Philips Hue FAQ

AndyBoBandy

Buyingcar2012 wrote: »

Halogen 50w 12v in there at the moment. Think they are also called GU5.3. Would I need transformers put in?

This is exactly what I had, you’ll need to remove the transformers and change the bulb connection fitting from GU5 to GU10. Like me you might not need to change the whole fitting, just the little connection. Costs about €3 for 10 of them on eBay.

I did this job about 3 years ago and it’s fairly easy to do, only 3 minutes work per fitting.

AndyBoBandy wrote: »

For a GU10 White & Colour, you want this type of fitting, where the connection to the terminals of the bulb are independent to the part that holds the bulb. You are then only governed by the ceiling cavity space. I've 10 of these style in my kitchen with GU10 White & Colour Ambiance (big) bulbs in them, and 4 on my landing with White Ambiance GU10 (regular size) bulbs in them (though I've 4 White & Colour bulbs arriving today to replace them).





If its only GU10 White Ambiance, which is more like a regular sized GU10 bulb, the below would work;




I've 6 of this (enclosed or 'top hat' as I call them) style in my attic with White Ambiance bulbs in them.

AndyBoBandy wrote: »

Here is a photo of a Hue Colour Ambiance, beside a White Ambiance, beside 2 regular LED GU10 bulbs,

As can be seen, the Hue Colour Ambiance is much larger than the other 3, the Hue White Ambiance is almost identical to a regular LED GU10




holder for the larger GU10 colour here;

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=105911276&postcount=1475

I do believe they are bringing out a new colour GU10 thats the same size as the white ambiance/white only GU10's, meaning they could now all fit most GU10 spotlight fittings

Here are the GU10 fittings you'd need to replace the GU5's with

FastFullBack

mx5ire wrote: »

Landing light goes off on a routine @7.30am,

You can just set the timer to go off around sunrise and it will adjust. It works perfect. Like the other's I have no issues with the physical switch, lights come on instantly.
I also have one of these along with a hue switch and it works perfect for our sitting room allowing my small fella turn the light on himself when he's in their early morning

Buyingcar2012

Thanks for your very informative reply Andy.
I think ill just get the white ambiance GU10’s.

Do you think I should get an electrician in to do this? Also, I want the fittings to be fire safe and from other research these seem to be recommended to cope with the heat.

https://www.downlights.co.uk/integral-evofire-gu10-fire-rated-downlights-new.html

AndyBoBandy

Those would be fine.

If you were handy enough at wiring plugs and doing basic wiring you should be able to do it.

At each of my 10 kitchen fittings, I removed the transformers (1 at each fitting), and then wired the mains direct into the junction box on the fitting. Then on the other side of the junction box, I swopped out the GU5 ceramic fittings for the new GU10 ceramic fittings.

roosterman71

Need some help.

A dimmer switch stopped working so I assumed the battery. Just changed it here now, reset the switch (4 button press), hit the setup button on the back, deleted from bridge and re-added it. All to no avail. Sitting here and it's little green LED is blinking at me. Mocking me. It's only 8' from the bridge, in a room with 5 Hue lights. Any ideas?

punisher5112

roosterman71 wrote: »

Need some help.

A dimmer switch stopped working so I assumed the battery. Just changed it here now, reset the switch (4 button press), hit the setup button on the back, deleted from bridge and re-added it. All to no avail. Sitting here and it's little green LED is blinking at me. Mocking me. It's only 8' from the bridge, in a room with 5 Hue lights. Any ideas?

Try pressing all 4 button at same time till green flashing open app and add.

roosterman71

punisher5112 wrote: »

Try pressing all 4 button at same time till green flashing open app and add.

Tried that. No luck. As it stands, any button I press on it turns off the lights and that's it. Press a button then and the green light starts flashing.

punisher5112

roosterman71 wrote: »

Tried that. No luck. As it stands, any button I press on it turns off the lights and that's it. Press a button then and the green light starts flashing.

Remove battery, replace then hit reset.
Try resetting everything as in turn bridge off, phone, and WiFi and go from there.

