Philips Hue FAQ

bk

What is Philips Hue?

Philips Hue is an ecosystem of smart lighting products. It consists of over a hundred products including multiple styles and sizes of smart LED bulbs, lamps, light strips and light fittings and accessories to control them including switches, remotes and motion sensors.

Spending on the lights you purchase, they usually come in white only, where you can control the brightness and colour saturation or lights that in addition also allow you to change the colour of the bulb to one of 16 million colours.

Philips Hue lights can be controlled by phone apps, voice control, switches, remotes, motion sensors and timers and integrate with many other home automation systems such as Logitech Harmony, Nest Protect, etc.

Are Philips Hue lights energy saving bulbs?

Yes, all Philips Hue lights use LED technology, which means they use significantly less energy compared to traditional bulbs and even compared to CFL "energy savings bulbs"

For instance while a traditional bulb might use 100watts, the equivalent Philips Hue bulbs use just 9 watt.

Will these bulbs take time to warm up to full brightness like CFL "energy saving" bulbs?

No, Philips Hue uses LED for all it's lighting which is far superior then the rubbish CFL "energy saving" light bulbs.

LED bulbs turn on immediately like traditional bulbs and even use less energy then CFL's, thus making CFL's completely redundant.

Will I be able to use Philip Hue bulbs in my existing light fittings?

In most cases yes, Philips makes a variety of bulb sizes and styles that should fit the majority of existing light fittings, including both screw in and bayonet style standard bulbs and GU10 spot light style bulbs.

The above should cover the majority of cases, however some unusual and unique bulb sizes and styles exist out there and Hue lights might not fit those. However it is often possible to replace the light fitting with a style that will work. For instance I was able to easily replace my old MR10 spot light fittings with more standard GU10 fittings and thus use the Philips Hue GU10's spot lights in my home.

Will I still be able to use my standard light switch?

Yes, you will still be able to switch Philips Hue light bulbs on and off using a standard light switch.

However there is one catch with this. If you turn the bulb off with the light switch then you won't be able to turn it back on with the app or otherwise control it, at least until you switch it back on at the wall.

As a result, most people who use Philips Hue bulbs, simply leave them switched on at the wall and use other means to switch "virtually" switch them off, which I'll describe below.

If I leave the Hue bulbs switched on at the wall all the time, won't that mean they use power all the time.

Yes, but very little. In this "standby mode" of the light switch on, but the light off, these bulbs use 0.4w in standby in order to power the wireless network that allows you to control these bulbs.

However 0.4w is incredible small amount of power. Remember if you are moving from a standard light bulb you are typically going from 100w to 9w LED, so 0.4w by comparison is incredibly.

In most cases you should still see a significant drop in power use. Only people switching from a standard LED to a smart LED will see a very tiny increase and that is a trade off for far greater control and smart features.

Is there a physical switch I can use to control these lights without really switching them off?

Yes, Philips makes a fantastic Hue smart switch which can control their lights. This switch can simply be stuck on your wall using sticky backs next to your old light switch.

Yet the switch itself can detach from it's frame where it is held by magnets and carried around the room and used as a remote control. The switch has four buttons, on/off/dimmer up/dimmer down, however using the Philips Hue apps each button can be "programmed" to show different scenes on each button press, up to 5 different actions for each button!

This makes for a highly effective, yet easy to use device.

But might people not accidentally turn off the light via the old light switch? Any way to protect against this?

Yes this can happen, specially when family and friends are visiting and aren't use to it. People use a variety of methods to protect against this.

- Sticky tape over the old light switch. Not very nice looking, but super cheap and easy to do.

- Child safety cover over the light switch. Stops people from just turning off the light switch without putting a lot of effort in, yet still allows you to use the light switch in an emergency. Pretty easy to fit and also to remove in future if you want to return to traditional, non smart lights.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/BabySecurity-Single-Electric-Socket-Cover/dp/B000X1DNIM/

I use one of these over a double dimmer switch in the main room.

- Similar to above, the following are more discrete version of the above for a standard UK switch. Very easy to install and still allow you to use the light switch in an emergency using a paper clip, etc.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/SwitchSafe-socket-protector-prevent-accidental/dp/B01634O2MS/ref=pd_sim_60_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=VMS1BH456Z1G9YN2XCRS

- Remove the switches and plaster over the hole in the wall. While this might be nicer looking, I don't recommend it. It requires a lot of work, depending on your skills maybe even an electrician and plasterer and what happens if you decide to move house later and you want to take your expensive Philips Hue light bulbs with you?

- A less drastic version of the above is to remove the switch, rewire the cables, but cover the old switch hole with a blank faceplate. Makes it easier to undo in future.

Personally I'd recommend living with the Philips Hue for a few months before deciding to go with either of the latter two options.

Does Philips Hue require a hub?

Yes, it does. However the Philips Hue hub can usually be gotten for free in a bundle with a few Hue light bulbs. There is really no disadvantage to getting the hub other then having yet another hub to plug in. However it is very dependable and just works.

