Embrava Blynclight Standard - Busy Light for The Office

Update March 2022: I am raising my rating from 3 to 5 stars, because all of the issues identified in my original review have now been solved through software updates. Teams can be used to set status from the client side now without any issues, no network privileges needed. And as of the latest update, there is the option to turn off the light in manual mode. With those issues solved it does exactly what I need, and after nearly two years of daily home office use it is still working great. Original review: I bought this for the home office to let others know when I'm on a call or otherwise unavailable. It's a terrific concept and almost very good in execution, but the few problems I've encountered are enough to knock off a couple of stars. First, and most importantly for me, I can't get it to integrate with Teams without network administrator access. My office has switched to heavy use of Teams in 2020 while we are all virtual, and I thought something linked to my Teams status would be perfect for alerting the family to my availability. In order to do this, though, I was surprised to learn upon installation that the software requires administrator access. Note that this is NOT referring to administrator access for your computer (which I have--I'm working off my own personal machine), but rather administrator access for your Teams account/network. In a massive org like mine, the odds of getting an administrator to sign off on granting access to a random app that hasn't been fully vetted and tested within our network is less than zero. So Teams integration is out, and the usefulness of the product is significantly decreased. It appears there was once a client-side Teams option, which I imagine is what I need, but this is now depreciated. The second big limitation is that in manual mode there is no way to just switch off the light. All the connected modes have the option of certain statuses turn the light off, but in manual mode the only options are to set the light to one of the color choices. This just seems like an oversight in the software--clearly the light is capable of turning off while the software is running--but it's an annoying one (particularly since I can't set up the link to Teams). Overall I still think it's a very useful idea but in need of further fine tuning. Since none of the issues are with the hardware but rather the software that controls it, I'm hopeful that it will improve over time with future updates.

I work hybrid, so I would often have the problem where my kids or wife would bust into my office, not knowing I was on a meeting or presenting. This light has completely solved that issue for me. I bought a separate USB-micro cord to plug in the light to the computer and used wire channel to hide the cord. The software is super user friendly, but I just let it automatically run based on my Teams status 99% of the time. The program allows you to "set it and forget it". It works perfectly, allowing for extremely specific controls over the light and color based on when you're in a call, busy, presenting, set to busy, do not disturb, away, available, etc. This has allowed me to set specific colors ), brightness, and flashing which my family understands as I can knock, I can enter, or I need to steer clear. If you have a home office and a family that's constantly interrupting at inconvenient times I strongly recommend this product. It's 100% worth the money.

"ARE YOU ON THE PHONE?!" a coworker bellows into my cubicle. I look away from the presentation I am giving over a Teams call, my eyes shooting daggers that riddle my coworker's hulking form. My Jabra headset is blinking aggressively to alert any passerbys that I am indisposed. He is unaffected. I see cobwebs dusting the vacant halls that lay behind his glassy eyes. He is eagerly awaiting a verbal response to indicate that I am, in fact, on a call and unavailable. "Yes, I am on a call," my tone is pleading, begging him to cease his interruption. "OK, I'LL COME BACK LATER," my coworker shambles away as I issue an apology to my Teams audience. This light is a beacon to those coworkers that just can't take a hint. It syncs to my Teams status and has trained my office mates to distantly watch for a green light, like a modern-day Gatsby. The Embrava app lets you set the light to any primary color depending on your Teams status. You want the light to turn blue when you're busy? You got it. Are your coworkers red/green color blind? How about solid purple for available and blinking orange for busy? The world is your oyster with this light. This thing is great, and I no longer have to worry about direct coworker interruption while presenting from my cubicle. My cube neighbors notice when the light is flashing red, indicating that I am on a call, and they make an effort not to shout their opinions about Ohio State/Nebraska Football when they see that I am busy (very considerate of them). You may need a longer cord. Plan accordingly.

I'm using this on a Macbook Pro provided by my employer with Zoom and Teams. I work from home full time and my home office is in a corner of the living room. It's completely reasonable for kids to come roaring in after school, grab a snack, talk loudly, be kids. With this light, they see that dad is either available or in a meeting (and needs the noise to be tamped down for a bit). After installing the driver and verifying that the default setup was good (very close, I wanted Away to be off, not dim yellow), it just works. I don't fiddle with it at all. The usability of the software isn't that great, but since I only needed to use it the one time, it's not a problem. You do need the ability to install the driver software on the computer, so if your employer doesn't give you permission, then you won't be able to use this. There are no controls on the light itself. With the control software, you can control the light manually, but it's spectacularly clunky. Not quite as many colors/options as I would have expected: Brightnesses: Off (aka No Color & No Brightness), Dim, Full Colors: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple (notably missing White) Blink Rate: None (aka No Flash), Slow (aka Low), Medium, Fast (aka High)

I was frustrating with the light flashing while someone try to call me as it doesn't comes flashing on/off. Only new computer not old one.

Works out of the box

I expected something a lot larger, kinda like a police siren lol i didn't bother to check the measurements due to the high ratings. Despite this, it works a charm. Small size is perfect to attach on the side of the monitor.

i got it a few weeks ago

It works well in teams. It was smaller then expected but I was okay with that. All in all good product would buy again.