Review Wiz Sync Box: The way to add cheap Ambilight to your television

The Wiz Sync Box is the way to add ambilight to your television in a cheap way, but how well does the system work? You can read that in this review of the Wiz Sync Box!

Review Wiz Sync Box

Do you want to take your series and film evenings to a higher level? In that case, Ambilight is the addition that your television needs. Ambilight is lighting behind your television, which register colors of the screen. The lights take over these colors and reflect on the wall behind the television. This makes the television screen feel larger and the images are more pleasant to look at.

Televisies from Philips have had Ambilight for years, but you can also add the lighting yourself at the back of your television. For a long time you were dependent on the Play HMDI Sync Box from Philips Hue with a corresponding light strip. For the Sync Box from Philips Hub you put down 269.99 euros, which is a considerable amount. The Wiz Sync Box is therefore an interesting and cheaper alternative, which you already have for 100 euros In the house, with light strip. How well does this alternative work for Philips Hue Ambilight? You can read that in this review.

Installation of light cord

The Wiz Sync Box comes in a compact box, which contains both the box and the light cord. This cord comes with a mains adapter, so you don’t have to get it yourself. In our opinion, it is a big advantage that the Wiz Sync Box is delivered directly with the light cord, because this saves costs. For only 100 euros you have everything to add Ambilight to your television, which is relatively little money – especially in comparison with Philips Hue.

Installing the Wiz Sync Box is done in no time, which is a matter of putting the box in the socket. The light cord has an adhesive edge on the back, making it easy to attach to the television (once). This works well in practice, the installation took only a few minutes. The television that we used for this review was a bit too small for the light cord, but that turned out to be no problem. Keep in mind that this adhesive edge can be used once, with a new television it will stick much less well.

Extra clips are supplied with the light cord, which you can place over the cord on the television. We are very satisfied with this, because this way you take the risk that the light cord will release after a while. In the meantime we have been using the WIZ Sync Box for a few weeks and the light cord is still firmly attached. How well the light cord would stick was one of our worries, but they have turned out to be unjustified.

Application of WIZ

Installing the Wiz Sync Box and the corresponding light cord is done in no time, the next step is to set the application. To do this we have installed the free Wiz V2 app on the iPhone. In this application you can add all the lamps from WIZ, so that you only need one app to operate all smart devices. When the application is opened, the light cord was almost immediately recognized, so that adding had happened.

The most important thing is to then set the orientation of the Enlightenment. To do this, the light strip shows certain colors, in the application you must indicate on which side of the television these colors appear. We found this way of setting easy, whereby every step is clearly explained. In the application it is then a look at which color mode you should choose, because the light cord has many options. Our experience is that these modes are self -explanatory after a while, it is certainly nice that the light cord offers so many possibilities.

Only one HDMI connection

After sticking up and adding the light cord, the ambilight appears automatically behind the television. The Wiz Sync Box has only one HDMI port, to which you can connect the television. Do you look via other devices, such as a Chromecast? Or do you use a game console like the Nintendo Switch? In that case you must re-connect these devices to the single HDMI port of the WIZ Sync Box. So you cannot connect the Chromecast to your television, but you have to insert it at the WIZ Sync Box.

In our opinion, this is the biggest disadvantage of the device. We regularly use different devices in combination with the television, which means that we have to change the HDMI connection of the WIZ Sync Box to use the Ambilight. This is not a problem if you watch linear television, but if you use extra devices such as a Chromecast or Nintendo Switch. The Wiz Sync Box only records images of devices connected via the HDMI connection of the device. For more HDMI ports you remain dependent on the more expensive Philips Hue Sync Box.

Use of the Ambilight

The lamps work almost perfectly in practice. The colors fit well with the image and effortlessly move with the colors on the screen. We are very satisfied with the Ambilight, because with the WIZ Sync Box you can add it to every television at a very low price. Moreover, we find the viewing experience more pleasant and calm, due to the lighting behind the television. Certainly in the evening this is a nice addition.

However, it must be said that the colors of the light cord during the day are poorly visible. The television that we used to test the Wiz Sync Box is next to a window and a slightly dark wall, so that the lamps in daylight are not visible. This of course also depends on the distance between the television and the wall, but in our opinion the lamps could have been (much) brighter. The fierceness of the lighting can be adjusted in the application, but even the brightest position is not clearly visible with much light. The static position of the light cord is therefore more interesting during the day. In the evening the lamps are perfectly visible and a nice addition to the television.

Nice addition: Gradient Light Bars

WIZ offers even more options for adding lighting around your television with the Gradient Light Bars at the WIZ Sync Box. In principle, these work the same as the light cord, but can also be placed on the floor or on a cupboard. We find these lamps a nice extra, especially to give the Ambilight a greater effect. The disadvantage is that they are less easy to get rid of, because they are quite thick lamps. An important advantage is that the Gradient Light bars are much more visible, even in daylight.

The Gradient Light Bars are also supplied with clamps, which you can stick on the television. We did not do this for this review of the Wiz Sync Box, because the light cord and the Gradient Light Bars both work with a USB connection. The Gradient Light Bars can be connected to the Wiz Sync Box, but it only has one USB connection. We therefore recommend that you choose the light cord or the Gradient Light Bars, because you cannot use them at the same time in combination with the WIZ Sync Box. You can get the Gradient Light Bars for around 45 euros.

Review Wiz Sync Box: Conclusion

The Wiz Sync Box is the way to add Ambilight to every television in a relatively cheap way. For only 100 euros you have both the Wiz Sync Box and the light cord in the house, which are easy to install. The light cord is glued and added to the application within minutes. The Ambilight is without a doubt a nice addition to the television, because the lamps perfectly color with the images of the television.

In our opinion, the lighting of the light cord can be much brighter, so that it is also clearly visible during the day. The lamps are clearly visible in the evening, but this can still be improved in daylight. Other disadvantage is the connections of the WIZ Sync Box, with only one HDMI port you have to change the cables of devices regularly. With a new version of the WIZ Sync Box this could be at least two or three, so that the television, Chromecast and game computer can be connected at the same time.

Are you looking for a cheap option to add Ambilight to your television? Then the Wiz Sync Box is an absolute must. The lamps of the light cord perfectly color with the images and ensure a better viewing experience. Watching your favorite series and movies will be even more fun. Certainly for the price you are in the right place with the WIZ Sync Box, so you no longer need Philips Hue in your home.

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