INTRODUCTION

    Even though the smart home era officially started well over 2 decades ago it didn't really take off until somewhat recently and well it's no wonder that numerous manufacturers have released their very own products in the market since then. Now as someone who grew up with neon lights at home (looked great but weren't that convenient) I’ve always liked where this industry is heading, not just in regards to ARGB lighting and the small size of the various LED types but also remote usage. Meross is a rather new manufacturer that has been around for 8 years now and today i decided to take a closer look not just at some of their lighting products like the MSL430 Smart Ambient Light, MSL320 Pro Smart Wi-Fi LED Light Strip and the MSL120 Living Room Lamp (2-pack) but also the MS100FH Smart Temperature And Humidity Sensor Kit.

    Creativity is thinking up new things; innovation is doing new things. Meross, founded in 2016 by a group of experts from leading companies such as Microsoft, Cisco, MediaTek, and TP-Link, is replete with both first-class creativity and cutting-edge innovation. At Meross, we create products that empower people's lives. We believe in making homes smarter and people's lives easier. We believe everyone deserves a smart life, and it should be simple, smart, and stable. Meross has strong research and development capabilities, excellent operating experiences and solid partnerships with pertinent players in the industry, resulting in bountiful financial support and escalated profit growth. Today, the company has expanded with its tentacles spread across millions of customers from over 20 countries and regions. The company has an assortment of top-tier gadgets, including smart plugs, smart bulbs, smart switches, smart surge protectors, smart garage door openers, and smart radiator thermostats. Meross products are compatible with Apple HomeKit, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, SmartThings.

    Meross has a long list of products currently but the ones that really stood out for me are these 4. Starting with the MS100FH smart temperature and humidity sensor hit this is a tiny device that packs a Swiss made sensor inside together with CR2477 battery and a microlight energy harvesting panel. The 4th generation sensor is capable of monitoring temperature and humidity levels and as for the CR2477 battery it works together with the microlight energy harvesting panel to keep the device working practically forever (as long as it's under light, preferably sunlight). The MSL120 living room lamp is yet another E26/E27 light bulb which not only delivers up to 810 lumens of brightness but also sports both RGB and 2700/6500 kelvin LEDs thus allowing the end user to create the ideal lighting conditions. Moving to the MSL430 smart ambient light this is the ideal nightstand since it also packs both RGB and 2200/4000/6500 Kelvin LEDs which you can control with a simple tap at its top. Finally, the MSL320 Pro smart Wi-Fi LED light strip well it's exactly what its name suggests so we have a 5 meter long light strip filled with 120 RGB, 120 warm (2700 Kelvin) and 120 cool (6500 Kelvin) LEDs (360 LEDs in total) which gets connected to an 6-pin controller. Needless to say, all of the above are fully compatible with Google Home, Apple Home, SmartThings and Alexa and can be fully controlled via the Meross smartphone app from anywhere.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

All products are packed in boxes the front of which is taken by corresponding product pictures and in some of their features.

The product specifications are printed at the rear along with contact information for Meross.

Even though the MS100F sensor is available as standalone (you can connect numerous to te Wi-Fi adapter) we of course got the MS100FH version that comes with a Wi-Fi adapter (USB cable and power plug included).

The MSL320 Pro LED strip gets shipped with its own Wi-Fi adapter, wall power plug, double sided sticker for the adapter, 5 LED strip holders and three information papers.

As expected from a desk lamp the MSL430 smart ambient light just had its wall power plug and the same information papers as the others.

The two MSL120 LED lamps which arrived in the lab only had the papers inside their boxes.

MEROSS PRODUCTS

As mentioned earlier the MS100F is a tiny sensor and by tiny i mean no more than 56mm in diameter and 20mm in thickness.

The MSL120 are your average E26/E27 LED bulbs in size so they are around 115mm in height.

Moving to the MSL320 Pro smart Wi-Fi LED light strip it's 5-meter long, 12mm in height and features 3M tape at the rear.

As mentioned earlier the MSL320 pro has a total of 24 RGB, 24 warm and 24 cool LEDs on every meter and as you can see from above it also comes ready with cut areas.

Finally, the MSL420 smart ambient light is 195mm in height and 100mm in diameter.

At the top of the MSL430 we find the touch button which allows you to turn the device on/off (double tap), adjust brightness (single lengthy tap) and change colors (fast tap).

MEROSS APP

The Meross app is very easy to use so after you install it you just need to pick your products from their lines and link them with your Alexa or Google home.

As expected, the moment you add your devices the app will look online for available firmware updates (as seen above).

The MS100F sensor efficiently records temperature and humidity levels for up to a total of 2 years.

From the settings tab you can change the name of the device, set alerts, calibrate the device (if needed), set the unit for temperatures, export history, check battery life and set the time zone.

You can control the RGB and white levels of the smart ambient light from the two main tabs of the app.

The settings tab allows you to change the name of the device, enable/disable the power LED, set time zone and time, set location, check Wi-Fi signal strength and check for firmware updates.

The living room lamp tabs are nearly identical with those of the smart ambient light.

Meross has placed an extra tab for the MSL320 pro from where you can choose effects.

Yes, everything else remains the same.

CONCLUSION

    Meross is not a brand name I was aware, at least not until a few months back and well, after testing their devices for quite a while I think they are on the right track. The MS100F sensor is very accurate (cross referenced all my results with 3 more devices that I have in the lab) and everything else works fine (although you can easily find similar products in the market today, at least when it comes to looks). Unfortunately, all of them being white (as expected, most manufacturers focus on white after all for such devices) means I really had a hard time taking pictures of and that’s why I didn’t take as many as I would have liked. Also, since I didn’t install the RGB LED models anywhere worth looking at I didn’t take a video to showcase how they perform, something which I may do at a later date.

    All the products I picked from the Meross lineup are cost-effective ones aimed towards pretty much every person out there. To be more precise currently the MS100FH retails for USD24.99/23.03Euros, the MSL430 retails for USD34.99/29.99Euros, the MSL320 Pro retails for 25.79Euros (not available in the USA) and the MSL120 2-pack retails for USD20.99/23.03Euros. Again, the Meross devices may not be unique, but they do deliver as advertised and for that I strongly suggest giving them a chance, especially if you’re on a budget.

PROS

- Temperature & Humidity Accuracy (MS100FH)
- Lifetime Battery (MS100FH)
- RGB & White LEDs Brightness Levels (MSL430/MSL320 Pro/MSL120)
- Meross App (Compatible With Google Home, HomeKit, Alexa & SmartThings)
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- USA Availability (MSL320 Pro)