An Alexa-compatible smart device certainly isn’t unheard of, and we’ve definitely seen crazier ideas, but it is a well-tailored product to its target audience. The durable and affordable Echo Glow is a smart lamp for kids that does a fantastic job of the few things that it is able to do, which is precisely why we like it.
If you’ve been considering purchasing this smart light for your young one, then you’ve come to the right place. We’ll be reviewing the Echo Glow smart lamp in-depth throughout this article. Read on for more information about this Echo Glow Multicolor Smart Lamp.
Overview
With the durability to survive dozens of falls onto the floor, the touch-sensitive, 8.6-ounce Echo Glow features more than 12 lighting modes and solid colors, as well as ‘rainbow’ timers and wake-up modes. It offers a wide range of fun lighting options for little ones and works well as a bedside lamp or a night light.
After you have paired it with your Echo speaker, the Amazon Glow is able to react to Alexa’s voice commands to participate in your home’s Alexa routines through lighting cues. While it’s nothing better than a smart lamp for children, the Echo Glow’s good price tag makes it an affordable gift that young ones will enjoy.
Design
Measuring in at just 3.9″ around, the Glow is about the same size as a softball, except for the flat underside that allows you to rest the lamp on a table or bedside stand to use simple tap controls. The Glow’s solid base extends about a third of the way up, with the remainder of the lamp reserved for lighting up in solid colors, or in a range of hues for the ultimate night light dance party.
The great thing about the Glow is that it is super lightweight but still feels durable enough to withstand some short falls. It might not withstand being whacked with a baseball bat or hurled against a wall, though, so you’re still going to want to be careful with it.
The Glow is perfect for making your kids’ bedtime routine a little more fun, while also helping keep them on schedule with their bedtimes. You can set the lamp to change to a certain color at a certain time to indicate that it’s time to wind down and get some sleep, or you can use it as a mood light to calm your kids down during a storm.
Features
You’ve got a number of options when it comes to controlling the Amazon Echo Glow.
The first method, and the simplest method, is to tap on the lamp to switch its colors manually or tap on it several times in succession to move through all of its color modes and various hues.
Next, you can use voice commands to move through the color modes, but because the Glow doesn’t have its own microphone, you are going to have to do this using your nearest Echo device, your Alexa app, or any other device with an onboard Alexa.
You can ask your Alexa to tell the Glow to do quite a few things. She’s able to turn it off and on, obviously, but she’s also able to change the device’s light colors, of which there are more than a dozen like we mentioned earlier. You can change the lighting mode, adjust the brightness, and even tell Alexa to send your Glow into a rainbow color sequence, which displays the device’s full range of colors seamlessly.
Another of Glow’s more useful features is the Rainbow Timer – a feature that will slowly cycle through all of the device’s selection of colors before shining a radiant white when the timer is up. Once that white color appears, Alexa will play her very own alarm. You’re even able to set a wake-up feature, which causes the light from the glow to increase gradually in brightness, from soft colors to bright light color, as a way of gently waking you up.
Setup
The great thing about the Glow is that its setup process is a piece of cake. All you need to do is plug in the power cable, hit the Action button to activate the lamp, then use your Alexa mobile app to discover it and add it to your list of Echo devices.
The app also allows you to name your lamp, place it in a room, and switch the color modes on the built-in LEDs.
Compatibility
It’s important to mention that, while the Echo Glow is obviously compatible with your Amazon Echo and Alexa devices, it is not compatible with other smart assistants. That means it won’t be able to work with Siri or Google Assistant; the Echo Glow doesn’t listen to any smart assistants that aren’t Alexa.
What’s more, because the bulb only shines to a brightness of 100 lumens, it’s not really viable for lighting up a room or workspace. It was made with kids in mind, so it’s best used in your kid’s bathroom or bedroom, or as a cool night light alternative if your child doesn’t like the traditional options on the market.
Using Alexa Routines
One of the best ways to get truly creative with your Echo Glow is by pairing it with your Alexa Routines. You’re able to set the Glow to switch modes at various times throughout the day, switch off and on in accordance with any motion sensor you might have, or perform a routine that is started via voice commands. Routines make for a great way to showcase Glow’s RGB color LEDs.
Of course, the Amazon Echo Glow is not without its limitations. As we mentioned earlier, it does not feature a microphone or a speaker. So, while it can offer you some pretty cool lighting effects, calming mood lighting, and over a dozen lighting modes, it just can’t listen to you or talk back.
This means that it won’t be able to listen to music and sync its color switches to the tempo of the song, which is not unreasonable to expect from smart lights geared toward children. However, the fact that the Glow doesn’t have a microphone does mean that your younger children won’t be able to tamper with Alexa – not by talking to the Glow itself, at least.
Wrapping Up
The Amazon Echo Glow is durable, lightweight, affordable, and great at the things that it can do. At its reasonable price point and modest size, it makes for a great kid’s present for any child that likes to sleep with a night light but wants something a little cooler.