Note there are two hubs v1.0 and v2.0, see the next question for more info.

What is the difference between the v1.0 and v2.0 hub?

THe updated v2.0 hub includes support for Apple Siri. It is also rumured that the v2.0 hub is a bit more stable, but no confirmation on this. However as you can usually pick up the v2.0 hub for free as part of a bundle with a bulbs, there is no reason to get one.

How can you tell the difference between the v1.0 and v2.0 hub.

The v1.0 hub is round, while the v2.0 hub is square.

Lots more to come on this massive topic........

drunkmonkey

bk some good info there, currently have to order some lighting and thinking about Hue. Is this thread for all Hue questions?

Stoner

drunkmonkey wrote:

BK some good info there, currently have to order some lighting and thinking about Hue. Is this thread for all Hue questions?

Yes

J.pilkington

Some great informative threads posted by BK lately, cheers for taking the time to do so

bk

drunkmonkey wrote: »

bk some good info there, currently have to order some lighting and thinking about Hue. Is this thread for all Hue questions?

Sure, fire away, I can adjust the original post with further info based on the questions people might ask. Develop it into a useful resource for all.

drunkmonkey

What i'm looking at is 7 x gu10 bulbs, 4 white and 3 colour, a hue bridge.

My intention is to light the top of landing with recessed spots, 1 colour in the middle and 2 whites either side. I'm assuming I can turn off(ish) the 2 whites at either side via the app and just have the colour on. Another colour one at bottom of the landing recessed and one more white and colour in another room.

I'd like 2 flush mounted ceiling lights but think I might need 3, There both attic rooms with the sloped ceiling, one is 4.1 x 3.6m and the other 7 x 4.1m.
Philips have some new Hue ceiling lights (40w) available at amazon in 5 days that look good.
I'd way prefer colour changing lights for the flush lights but can't see any Hue ones that don't cost 400+
l was thinking of recessing the living colour Iris's I have only after figuring out they work with the Hue once paired with the Hue bridge. Not so sure how safe it would be cocooned in kingspan. Would do the job nicely though.

Was also thinking of making my own LED mirror for the bathroom using a Hue Led Strip and a standard mirror, led mirrors seem quite expensive for that they are.

Price wise amazon seeming to be the best i'm seeing or is there some other places to buy.

bk

drunkmonkey yes that is all good.

BTW you know that the colour GU10's can also do white perfectly? The only reason to mix the colour and white GU10's like this is to safe money on the more expensive colour bulbs. I assume that is your reason but just want to double check.

I have four colour GU10's in my living room, but they get used as just white bulbs 95% of the time.

Yes, the new light fittings look great and I've already pre-ordered one for my kitchen. I agree a pity they are white only.

living colour Iris's are easy to add to the bridge, jsut use the Pjilips Hue app and add them via search or serial number. However I'd be very slow to put them in the ceiling, I'm not sure that would be safe. It might be better to put GU10's in there or maybe the flat hue colour bulb instead.

Amazon is by far the cheapest IME and I'd also recommend waiting for the upcoming cyber monday, black friday prime sales, usually you get good deals on Philips Hue bulbs then.

Optimus Prime

Might be worth mentioning they don't do e14 style bulbs, the small screw connection that mostly look like candles. This is a big pain in the ass for me because I have five light fixtures that take these.

Yes I know you can get adapters, but this is increases the length of the bulbs and they don't look like candles. The bulky size of the other bulbs mean they look stupid in chadlier type fixings.

A LOT of people are asking for them on their facebook page , but they just keep saying they will pass the info onto their development team.

Uriel.

I'm interested in the true energy savings calculations on these.

In the op it says there's a saving because you might be going from 100w to a 9w consumption. That by itself is simple enough to understand from an energy saving perspective. Obviously in some instances you might be going from 75 or 60w down to 9 which is less of a saving but still a significant saving obviously.

However the always on nature of the bulbs is claimed to consume 0.4w. But what time period is that over?

Depending on the circumstances most bulbs are on for a few hours per night. So with the hue your saving on consumption over those few hours versus "normal" bulbs. But outside of those few hours the hue bulb is consuming. 0.4w 24/7 in its always on state.

I'd wonder what the true savings are over the course of one year...?

Personally, energy consumption is important for me, but it is not top of my list and would only effect my purchasing decision if the true consumption was considerably higher than standard set ups

bk

Uriel. wrote: »

I'm interested in the true energy savings calculations on these.

In the op it says there's a saving because you might be going from 100w to a 9w consumption. That by itself is simple enough to understand from an energy saving perspective. Obviously in some instances you might be going from 75 or 60w down to 9 which is less of a saving but still a significant saving obviously.

However the always on nature of the bulbs is claimed to consume 0.4w. But what time period is that over?

Depending on the circumstances most bulbs are on for a few hours per night. So with the hue your saving on consumption over those few hours versus "normal" bulbs. But outside of those few hours the hue bulb is consuming. 0.4w 24/7 in its always on state.