OffalyMedic

Really annoyed, ordered a 2m lightstrip for under kitchen cabinets but it faulted when I cut it as indicated and wouldn't turn off fully (warm white LED lights stayed on) replaced no problem by Amazon and when I went to put up new ones tonight same thing happened! Any recommendations for hot to cut them to stop them shorting so I don't waste my energy for a third time for no reason?

punisher5112

OffalyMedic wrote: »

Really annoyed, ordered a 2m lightstrip for under kitchen cabinets but it faulted when I cut it as indicated and wouldn't turn off fully (warm white LED lights stayed on) replaced no problem by Amazon and when I went to put up new ones tonight same thing happened! Any recommendations for hot to cut them to stop them shorting so I don't waste my energy for a third time for no reason?

Are you cutting while on? Or connected to the supply.

Cut right through the centre of the mark and with something extremely sharp and if it were me id use a Stanley blade.

Irish_peppa

FastFullBack wrote: »

You can just set the timer to go off around sunrise and it will adjust. It works perfect. Like the other's I have no issues with the physical switch, lights come on instantly.
I also have one of these along with a hue switch and it works perfect for our sitting room allowing my small fella turn the light on himself when he's in their early morning

Fastfull can you set these hue bulbs to track sunset and sunlight via google information without need for an external light sensor. I use TP link smart plugs which seem to use internet information via phone app to adjust dawn to dusk throughout the year without needing to specify exact times. SO as the nights become darker or brighter the dusk dawn settings change every few days / weeks automatically to track the darker and brighter days. is that an option or is it a set turn on at xx time off at xx time?

OffalyMedic

punisher5112 wrote:

Are you cutting while on? Or connected to the supply.

Oh jaysus I think I did. I am an idiot!

FastFullBack

Irish_peppa wrote: »

Fastfull can you set these hue bulbs to track sunset and sunlight via google information without need for an external light sensor. I use TP link smart plugs which seem to use internet information via phone app to adjust dawn to dusk throughout the year without needing to specify exact times. SO as the nights become darker or brighter the dusk dawn settings change every few days / weeks automatically to track the darker and brighter days. is that an option or is it a set turn on at xx time off at xx time?

Ya Hue adjusts sunset and sunrise times, no need for sensors anywhere

punisher5112

FastFullBack wrote: »

Ya Hue adjusts sunset and sunrise times, no need for sensors anywhere

But then your lights are on all the time....

Sensors are great and especially at bed time.

I've one set on the landing so one can see where they are going but can also leave the bedroom door open and not be blinded by the light for the night....

AndyBoBandy

punisher5112 wrote: »

But then your lights are on all the time....

set a routine.

lights come on at sunset (or up to 1 hour prior to sunset), and go off at whatever time you want!

same again in the morning, come on at whatever time you set, and off at sunrise (or up to 1 hour after)

FastFullBack

punisher5112 wrote: »

But then your lights are on all the time....

Sensors are great and especially at bed time.

I've one set on the landing so one can see where they are going but can also leave the bedroom door open and not be blinded by the light for the night....

My hall lamp has 2 routines. Comes on dimmed at 5:30AM and goes off at sunrise.
Comes on again at sunset and goes off at 11PM.

Works perfect

punisher5112

AndyBoBandy wrote: »

set a routine.

lights come on at sunset (or up to 1 hour prior to sunset), and go off at whatever time you want!

same again in the morning, come on at whatever time you set, and off at sunrise (or up to 1 hour after)

No I get that, I had it that way untill I got a few sensors...

jones

I like the freedom of sensors - the routines are good for certain things but who wants the lights on all the time or even for more time than is necessary. I used routines for a single light just inside my front door but have sensors in every other room as i've multiple lights in all other rooms.

AndyBoBandy

I use a combination of sensors and routines.

Routines;
Hallway (2 bulbs)
sitting Room (3 bulbs)
Master Bedroom (3 bulbs)
Childs room (1 bulb)
outside porch light (1 bulb)
garden spots (5 bulbs)

Sensors;
Kitchen (12 bulbs)
bathroom (1 bulb)
ensuite (1 bulb)
her office (1 bulb)
my office (1 bulb)

anything outside of the above (about 20 or so bulbs) have neither a routine or sensor and are just app controlled (rarely though)

Irish_peppa

AndyBoBandy wrote: »

I use a combination of sensors and routines.

