Home automation: what’s new at Philips Hue?

November 8, 2019· Michel Aguilera

The Philips Hue smart lighting product line has been around for a few years now, and we are going to review all the possibilities Philips offers for an even richer… and connected lighting system! Shedding some light on this world of lights.

And there was light!

Hue solutions are nowadays considered a democratised approach to lighting, easy to set up in any circumstances and requiring no great technical knowledge. They provide complete basic lighting, but also the possibility of creating ambient lighting spaces tailored to our wishes. Everything works through a series of apps and with the ZigBee home automation protocol, paving the way for integration with various home automation controllers. There is now also a range that connects via Bluetooth. The foundation is the Philips HUE app, to control everything.

To get started, there are several options, but the one I recommend is to buy what is called a Starter Kit, i.e. a starter pack including the Bridge (the connection and control hub for all the connected lighting; this box is connected to your network or your home Wi-Fi router). Then come a few bulbs and, in some cases, even smart switches.

Among the products Philips Hue has introduced, in addition to connected bulbs, there are motion sensors that can act as triggers on certain occasions, for example in the evening, if you get up and want certain lights to switch on for a while (a night light to go to the toilet, for example).

On top of that come various wireless switches, which can meet different lighting or control needs depending on the rooms and situations.

And recently, Philips has also entered into partnerships with other manufacturers so that they can offer switches compatible with Philips Hue.

Across the whole Hue product range (and the catalogue grows every year!), there are all kinds of bulbs (in every format), but also products to complement existing installations. One of these solutions is the HDMI Sync Hub, which is added to your existing Hue lighting system to bring the Ambilight setup to an entire room (the light reacts and changes colour according to what is playing on your TV).

Here is a video (in English) for a complete overview of how it works:

Having installed this box at home, with my Hue lighting all around, the atmosphere it creates when you watch a film or play on your games console is absolutely stunning.

Among the other notable new products at Philips Hue, there is also a range of outdoor products. Gardens, terraces: everything can follow the same way of managing lighting and atmosphere. A short video to see the complete range:

And here is another one, made by The Tech Chap, with one of the Philips Hue managers:

Having used several Outdoor components in my garden, I was able to enjoy perfect ambient lighting this summer.

In short, Hue… a bright idea?

So yes, you may find Philips Hue products expensive, but in a sense, the research needed to develop these products is no easy task. Trying to innovate in the field of lighting, on top of making it easy to integrate into any space or home, is not an easy thing. Philips has shown that it is still possible, and it dresses your interior in light… or your exterior too!