I'd wonder what the true savings are over the course of one year...?

Personally, energy consumption is important for me, but it is not top of my list and would only effect my purchasing decision if the true consumption was considerably higher than standard set ups

Good question.

0.4w is used whenever their is power going to the bulb but it is otherwise "off", really in standby mode. This means the old light switch is on, but the bulb is turned "off" by the app, voice, etc.

If you switch off the bulb at the wall switch then obviously it won't use any power, however you also won't be able to control it then.

The way I and most people use Philips Hue lights, we don't turn them off at the wall switch at all and thus they use 0.4w all day long in "standby" off mode.

Sticking this number in a calculator, you will thus find that a bulb will use 3.5kWh per year, which at .14 per kWh that I pay, works out at 49 cent per year.

Now by comparison a 100 watt light bulb running for 4 hours a night uses 146 kWh over a year and thus costs €20.44 a year to run.

A 9W LED running for the same 4 hours a night uses 13.14 kWh per year or €1.83 per year.

So combining the standby .04w and the 9W LED for 4 hours from above, you are looking at a combined 16.64 kWh per year or about €2.32 per year.

That is almost a 10 times reduction in energy use and cost versus a traditional bulb!

Sure people might have 60w or 75w bulbs instead, but it wouldn't change the maths significantly, a 60w bulb running 4 hours a night would cost €12 per year, still almost 5 times more then a Hue bulb.

So yes, while a HUE bulb will use a very small amount more power then a non-smart LED bulb, it will still use WAY less energy then any standard bulb. And of course you gain lots of cool functionality in return for a very minor cost.

BTW This also shows how even expensive Hue bulbs can actually save you money.

Lets take a 9w Hue, white only bulb that costs about €25 to buy replacing a 100w traditional bulb. The Hue bulb will cost €18 per year less to run, thus it will pay back it's purchase cost in less then a year and a half of use.

Of course a non-smart LED with a much lower purchase price will have an even quicker payback time, but at least it somewhat helps to justify the high cost of Hue bulbs.

Uriel.

bk wrote: »

Good question.

0.4w is used whenever their is power going to the bulb but it is otherwise "off", really in standby mode. This means the old light switch is on, but the bulb is turned "off" by the app, voice, etc.

If you switch off the bulb at the wall switch then obviously it won't use any power, however you also won't be able to control it then.

The way I and most people use Philips Hue lights, we don't turn them off at the wall switch at all and thus they use 0.4w all day long in "standby" off mode.

Sticking this number in a calculator, you will thus find that a bulb will use 3.5kWh per year, which at .14 per kWh that I pay, works out at 49 cent per year.

Now by comparison a 100 watt light bulb running for 4 hours a night uses 146 kWh over a year and thus costs €20.44 a year to run.

A 9W LED running for the same 4 hours a night uses 13.14 kWh per year or €1.83 per year.

So combining the standby .04w and the 9W LED for 4 hours from above, you are looking at a combined 16.64 kWh per year or about €2.32 per year.

That is almost a 10 times reduction in energy use and cost versus a traditional bulb!

Sure people might have 60w or 75w bulbs instead, but it wouldn't change the maths significantly, a 60w bulb running 4 hours a night would cost €12 per year, still almost 5 times more then a Hue bulb.

So yes, while a HUE bulb will use a very small amount more power then a non-smart LED bulb, it will still use WAY less energy then any standard bulb. And of course you gain lots of cool functionality in return for a very minor cost.

BTW This also shows how even expensive Hue bulbs can actually save you money.

Lets take a 9w Hue, white only bulb that costs about €25 to buy replacing a 100w traditional bulb. The Hue bulb will cost €18 per year less to run, thus it will pay back it's purchase cost in less then a year and a half of use.

Of course a non-smart LED with a much lower purchase price will have an even quicker payback time, but at least it somewhat helps to justify the high cost of Hue bulbs.

Great answer, thanks for that.
To be honest, it seems like a no brainer when you have all of the calculations laid out there like that.
Annual cost savings, ROI in less than a year AND all of the extra cool functionality...

Stoner

Uriel. wrote:

Great answer, thanks for that. To be honest, it seems like a no brainer when you have all of the calculations laid out there like that. Annual cost savings, ROI in less than a year AND all of the extra cool functionality...

I guess very few people will be jumping from 60 incandescent lamps straight to hue.

We've had CFL and regular LEDs for a while now.
The equivalent Philips dimmable led lamp in white is 5 euro versus 25 for the hue. So you are paying 20 euro for the functionality per lamp.
The vampire loads on these lamps is not very high but ten lamps is like having one light on all the time.

One poster last week had 18 GU10s in his kitchen. That is about 10watts when everything is off, approximately I think that's under 16 euro a year to juice the electrics, disregarding when they are on.

It's a fairly low vampire load and if you have your light switches as override then you can turn them off all together

bk

Stoner wrote: »

We've had CFL and regular LEDs for a while now.