Routines;
Hallway (2 bulbs)
sitting Room (3 bulbs)
Master Bedroom (3 bulbs)
Childs room (1 bulb)
outside porch light (1 bulb)
garden spots (5 bulbs)

Sensors;
Kitchen (12 bulbs)
bathroom (1 bulb)
ensuite (1 bulb)
her office (1 bulb)
my office (1 bulb)

anything outside of the above (about 20 or so bulbs) have neither a routine or sensor and are just app controlled (rarely though)

thats a very nice setup. can you also say make them come on at the same color / intensity brightness each time they come on or is it a matter of having to go into the color or dimming menu on the app each day to fine tune?

AndyBoBandy

Irish_peppa wrote: »

thats a very nice setup. can you also say make them come on at the same color / intensity brightness each time they come on or is it a matter of having to go into the color or dimming menu on the app each day to fine tune?

When you set a routine to come on, it asks what (preset) scene you would like to use for the particular room. That scene can be anything you like, any colour combination or whatever. Just create a scene with colour/brightness as you like.

example,

bedroom, living room & hallway routine turns on the 'Relax' scene.

At Christmas time, I have a scene for the kitchen that's a little more festive, I can trigger this scene with a routine, or trigger it with the sensor.

To make a custom scene: set the lights in a room to whatever colour/brightness you want, then hit the create new scene button, and it will ask if you want to use the current light settings, select yes and give it a name, then you can set your routine/sensor/dimmer switch to turn on this new scene.

Irish_peppa

thanks full back andy and co :)

68 lost souls

68 lost souls wrote: »

Finally decided to get to the bottom of the horrible whine form two hue strip power supplies. Philips agreed to replace them so fingers crossed it solves it but all reports seem to say its 50/50 or worse if it will

6 transformers and 4 lights strips still with the same buzz. Support are very helpful but seems to be a design flaw or similar. Either under powered transformer or in need of earthing.

OffalyMedic

My next purchase maybe on Black Friday if Brexit doesn't throw a spanner in the works is strip light for behind my TV.
To test out how it'll work I was trying to use my. Ceiling light. I created an entertainment zone on the app but how do I connect my LG smart TV to the equation to give 'ambilight' effect?

Is it possible, has anyone done it?

AndyBoBandy

OffalyMedic wrote: »

I created an entertainment zone on the app but how do I connect my LG smart TV to the equation to give 'ambilight' effect?

Is it possible, has anyone done it?

needs to go through a PC for entertainment zones to work (I use a Mac Mini plugged into my Samsung 55")

it actually works quite well.

OffalyMedic

AndyBoBandy wrote:

needs to go through a PC for entertainment zones to work (I use a Mac Mini plugged into my Samsung 55")

So laptop or alternatively has to be plugged in constantly?

DrZeuss

OffalyMedic wrote: »

So laptop or alternatively has to be plugged in constantly?

If you have an Android box, Android tv or nVidia Shield there is an app on the Google Play Store (Hue Stream) that will work too.

Create your entertainment zone on the Philips app and then the Hue Stream app will see it after you link the app.

OffalyMedic

DrZeuss wrote:

If you have an Android box, Android tv or nVidia Shield there is an app on the Google Play Store (Hue Stream) that will work too.

Brilliant I have a mi box and Nvidia on the house TV's so this should work. Thanks again

FastFullBack

OffalyMedic wrote: »

Brilliant I have a mi box and Nvidia on the house TV's so this should work. Thanks again

Works with Fire TV as well. Just set it up. It's interesting.

EDIT: Not working on netflix

AndyBoBandy

FastFullBack wrote: »

Works with Fire TV as well. Just set it up. It's interesting.

EDIT: Not working on netflix

Yeah, for me on the mac mini, it wouldn't work with Netflix.

It seems the Hue sync wants to 'watch' your display, so it can mimic the colours on screen, and Netflix senses this as perhaps recording or up streaming and won't play.


Ironically works fine for content that's been Jack Sparrowed, and played on VLC. That and Youtube.