A simple, cheap and effective way to sync smart lighting to your TV.
The Linkind ET6 TV backlight kit feels like déjà vu if you’ve already seen what WiZ put out this year. It’s a HDMI 2.0 sync box, with the same single HDMI input limitation, but Linkind’s take has a few extra perks. You get a bigger, better-looking control box, physical buttons, bendy mounting brackets, and most importantly, lights that wrap all four sides of your screen instead of stopping at the top and sides. Plus it works on TVs up to 90 inches. The AiDot app is fine (not amazing), and setup can be finicky, but once you’re up and running the color response is quick and nicely blended. For the money, it’s hard to argue against.
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Four-side lightstrip coverage -
Decent HDMI syncing with multiple intensity modes -
Up to 90-inch TVs covered -
Great value
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HDMI 2.0 so no 120Hz gaming -
Only one HDMI input -
App pairing can be hit-and-miss -
Colours sometimes miss
Key Features
Introduction
For years, Signify has had a stranglehold on HDMI sync boxes with its Hue Play range, while charging a premium that only hardcore smart home fans could stomach.
In the last couple of years though, the likes of Govee and Nanoleaf have started offering cheaper alternatives, but with systems that rely on clumsy cameras pointed at your TV.
However, WiZ and now Linkind both have offer stripped-down HDMI 2.0 kits that undercut Hue on price while still offering decent HDMI signal syncing.
The Linkind ET6 doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it gives you a couple of small but meaningful upgrades over WiZ HDMI Sync Box.
If you’ve ever felt burned by Hue’s price or frustrated by camera-based kits, Linkind is offering another affordable way in.
Design and setting up
- Long light strips in the box
- Corner brackets for attaching light strip
Out of the box, the ET6 looks more polished than WiZ’s equivalent. The control unit is larger and less toy-like, with physical buttons on the top so you don’t always have to reach for your phone.
The lightstrip – well, actually lightstrips as there are two – is longer too, covering the full four edges of your TV instead of just three. That means the glow looks more even when you’re watching.
The lightstrips – which have adhesive backs – plug into the box via USB ports and it’s important to get them the correct way round otherwise your lights and the action on your TV will be upside down.
Mounting is secured with adhesive brackets, and the corner pieces are bendable, which makes wrapping around the screen a bit easier. Still, the process isn’t what I’d call straightforward; you’ll be peeling, sticking, and adjusting for a while before it looks right.
Once the strip is on, you can cut the excess so you don’t have dangling LEDs ruining the look.
These long lightships, measuring 20 feet in total, mean the ET6 system can work with larger TVs, up to 90 inches.
Pairing with the AiDot app can be fiddly. It took me more than one attempt to get the strip recognised, but once it finally connected, the rest of the setup was pretty straightforward and once it’s in, the app experience is more intuitive than what you get from WiZ, with clearer menus and quicker access to key settings.
Features
- One HDMI port
- 4K, 60Hz max
At its core, the ET6 system is an HDMI 2.0 box with a lightstrip attached. That means it can handle 4K at 60Hz with HDR and Dolby Vision, but if you’re looking for 120Hz passthrough for PS5 or Xbox Series X gaming, you won’t find it here, which is the same story as WiZ.
For that sort of action you’ll have to stump up more than triple the cost for the Hue Play Sync Box 8K.
There also only a single HDMI input too, so you’re not able to run multiple devices through it, so you’ll need to decide which source gets the light show (although you can, of course, add a HDMI switcher to the mix if you want).
Using the AIDot app you can toggle between six different sync intensities, so you can dial it down for regular TV or crank it up for gaming. The AiDot app also brings in a bunch of preset scenes, scheduling, and voice assistant control via Alexa or Google.
The lightstrip can also act as a regular smart light too, which makes for a nice ambient effect when the TV isn’t on.
If you want to add more Linkind lights to the mix too, you can do so in the app, where you can edit your zones and move the lights around in a virtual room.
Another advantage of AiDot is its shared ecosystem. If you’ve got other Linkind, Orein, or Welov gear, you’ll find it all grouped together under the one app.
Performance
- Impressive colours
- Good transitions
For the price, the color accuracy and response are pretty impressive. It’s a notch up from WiZ in terms of blending – the transitions between hues feel smoother – though Hue still leads the pack with more precise mapping; but at a much heftier cost.
It does struggle with certain colours being on the screen at the same time though; if there’s any blue in the action then that’s the colour that will dominate the illumination in the rear.
Sync speed is quick enough that you don’t feel a lag between what’s on screen and what’s glowing behind it. Watching action movies or gaming, the lights keep pace well. The different intensity modes do change the vibe: low is subtle enough for casual shows, while high delivers the full disco effect during games.
Compared to camera-based kits, HDMI sync just feels sharper and more immediate, albeit with perhaps more frequent misses.
That all-important bottom lightstrip really completes the look when your TV is wall-mounted or sat on a stand.
Should you buy it?
Buy if you want a simple powerful TV sync box
Fully featured, easy to set up and with bright colours, this is a good way to boost your TV.
Don’t buy if you want more features or HDMI inputs
If you want 120Hz at 4K or more HDMI ports, buy the Philips Hue Sync box instead.
Final Thoughts
Linkind hasn’t broken away from WiZ’s playbook, but it has added enough refinements to make the ET6 the slightly better buy between the two. The bigger box with physical buttons, corner-friendly mounting, and full four-side coverage all add up to a more complete package.
It still has the same HDMI 2.0 limitations, so no high-frame-rate gaming and just one HDMI input but if you’re fine with those trade-offs, the ET6 delivers a polished, affordable ambient lighting experience. For anyone tempted by Hue but unwilling to drop that kind of cash, this is a very solid alternative.
How we test
We test every smart home product we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
- We test how each product integrates with other smart home systems including Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit, IFTTT and Samsung SmartThings
- We use each smart home product in a real world setting, integrating it into our home.
FAQs
Yes, it supports 4K but only at 60Hz.
Test Data
| Linkind ET6 Smart TV Backlights with HDMI 2.0 Sync Box |
|---|
Full Specs
| Linkind ET6 Smart TV Backlights with HDMI 2.0 Sync Box Review | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | – |
| Size (Dimensions) | x x INCHES |
| Release Date | 2025 |
| First Reviewed Date | 01/10/2025 |
| Model Number | Linkind ET6 |
| Accessories | One HDMI input |
| Networking | Wi-Fi |
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