CFL's yes, regular LED's not so much. LED's have really only matured and come down in price over the last two years IMO. I think a lot of people are yet to get them.

CFL's use about 25w for a 100w equivalent, versus a 9w LED.

So running a 25w CFL for 4 hours a day, will use 36.5 kWh per year or €5.11.

So that is almost twice the cost per year of running a HUE LED, even with it's vampire draw. Not as big a difference, but still reasonable. Plus keep in mind how truly terrible CFL's are with their slow start up time and terrible colour temperature.

Really CFL's are an atrocity that should have been skipped over IMO.

TheTubes

drunkmonkey wrote: »

Was also thinking of making my own LED mirror for the bathroom using a Hue Led Strip and a standard mirror, led mirrors seem quite expensive for that they are.

This is interesting, I was thinking about this too.
I read up and it seems like its only 12v that is allowed in a bathroom, not a regular plug? And Philips have the hue rated at IP20, they say its not suitable for bathroom.
I'm meeting an electrician soon to wire up a new build, has anyone got any suggestion on how to get a hue setup in a bathroom?

bk

TheTubes wrote: »

I'm meeting an electrician soon to wire up a new build, has anyone got any suggestion on how to get a hue setup in a bathroom?

I believe that you can get IP44 rated enclosed light fittings (as in the fitting itself keeps water out) and you can then put IP20 rated light bulbs in those fittings just fine. I might be wrong about that, but your electrician should be able to confirm this.

Can you let us know what he says, will be interested in the answer myself.

I don't think there is any safety danger to using IP20 bulbs in an IP44 rated enclosed fitting, the issue would be water getting in and damaging your expensive Hue bulbs. The other potential issue is that an enclosed fitting like this will trap more heat near the bulb, which might damage the electronics in it and shorten it's lifespan.

drunkmonkey

Your right about the colour changing bulbs bk, that was my intention to have the whites and just one colour in each zone.

I can probably hold off on the bulbs until Black Friday but I do need to put in the fittings in the meantime.
Was talking to stoner in another thread about it and he said put in an ip65 over the shower.

All these fittings are going to be sitting in 100mm kingspan in the attic.
The ip65 fittings were about 15 on Amazon, im wondering as im doing it should I just put in ip65 everywhere.

Need 3 fittings for the landing. 3 for the bathroom, 1 for the bottom landing and 3 for over upstairs dormer windows. So 10 fittings in total.

What's do you think of making my own mirror with the HUE lightstrip for the bathroom. Once I set the colour will it remember the colour even if the lights are turned on and off.

TheTubes

bk wrote: »

I don't think there is any safety danger to using IP20 bulbs in an IP44 rated enclosed fitting, the issue would be water getting in and damaging your expensive Hue bulbs. The other potential issue is that an enclosed fitting like this will trap more heat near the bulb, which might damage the electronics in it and shorten it's lifespan.

It wasn't so much about the waterproofing, im just not sure how to power the hue lightstrip in a bathroom?

bk

TheTubes wrote: »

It wasn't so much about the waterproofing, im just not sure how to power the hue lightstrip in a bathroom?

To be honest, I think you will need to ask your electrician this or ask over on the electrical forum. This is more an issue of building and electrical regulations, etc.

Stoner

bk wrote:

CFL's use about 25w for a 100w equivalent, versus a 9w LED.

Just on this

The way to measure light is not to compare to incandescent equivalent as that in itself is not a unit of measure, someone may have had a stab at making one but watt per watt some incandescent lamps produced more lumens per watt others.

Some megaman CFLs are delivering 430 - 450 lumens from their 8 Watt lamps. That's a very good CFL, there are many that won't do that

Philips 5 watt LEDs are knocking out about 250 - 300 lumens that's about equal in lumens per watt (this is an industry scale) that particular CFL is actually a bit better than that LED

Like everything else you can have good and bad CFLs you could produce shocking stats for a bad CFL vs a good led
LEDs are certainly better over all , but they also don't last as long as we thought they would and we are ignorant with respect to the rate of output die off that the lamps have because the manufacturers don't have to print it on the boxes.


But 25W to 9 Watt comparison is nearly a 300 percent improvement, that is inaccurate a fairer figure would be to say that the LEDs are about 30 percent more efficient when running, but how long will they last, what's the rate of intensity fall off and how much did you spend on them.


One of the things manufacturers did to produce more lumens per watt was to increase the inrush current . This shortened the life of the lamp, reduced the amount if times it could be switched and considerably reduced the lumen maintenance factor of the lamps, I'll come back to this.
They clawed the maintenance factor back a bit


The "brighter" lamps were great but it shortened the life of the lamp. Some Philips LEDs use to have a 15 year guarantees

That went from
15, 10, 7,5 3, and some are just 1 year.
The lumens per watt went up as the lifespan dropped

Next lmf, lumen maintenance factor what does this mean , more or less if a lamp produces 300 lumens at LMF 50 with a 3 year guarantee, that means that after three years 300 x 0.5 = 150 lumens is considered within the acceptable range of operation

The Philips lamp at say 300 lumens above that I mentioned would have a lmf of 70 so it's acceptable for it to only deliver 210 lumens after 3 years.

