For anyone with a TintLink B930 bluetooth smart bulb, which I believe the same bulb was rebranded multiple times - so the brand might be different but the device itself will show as B930 over bluetooth - if you can find an app that will display it - they do not show in the Bluetooth list of iOS settings - this post is for you.
To save you going through the whole post, the tint link app is no longer available on the app store to download, if you can not get your bulbs to work you need an older iOS device (I used an iPad Mini on iOS 9) and the App called Stella Smartbulbs. The app Stella Smartbulbs works on my iPhone X but does not see the bulbs - so I am fairly sure the problem is bluetooth compatability - which is why I suggest an older device. I'm not sure about Android - because I do not have it - maybe the Tint Link app is still on the Google Play store - but again the bulbs might not work with newer bluetooth devices - so find the oldest device you have to try changing them with.
bluetooth bulb in react to device music mode
The story of my smart bulbs
Some five years ago or so I had the idea Smart Bulbs were a great idea, they were just getting mainstream then and Phillips was just developing it's HUE range. Anyway I didn't want to spend a fortune, but just liked the idea of being able to dim room lights from an app, set a timer for them to come on and off etc. I had a hunt around on Amazon and found the TintLink SmartBulbs and they were reasonably priced and full of functions, I tried one and it was perfect in the living room so I ordered two more for the boys bedrooms. Ideal for dimming the lights at bedtime, especially as you don't even have to be in the room to do it.
It looks like this, I'm not sure why the flash added lines to the photo - anyway I wasn't removing it from the light fitting for a photo call - so I found this image - predictably the Amazon page it was linked to is dead now.
So over the years the novelty of messing with them waned a bit, every now again brightness would be adjusted or the fun disco mode would be invoked. Some time in spring I must have sent the living room light to half brightness, with it being daylight until late. Now we are in Winter, and it is dark around 4pm the living room looked a bit gloomy - so I went hunting on my phone for the app. Since upgrading my phone the app had not been installed, just left as a place holder - but when I tried to install it I was told it was no longer on the app store - disaster. I went hunting around other old devices to see if I could fine it still on one of them - but nope, not installed on anything and no longer available to download.
The App Lottery
Figuring bluetooth smart bulbs must work the same, I started downloading all the bluetooth smart bulb apps in the app store and trying them - with little success. Out of about 30 two picked up the B930 bluetooth bulbs and connected to them - but changing setttings did nothing on the bulb itself.
I next had the idea that maybe the bulbs, being 5 years old, might use old bluetooth standards that were outdated to newer devices - or maybe it was iOS itself that was too new and an older device might have access to non updated apps. So I dusted off an old iPad Mini on iOS 9 and set about downloading even more Smart Bulb Apps. Results were the same as on my iPhone - pretty much all did not find them, a hand full saw the bulbs but had no effect on them. I had pretty much given up when I found
Bang - the bulbs show up and entering the settings brightness and colours change. My contemplation of life with a permanently dim living room bulb has founding no longer, I can change my bulbs settings once more. Interestingly the same app runs on my iPhone X - but can not see the bulbs - so I'm quite sure it is a Bluetooth standards issue. Anyway as long as one device in the house changes them that is enough.
What do Smart Bulbs do?
My now very old bulbs do exactly the same as most modern counterparts, using the app you can adjust brightness or the level of white to yellow - CCT
But, not only white - they can do RGB as well changing colours and brightness of them as well.
Changing colours is really simple, you drag the dot over the colour wheel and the bulb changes to the colour it is over, or you can press the fixed colour button at the bottom of the app - each press changes to a different colour.
Now my favourite is the Music mode - play music you have stored on your device - and the bulb reacts to the beat - changing colour and brightness with the music.
Great fun for parties or just randomly surprising guests by setting it off from a different room lol. I'm sure todays modern top of the range bulbs are far more advanced, plus with systems like Philips Hue you can control upto 50 bulbs. Lifx and Ikea TRADFRI also have impressing offering learn more in The best smart bulbs of 2019
Overall 5 years is a pretty good lifetime for a bulb anyway, so it's impressive these reasonably priced bulbs are still going after all this time - especially my youngest boys because he keeps his on all night (not a fan of the dark). Hopefully now I have found the Stella Smartbulb app I can continue to use their features for a few more years.
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