quite easy to use as an LED tape light for smart homes, due to the ease of connection with the app and the ease of operation.

　If you search for tape light on Amazon, you will find quite a lot of remote-controlled LED tape lights in the late $7  to $14 range, but if you want to buy them, you should spend a little money and buy the "Tapo L900" series. I think you should definitely buy it. In the future, I would also like to purchase the high-end white LED and gradation model.