Most fluorescent lamps have about a 20 percent fall off. Towards the end of life this accelerates rapidly.

So now we have LEDs that seem like great value but you are going to have to change them more frequently. Yet they kept the good rep for very long life.

I had megaman 7watt gu10s in one room for 5 years. I was glad to get rid of them as they took so long to warm up, but that prolonged the lamp life. The lamps never blew

I recently took 3 number 13 w pl fluorescent lights from my house that were there for over 12 years I changed 3 lamps in that time. I got over 6 years per lamp.

That said I knew what I was buying 12 years ago.

If you take a 6 year old CFL out that has died out by 20 - 40 percent and pop in a new led, the LED will appear much brighter but after six years compare them the led will be the second one and it will be at somewhere between 50 and 70 percent of its original brightness.


In commercial applications to get about 350 400 lux on a desk a good fluorescent set up would use about 10 to 11 watt per M.sq
LED would get 7 to 8 watts per M.sq

You'd still pay about twice as much for the LED fitting as the fluorescent.

The thing about LEDs is that they are dimming very well now and they are much smaller and they look a lot better but no way are they 2.5 to 3 times more efficient than fluorescent.

Hue lamps are great , but you are buying nothing new Imo wrt efficiency you are adding great control and possibly turning them on less, but you might also be washing a wall with green light that you wouldn't have done before. Philips hue has great added value

I've had good LEDs for 3 or 4 years now. One room has never blown a lamp, but one that I have in a pir regularly blew as it switched on and off so much. It would have been cheaper to leave it on 24/7 than pay for all the replacements.

So I'm a big fan of the hue system but not for its efficiency. Advising someone to switch to a Philips hue system for running cost savings is poor advice when your consider the purchase cost. The lamps are very expensive, a Philips hue GU10 is 5 times more expensive than a regular Philips dimming GU10 that costs the same to run for the same output.

We really love it because of the tricks we can do with it.

You get all the tricks but you'll pay for them. And you throw all the electronics away every time you change a lamp just because the led is shot.
In my opinion the colour gu10 at 50 is better value than the white gu10 at 25 euro because it can do so much more with it. I wouldn't bother with the white ones really I'd want it all or nothing

drunkmonkey

Hows's the lifespan of the Hue LED's, as it's always taking a little power would it prolong the life of the light as your not switching it on and off.

Stoner

Yes LEDs now have guarantees that have two limits.
Hours used
Amount of times switched on

So you might see a guarantee like
10,000 hours or 2000 switches, which ever comes first.

drunkmonkey

Just read the Hue warranty, 2 years no mention of hours. That's not a lot for 50 bucks.

bk

Stoner I've no doubt everything you said above is accurate, but I have to say I've had many CFL's, including some really expensive ones and all I can say is I was never happy with any of them.

And I don't mean 5 years later, I mean I hated them from the day I put them in! Even the best "fast startup" ones were still terribly slow compared to traditional bulbs and the quality of light from them just sucked. I probably spent a small fortune over the years in the search for the mythical top quality CFL. Plus IMO I've had plenty of them fail too after just a year or two.

Then I finally switched to LEDs (non-smart originally) and I was simply blown away by them. Instant on and vastly superior light quality IME. No competition at all, after trying just one LED for a few days, I ordered an entire house worth of them to get rid of the crappy CFL's.

Now I've been gradually moving onto Philips smart LEDs and so far I'm extremely happy with them.

One point I think you miss, is that even Philips Hue white only bulbs, not only do they dimm, but you can change their colour temperature too. From super clinical white to a very chilled out almost orange. I have found this to be an incredible feature that his truly improved my life. I use the daylight white during the day during the dark Irish winter months when I work at home. I find it really helps wake me up, improves my mood and helps me concentrate on my work better, then in the evening I switch it to the other end of the light scale, which helps me relax and unwind after a hard days work.

Using different colours can absolutely create different atmospheres and moods, from the romantic mood I use for a nice romantic meal, to the scary halloween mood I used for the halloween party, to the awesome disco lighting we used it for later that night that responds to the beat of the music! It was very cool.

Also Hue lights can be used as decorations in themselves, "painting" different colours on the walls, etc.

You really shouldn't think of Hue lights as just remote controlled lights and their integration with HA tech, but also think of them as mood creators and enhancers and potentially home decorations.

So back to your point, I agree that they probably aren't significantly cheaper to run then CFL's, though they are MUCH cheaper to run then traditional bulbs that I would suggest many people still have kicking around. However they are VASTLY superior to CFL's in almost every way possible IMO and completely worth the slightly higher up front purchase price to get rid of terrible CFL's

I actually agree with you that I wouldn't buy Philips Hue lights if saving money is your only concern. Non-smart LEDs would be the best bet if money is tight. No, the point I was trying to make is that the vampire draw of these bulbs is remarkably low and not worth considering if you have decided to buy into all the fantastic, life enhancing features of these smart bulbs.

