Not only does the Neon alarm clock feature a radio with 20 station presets, it also includes Bluetooth functionality which allows you to connect it to your mobile device and use it as a Bluetooth speaker. As an added bonus, it also has a USB port for charging your devices or to connect a flash drive with music on it. So, instead of simply waking to a buzzer or the radio, you can also wake to your favorite songs via a connected USB drive.
What’s in the Box
Along with the Neon alarm clock, you also get an audio cable, AC adapter, and instruction manual. The manual has instructions in English, German, French and Spanish.
Alarm Clock Overview
There are quite a few buttons on the alarm clock, and you’ll want to familiarize yourself with them before using it; it will make things a little easier when it comes to setting it.
Back / Forward – Skip a track, go to the next track, select a preset radio station, adjust the time (go up or down one minute or hour).Play / Pause / Set – Start, pause, select repeat and random play modes, set the clock (kind of like an Enter button), program radio stations.Volume Up / Down – Increase and decrease the volume.Tune Back / Forward – Search within a track on the USB, skip to the previous/next album on the USB, tune in a radio station.Alarm 1 / Alarm 2 – Set the alarm timer, turn off the alarm tone, view alarm settings, stop the alarm.Brightness / Snooze – Adjust the display brightness, snooze the alarm.Sleep – Set the sleep timer (radio will turn off after a set amount of time).Power / Source – Turn on the display or switch to standby mode, select a source (e.g. Bluetooth, USB, etc.).Display – Display song information for selected FM radio stations, display RDS information.
There are also a few other important things like the attached FM radio antenna (long enough to stretch out and get great reception), AUX In jack (to connect an external device without Bluetooth), USB port, and the DC 5V jack (for the AC adapter).
Getting Started
The alarm clock has a display panel that is powered by a lithium CR2025 battery. Thankfully, it comes with the battery already in place; you don’t have to supply it. You’ll just need to pull out the plastic tab so that it will work. This is easy to do; simply uncrew the compartment cover and remove the plastic tab. Next, you’ll want to connect the AC adapter and plug it into an outlet. Finally, you can turn it on by pressing the “Power” button. This turns the alarm clock to the last selected source (e.g. radio, USB, Bluetooth). Additionally, you can put the alarm clock in standby mode whenever you want. In this mode, only the time will be displayed on the panel. This is done by holding down the “Power” button for a few seconds.
Setting the Time
Setting the clock is really easy once you get the hang of it. In standby mode, press and hold the “Set” button for two seconds. The panel will start to blink, and you can cycle through each option. It starts by letting you choose either 12H or 24H format for the time. It then goes through the hour, minute, month, day, and year. When cycling through each option, use the “Back / Forward” buttons to choose an option, then use the “Set” button to confirm the option. If you go fifteen seconds without pressing a button, the clock will exit setup and you’ll have to start over, so be mindful of that. There’s also the option to synchronize the time with that on the RDS station. Tune to an RDS radio station that transmits a time signal, and then press the “Set” button; the alarm clock will read the RDS time automatically. I haven’t tried this, but it does seem like a very handy feature.
Setting the Alarms
Setting up the alarms is pretty much the same as setting the time except you press and hold down the alarm button of choice: Alarm 1 or Alarm 2. The hour digits begin to blink, and then you can cycle through the hours, minutes, days of the week that you want the alarm to sound, alarm tone, and alarm volume. What’s cool about this is that there are two different alarms. This is great for two people who are sharing the alarm clock, if you have a job where some days you open and some days you close, or if you work Monday through Friday and like to sleep in on the weekend. When choosing the days of the week for the alarm to sound, you cannot choose individual days which is a little inconvenient – especially if you have a day off during the week. You can only choose to have the alarm sound everyday, weekdays (Monday through Friday), or just weekends (Saturday and Sunday). As far as the alarm tone, you can choose buzzer, radio or USB. For the alarm volume, you can choose the minimum, maximum, or a level in between. Unfortunately, there’s no way to know how loud each level is unless you test it yourself by setting the alarm for a minute or two ahead of the current time and waiting for it to sound. I find that the maximum is really loud, which is great for a very sound sleeper such as myself. It often takes me there to five minutes to wake up once my alarm starts going off, so I need it to be as loud and annoying as possible. This alarm clock definitely fits the bill. The buzzer can be heard all the way from our bedroom upstairs to the room in the back of our home downstairs.
Final Thoughts
I didn’t go into much detail about the other features of the clock since they’re pretty much self-explanatory. I love all of the conveniences that this clock offers; the volume is easy to control, you can change the brightness level of the display panel, the USB port is very handy, and I love that I can connect my smartphone or tablet and use it as a Bluetooth speaker. If you’ve used a Bluetooth speaker before, connecting and using this clock as one is no different. It will show up as “MS115BT” under Bluetooth devices and will use the password “0000” (probably not needed for most people, but just in case). The “Play/Pause,” “Back/Forward,” and “Volume Up/Down” buttons all work when in Bluetooth mode as well. I had no issues connecting and listening to Spotify or iHeartRadio through the speaker via my smartphone. If you are looking for a reliable and extremely multi-functional alarm clock, this is a great option. It has a sleek, compact style that will compliment any table or nightstand. Even if you don’t want to give up your mobile device as your alarm click, it will still make a great clock, mobile charger or Bluetooth speaker.
