Meridian Lighting 4+

It's ridiculous how I'm always having some sort of issue connecting back the lights when my phone, light and router are in the same room. I'm considering throwing my lights away if there isn't an update addressing this.

The lights themselves are good.
But the procedure to configure the app to the lights and then to connect to WiFi is the most hideous engineering task I have ever witnessed. FYI, I’ve been working in technology for 30 years, specializing in App development and WiFi networking. So trust me on this, do not use this product. If a computer scientist cannot figure out how to get the lights working with the App, you will have zero chance of getting it to work. Will be returning the unit back to Menards tomorrow. It’s a shame that the App is so dreadful as the lights themselves seem to be of good quality.

Ok, change plans. I decided to log into my router and change the security from WPA2 to WPA Personal. That apparently is the trick to getting it to connect. Now that I can log into the app, I can say the app does everything it advertises. My only issue, is I wish it could work in peer to peer or adhoc networking mode. That way it would be able to be controlled in an automobile. I.e. away from a home network. That said, once the lights colors are set via the app, power off and then on, the lights retain their programmed colors. Witch would work in cars that only want a specific color.

After 3 days of messing around, I finally got it to work for the LED light strip.

Go through all the steps the app tells you.

Get to “Add a device” click it.

It will say “do you see rapid blinking lights?”

DONT CLICK YES.

In the top right of the screen it will say “AR Mode”

Make sure to connect with AR mode. It’s the same as the other mode, except the other mode doesn’t work.

Make sure your light is flashing slowly. NOT fast. (You’ll have to hold the button on the lights to make it go into slow mode.)

Follow steps that it shows. (Which are the same steps, just on a different working mode.)

Terrible app design and terrible walkthrough on the help page. Terrible support website. Terrible way to set lights up. I’ve worked with Bluetooth lights before and it was incredibly simple. These lights are not. They aren’t even that bright but for $12 it’s whatever.

I hope this review will help some of you out there because there is NO indication that “AR mode” is the right mode, and there are NO articles online but this specific brand of lights. This company assumes users know too much and we don’t know anything about “WiFi lights”.