And you know what, that is largely true of all HA tech. Most of it is quiet expensive, most of it won't save you money. You buy it because it makes your life more pleasurable and easier.

Philips Hue - Fantastic mood enhancing lighting and home decoration (also some security features).
Smart Thermostats - Always come home to a nice warm house.
Logitech Remote - One remote rather then 10, family friendly usability and all the ugly AV gear safely hidden away in the study from sticky hands, which also makes the living room look nicer.
Amazon Echo/Google Home - Almost all the music in the world to easily and effortlessly fill your home, answer questions, etc.

Non of them really saves you money, they are more about enhancing your life.

Stoner

bk wrote: »

Stoner I've no doubt everything you said above is accurate, but I have to say I've had many CFL's, including some really expensive ones and all I can say is I was never happy with any of them.

.

that's all fine, the added value is fantastic, that's what you pay for, but your not paying for efficiency, you can more efficient options for 5 times less cost with one years extra on the guarantee


TBH I'd say people have spent more on rubbish LEDs that any other type of lamp ever, from those muck cluster units to the extra hot Philips master LEDs that needed a fan on them to keep them cool and cost €35 each!!

anyway. Back to the fantastic Philips hue system.

I have to say this think i like most about it is the frequency that they add new partners and features to the product. It's part of the plan now where Google, Amazon etc are trying to sell you items that they have promised to keep enhancing to stop people waiting for the next best thing

bk

Stoner wrote: »

that's all fine, the added value is fantastic, that's what you pay for, but your not paying for efficiency, you can more efficient options for 5 times less cost with one years extra on the guarantee

I really not trying to suggest that Philips Hue are a massive energy saving over CFL's, just that the vampire draw really isn't significant.

The main point is that 5 years ago, almost everyone was spending €20+ a year running a single incandescent bulb for 4 hours a day. Today they would spend €2 running a LED and they will spend €2.40 running a Hue LED bulb.

The main point being 40 cent a year is nothing in the greater scheme of things and gives you some incredible functionality.

B-D-P--

But dont forget the hub, How much electric does that use per year?

OU812

Great thread BK

Quick question. Thinking of getting a couple of trips for the upcoming kitchen extension to sit on top of the units. Can these be controlled by the dimmer switch or are they app only as the wife is leaning toward €15 IKEA ones because they can be controlled by switch and obviously I am not...

bk

B-D-P-- wrote: »

But dont forget the hub, How much electric does that use per year?

It draws a miserly 1.6 watt. That is 14 kWh a year running 24/7, or less then €2

OU812 wrote: »

Quick question. Thinking of getting a couple of trips for the upcoming kitchen extension to sit on top of the units. Can these be controlled by the dimmer switch or are they app only as the wife is leaning toward €15 IKEA ones because they can be controlled by switch and obviously I am not...

Yes the switch can control the Hue strips.

The Hue switch is incredibly powerful. It can be "programmed" * to control any Hue device in pretty much anyway you like. It isn't just on or off or dimm, it can be programmed to control multiple lights and strips, it can set different "scenes" and colours. Each button on the "switch" can be programmed as up to 5 different actions (one, two, three and four button presses, plus press and hold).

* When I say program, I don't mean code, the programming is easily done in the Hue app using a GUI. The only problem is that my OH gives out to me because I'm constantly playing with it and changing what the buttons do

Oh and another warning, if this is your first Hue product, you will likely fall in love with it when you get it and end up getting addicted to it like many of us do and end up changing all the lights in your house to Hue!

So while the Hue strips are more expensive then Ikea, they do so much more it isn't even in the same league.

Also remember, if you get Google Home or Amazon Echo eventually, you will also be able to control the Hue strips using voice commands. (e.g. "Hey Google, turn on kitchen strips", "Hey Google, set kitchen strips to blue").

Note, you will also need the Hue hub if you don't already have one. Unfortunately, I don't think there is a bundlle that includes a Hue strip, hub and switch. Maybe you should think of getting a bundle that includes a hub, switch and some other lights that you could use in other rooms too:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Philips-Ambiance-Personal-Wireless-Lighting/dp/B01BPDXATS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1478866299&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=philips+hue&psc=1

Alternatively the hubs can often be picked up for cheap on adverts, ebay, etc. As people end up with extras from buying bundles in sales.

drunkmonkey

How bright would this Hue Led be, would it give good bright white light in a 7mtr x 4mtr room at night with no other lighting. What's the maximum room size it would fill with light undimmed in the white light.

Philips Hue White Ambiance Still 40 W Connect Ready LED Ceiling Lamp, 1 x Philips Hue Still White Ceiling Lamp, 1 x Philips Hue Wireless Dimmer Switch https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01L99HC06/ref=cm_sw_r_wa_api_6.BjybD02XH5T

bk

drunkmonkey wrote: »

How bright would this Hue Led be, would it give good bright white light in a 7mtr x 4mtr room at night with no other lighting. What's the maximum room size it would fill with light undimmed in the white light.

