Expert's Rating
Pros
- $15 price tag is nearly unbeatable
- Improved physical design
- Simple, uncomplicated management app
Cons
- No IFTTT support
- Brightness can’t be included in schedule
- Set-up difficulties don’t inspire long-term confidence
Our Verdict
An ultra-low price is the main draw with Eufy’s second-generation dimmable (but non-tunable) smart bulb.
I was going to start this review with a “how many journalists does it take to screw in a smart light bulb?” joke—but then I found out the joke was on me. I’d previously installed the app required to operate Eufy’s Lumos 2.0 bulb, but I’d long since forgotten my password. Turns out Eufy’s password reset system wasn’t functioning, and it took me an extra day to get started with my testing. C’est la vie.
Since my first review of Eufy’s Wi-Fi connected bulbs in late 2017, there’s been no major revolution to the Anker subsidiary’s Lumos smart bulb lineup, although things have evolved, mostly for the better. The Lumos 2.0 lineup includes just two bulbs: a dimmable (color-locked) white bulb and a tunable white bulb.
The hardware has been streamlined a bit, and Eufy says the Wi-Fi antenna has been improved to allow for better connections. Most importantly, Eufy has continued to hack away at the price: The tunable version of the bulb retails for just $19.99 (on Amazon). The dimmable version, reviewed here, costs a mere $15.99.
Christopher Null / IDG
The Eufy Lumo 2.0 is dimmable, but it comes on at full brightness when it’s operating on a schedule.
The new hardware design won’t surprise anyone. It’s a typical Edison shape, with a large, ceramic heat sink beneath a frosted globe. While it now looks like any other generic smart bulb, it’s nonetheless a much better design than the original Lumos, with the bulb amply compact and unassuming, and able to fit easily into any fixture. The dimmable bulb is tuned to a nicely warm 2700K and offers a brightness of 800 lumens (a 60-watt equivalent) on 9 watts of power draw.
Christopher Null / IDG
Who doesn’t appreciate a light bulb that greets them by name?
The company’s EufyHome app has seen some updates in the last year and a half, but (my trouble with the password reset notwithstanding) it remains a very simple management tool.
A basic interface lets you drag up and down to brighten and dim each bulb, and a simplified scheduling system lets you turn each bulb on or off at the time and day you specify (though note that dimming options are not accessible via the schedule; bulbs turned on via the scheduling system return to 100-percent brightness regardless of their previous setting). Eufy’s Away Mode system, which turns bulbs on and off randomly for vacationers, is still available.
EufyHome bulbs support Alexa and Google Assistant, and voice control still works fine, but IFTTT support remains absent. That may be a problem for power users, but the good news is that if you aren’t thrilled with the product, your outlay of 16 bucks probably won’t break the bank.