When it comes to smart lighting, WiFi lightbulbs like Yeelight are my go-to choice. Now, that I got my hands on the Zemismart RGB LED Zigbee Downlight, I’m stunned how strong the colour light can be. You’ve seen me use this in my Zigbee2MQTT tutorial, but this light is so good it deserves the separate review.
Blined by the sun… and Zemismart RGB LED Zigbee Downlight
Zemismart RGB LED Zigbee Downlight packs a serious punch. The main beam of white light is blinding and the colour light surpasses what the usual smart bulbs are capable of. It’s in fact so strong, that my cameras struggle to capture the colour without overexposing the shot.
I wanted to see what LEDs dream inside so I opened the array. It sports designated white LEDs to provide an incredibly strong (for the size of the panel) light and set’s of RGB LEDs to mix any other colour of your liking.
It’s a spotlight, so it needs some prepping. If you already have the 100mm holes for your downlights, you will be fine, otherwise, installation of the Zemismart RGB LED Zigbee Downlight will take a little longer.
Buy Zemismart Zigbee RGB LED Downlight
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Zigbee vs WiFi
Zigbee wouldn’t be my default choice, and Zemismart comes with WiFi LED driver as well, but I have asked for the Zigbee version as I wanted to play with a device which isn’t supported by default by Zigbee2MQTT. You can read more about setting it up here.
WiFi isn’t really an issue if a device is constantly connected to power, but if you really want to create a Zigbee mesh network that supports all your battery powered Zigbee gadgets, having a couple of connected Zigbee lights makes sense. Mains-powered Zigbee devices also act as Zigbee routers.
To take the full advantage of the Zemismart RGB Downlight will need some sort of Zigbee gateway. Personally, I’m working with CC2531 USB Zigbee sniffer, but you can get a more consumer-friendly (albeit more expensive) solution.
Controling Zemismart RGB LED Zigbee Downlight
The associated app is very basic. I opened it once, to quickly realise that I don’t have the required hub, but I’m going to use the light in a much cooler way – the NodeRED way! If you are looking for a light that is more consumer friendly, probably get the WiFi version or buy a compatible hub.
Zemismart RGB LED Zigbee Downlight uses JSON formatted packages to set the colours, state and brightness. Thanks to NodeRED you can link the lamp’s behaviour with any remote: IKEA, Xiaomi, or bind it to keypresses on your computer.
You should check the NodeRED posts in which I show you how to use IKEA controllers to change the bright colour and toggle this downlight.
Buy Zemismart Zigbee RGB LED Downlight
Buy it using these links to support NotEnoughTech.
Conclusion
I will be honest with you. I love the light produced by this device. Zemismart RGB LED Zigbee Downlight is great but comes with requirements. Only buy one if tinkering and setting your own system is your thing. I will have plenty of tutorials showing you how to use the light with different remotes so keep on watching. Alternatively, get yourself a compatible hub and use it in a more traditional way. Whatever you prefer the light won’t disappoint you. Let me know what do you think about this downlight in this Reddit thread.