Philips Hue White Ambiance Still 40 W Connect Ready LED Ceiling Lamp, 1 x Philips Hue Still White Ceiling Lamp, 1 x Philips Hue Wireless Dimmer Switch https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01L99HC06/ref=cm_sw_r_wa_api_6.BjybD02XH5T

I've this on pre-order myself.

It is 3000 lumens, which is extremely bright. To give you an idea, a 100 watt old style incandescent bulb is about 1600 lumens. So this is about equivalent to two 100 watt bulbs.

It should have no difficulty in general filling a room of that size. Though no guarantees about shadows in corners, etc.

Uriel.

bk wrote: »

Also remember, if you get Google Home or Amazon Echo eventually, you will also be able to control the Hue strips using voice commands. (e.g. "Hey Google, turn on kitchen strips", "Hey Google, set kitchen strips to blue").

BK on that particular aspects, if you are using voice control do you have to record the command first and then assign it to the relevant bulb/strips ? How would echo or home know which strip/light is the kitchen?

For example, in my extended kitchen I have three sets of in ceiling GU10s.
3 in the main part of the kitchen (where the fridge, oven etc. is), three over our breakfast bar and 6 in the extended part of the kitchen which has the sink and a little seating area.

All three "zones" operate on separate wall switches.

So say I put Hue GU10s in to the 12 bulb sockets (1 x 3, 1x3 and 1x6) is it possible to control each individual zone via voice control? EDIT: Like I don't want to say "hey google, turn on kitchen lights" and have all 3 zones turn on. I might just want to say "how google turn on main kitchen lights" or "turn on breakfast bar lights"

bk

Uriel. In the Hue app you can name each individual Hue light and strip.

Then in the Google Home or Alexa app, you have them search for smart home devices and they will find and import these lights with the names you gave them in the Hue app.

In the Home or Alexa app you can then create Rooms or Groups of lights.

In Google Home, in your example I'd create 3 "rooms" called:

- Kitchen, for the 3 main lights
- Breakfast bar, for the 3 over it
- Sink (or something like that) for the other 6

Amazon Echo can do the same.

Uriel.

bk wrote: »

Uriel. In the Hue app you can name each individual Hue light and strip.

Then in the Google Home or Alexa app, you have them search for smart home devices and they will find and import these lights with the names you gave them in the Hue app.

In the Home or Alexa app you can then create Rooms or Groups of lights.

In Google Home, in your example I'd create 3 "rooms" called:

- Kitchen, for the 3 main lights
- Breakfast bar, for the 3 over it
- Sink (or something like that) for the other 6

Amazon Echo can do the same.

Great thanks for that. If I created "breakfast bar" for example, do I need to record me saying "breakfast bar" to control via voice or is GH/Alexa able to figure out the text to voice(and vice versa) translation itself?

bk

Uriel. wrote: »

Great thanks for that. If I created "breakfast bar" for example, do I need to record me saying "breakfast bar" to control via voice or is GH/Alexa able to figure out the text to voice(and vice versa) translation itself?

It figures it out itself based on the text you named it, no need to record your voice.

You can also control individual lights using their name.

A couple of tips though, based on Amazon Echo (I haven't had a chance to play with it enough in Google Home yet):

- Try and use unique names, "kitchen" and "breakfast bar" are better then "kitchen main" and "kitchen bar" the latter can lead to confusion.
- Similarly don't use numbers, "kitchen lights 1", "kitchen lights 2", etc. just causes confusion.
- You may need to play around with the names, if you find it doesn't understand your accent on a particular word. For instance I've a Hue lamp behind my TV for a splash of colour, I originally called it "TV lamp" but that only worked 50% of the time due to other commands using the word TV, I've since renamed it "Front lamp" and now it works 100% of the time.

drunkmonkey

bk wrote: »

I've this on pre-order myself.

It is 3000 lumens, which is extremely bright. To give you an idea, a 100 watt old style incandescent bulb is about 1600 lumens. So this is about equivalent to two 100 watt bulbs.

It should have no difficulty in general filling a room of that size. Though no guarantees about shadows in corners, etc.

bk am I missing something, done a price comparison on curiua.com and stumbled across what appear to be the same lights available with or without the dimmer for 70 euro without dimmer.
The ones for pre order just looks like a re-hash of the living colour branded one or is there some difference in them.
https://www.amazon.es/dp/B0020004XG/?tag=curiua0c-21&th=1

OU812

bk wrote: »

Oh and another warning, if this is your first Hue product, you will likely fall in love with it when you get it and end up getting addicted to it like many of us do and end up changing all the lights in your house to Hue!

Already have one colour and two white with another colour & a dimmer on the way. Gonna hold off until Black Friday/Cyber Monday before pulling the trigger on more.

bk wrote: »

Also remember, if you get Google Home or Amazon Echo eventually, you will also be able to control the Hue strips using voice commands. (e.g. "Hey Google, turn on kitchen strips", "Hey Google, set kitchen strips to blue").

