Homedics SS-5500 SoundSpa Radiance. AM/FM Alarm Clock Radio with Time Projection, Light & Sound, Auto/Off Timer

User Reviews about Homedics SS-5500 SoundSpa Radiance AM FM Alarm Clock with Time Projection - Light - Sound and Timer

Due to the fact I've had the same alarm clock since I was 6 and now living in the basement I decided to get a new alarm clock.

I chose this clock because I'm not a morning person and I one day realized I'm a little nicer to people in the morning when I'm not jarred awake by music or beeping.

Until about 2, 3 weeks ago the light started coming on at random times... mainly at 3 in the morning. Before that I'd come home from work to find the lamp on. Sometimes I'd be sitting in the living room at night it would go on.

The last 2, 3 weeks almost every night I'd end up having to unplug the lamp since there's really no real button that completely turns off the light. Someone suggested that maybe someone in the neighborhood has the same frequency for a garage door opener or something and that's why the light went on.

Then yesterday... I hadn't plugged in the lamp the night before just to give it a break but at 6:12 I woke up yesterday to my 3 year old niece announcing from her room it was time to get out of bed. Imagine my surprise to the realization that my alarm (with nature sounds) had never gone off... its set for 6:05. Then again today I woke up to my niece just before 6:05 announcing her light was on... so lying there I waited for my alarm to go off... and once again it never did.

I loved this product... until the wireless started going wonky... and now the alarm at least with nature sounds no longer works. And since I'm in the basement the radio is too static-y to work and beeping... yeah that would defeat the purpose of why I bought the clock

So now it looks like I'm either back to my old alarm clock that I still haven't moved forward... or my cell.

Feel sorry for my co-workers here :)

Three stars mainly for the previous months and the cost... just know at times this clock can suddenly go wonky for no reasons. Which sucks especially since my original clock is 23 years old and the only problem I've ever had with it is the placement affects the radio.

I guess maybe I'll look for another sunrise clock... or maybe go the route of my sister for my niece and just get a timer for a lamp :) -- Worked for 7 months - then problems

I've been using this clock for almost a week. So far it has worked fine. I bought it primarily for the wake up light and it works perfectly. I use GE Reveal incandescent light bulb in an elevated lamp and it produces a very "dawn" like effect. I am normally hard to wake up and the light combined with nature sounds has woke me up every morning with no problem. The snooze button is large and easy to hit. The button to turn off the alarm is easy to hit. The other buttons are kind of hard to hit at night as they are small and arranged in a ring around the speaker. It takes a while to get them down.

The one thing that is true about many of the negative reviews is the bright display. Even on dim it is fairly bright. I used a black sharpie and a piece of cellophane from the packaging to make tinting for it. It took about 2 minutes and works just fine.

If you fall into a reverse sleep schedule easily and have trouble waking up early then this might work for you too. -- Great wake up light alarm

I bought this unit despite the concerns about the bright blue display. It is really bright and lights up the room, however, I noticed something that may make it more tolerable for people. The blue light doesn't seem to get through my eyelids as regular white light does! I tried covering my closed eyes with my hand and noticed this weird phenomenon. While moving my hand off and on my eyes, I noticed only a slight difference in light on my eyes. At first, I started by putting an index card over the display and using the projector to view the time. Either way, the blue light fills the room , but it doesn't keep me awake or bother me once my eyes are closed. I don't know if everyone would experience this, but thought it would be a helpful piece of information. This clock has some nice features otherwise and it's way better waking up to the sounds of the ocean and a gradually increasing light instead of the loud buzzer I had for the last 15 years. -- Thoughts on the bright blue lights

I almost spent 3 times the money on a traditional wake up light alarm. I am so glad I found this product instead. What everyone has said is true - the display is too bright. But for the price -- who cares! I used red auto lamp tape to make it dimmer and I do not use the projection. I LOVE the lamp feature - this is why I purchased this product. I have used the alarm 10 times to wake up for work. About every other day the lamp alone wakes me - the other times I needed the alarm (but the bright light helps on those days, too). I prefer the radio or beep settings over the nature sounds but the sounds are fine. I had no trouble setting the time or alarm without opening the manual. Some reviewers commented they had trouble setting the time - honestly these people probably cannot set the time on their microwaves (in my opinion). As for the buttons - I have no issue or trouble with their placement. The snooze button is the largest button on the device. Very easy to fumble to... even half asleep. Finally, the wireless control for the light is fantastic! The light is by far the most value added component of this device. I enjoy using the dimmer feature to create an inviting, relaxed atmosphere in the evening hours before clicking it off for bedtime. This product is by far the best value out there if you are looking for a wake up light alarm. -- Great Wake up Light Alarm