I'm hoping Apple have an equivalent in the works as we're a apple dominated household

bk

drunkmonkey wrote: »

bk am I missing something, done a price comparison on curiua.com and stumbled across what appear to be the same lights available with or without the dimmer for 70 euro without dimmer.
The ones for pre order just looks like a re-hash of the living colour branded one or is there some difference in them.
https://www.amazon.es/dp/B0020004XG/?tag=curiua0c-21&th=1

Wow, that is an awesome price difference. I'll cancel my order so and get this instead, thanks

I can pick up the switch separately.

drunkmonkey

bk wrote: »

Wow, that is an awesome price difference. I'll cancel my order so and get this instead, thanks

I can pick up the switch separately.

Steady trapper, i'm not sure there the same thing, there listed on the philips website as a new product are the bulbs the same?Design definitely looks the same, same colour options etc. Maybe the upped the quality.
That product I linked to is out a few years, the reviews are bad but when you translate them it looks like people bought them without the dimmer so there stuck on a low warm white. Also looks like some of them bought them from a warehouse and they were in bad order hence the bad reviews.
Also wen to buy it there and the only option was the silver/white without the dimmer.
I'm going to sit tight until the 15th and see what happens.

Skerries

how do you affix the lightstrip to your wall?
does it come with a sticky strip or do you have to use sellotape?

Optimus Prime

Skerries wrote: »

how do you affix the lightstrip to your wall?
does it come with a sticky strip or do you have to use sellotape?

Sticky strip on it. Make sure you clean the surface first , if it's dusty it won't stick.

rolion

FYI

IoT worm can hack Philips Hue lightbulbs, spread across cities

http://m.theregister.co.uk/2016/11/10/iot_worm_can_hack_philips_hue_lightbulbs_spread_across_cities/

jester77

Can I put the bridge in my server rack and let all the bulbs connect to it via wifi? Or do all the bulbs have to talk directly to the bridge?

bk

jester77 wrote: »

Can I put the bridge in my server rack and let all the bulbs connect to it via wifi? Or do all the bulbs have to talk directly to the bridge?

The bulbs talk to the bridge/hub over Zigbee wireless mesh, not over wifi.

Where is your server rack? In your home? Then it should be fine. I've mine hidden away in my equivalent of a server rack in my study. If you have connectivity issues due to distance between the server rack and bulbs (e.g. lighs at the other side of the house) then just try putting a bulb somewhere half way between them, as it uses wireless mess technology, each bulb acts as a repeater, sends every command along to the next closest devices.

jester77

Server rack is in the basement, I've strong access points on the first and third floor as wireless does not go between floors so good. Don't plan on putting any hue devices in the basement, wanted to try out a few things on the second floor, but unless the signal is seriously strong I can't see it being able to get up there from the basement. Wii need to rethink what I want to do a bit.

OU812

Sound so like you need to put it somewhere on the second floor so it's in the middle.

bk

jester77 wrote: »

Server rack is in the basement, I've strong access points on the first and third floor as wireless does not go between floors so good. Don't plan on putting any hue devices in the basement, wanted to try out a few things on the second floor, but unless the signal is seriously strong I can't see it being able to get up there from the basement. Wii need to rethink what I want to do a bit.

Yeah, that might be a little too far, but you could try. One bulb/lamp on each floor would probably bridge the gap. You wouldn't need any Hue devices in the basement other then the hub.

Alternatively you could hang the hub off the access point on the first or second floor, use a cheap ethernet switch if needed.

BTW While Zigbee uses less power, it also uses the 868MHz frequency, which is much narrower then 2.4Ghz wifi and thus travels further and penetrates walls better then 2.4 wifi. Thus you might find they work in places where your wifi doesn't

Roen

jester77 wrote: »

Server rack is in the basement, I've strong access points on the first and third floor as wireless does not go between floors so good. Don't plan on putting any hue devices in the basement, wanted to try out a few things on the second floor, but unless the signal is seriously strong I can't see it being able to get up there from the basement. Wii need to rethink what I want to do a bit.

Well it's a mesh network, so the furthest away bulb doesn't have to reach the bridge. It only has to talk to a bulb that talks to a bulb that...etc etc talks to the bridge.
The bridge is so you can talk to the bulbs via app or website etc, the bulbs act as a receiver and transmitter.

Roen

So, has anyone got a way of getting e14 bulbs onto the Hue system. Best way without using an adaptor seems to be Osram Lightify. Bit of a waste to buy the Osram equivalent of the bridge just to update the firmware on the lights so you can hook then up to the Hue bridge.

Anything I am missing out there?

mel123

If anyone sees any black Friday deals on these you might post here for those of us looking to nab a good deal.

Muchas Gratis :-)

drunkmonkey

We missed the boat yesterday the starter sets dropped to 100 for a few hours.

mel123

drunkmonkey wrote: »

We missed the boat yesterday the starter sets dropped to 100 for a few hours.

Aw no 😢