Google Home Hub

Tinder Surprise

BOUGHT ONE..OK FFS ENOUGH!!!


Can we stop now please, or I will be broke and divorced before Monday


*heads straight back over to Bargain Alerts for a browse

bk

OU812 wrote: »

Mines just been delivered to parcel motel but apparently I’m not allowed open it until Xmas morning

Same here

whatawaster

OU812 wrote: »

Mines just been delivered to parcel motel but apparently I’m not allowed open it until Xmas morning

Did you order from the ebay store or the regular google store?

Ordered from ebay store on Monday, was due to be delivered to Parcel Motel yesterday but still no sign. What am I supposed to do with my weekend if this doesn't arrive?!

Tinder Surprise

bk wrote: »

Same here

Idea..gonna wrap it and hand to my better half and tell her 'Look I saved you the hassle this year and I got a great deal on it too'


just hope she doesn't notice the other dozen pieces of electronic scattered around the house, or look in my wardrobe :eek:

OU812

whatawaster wrote: »

Did you order from the ebay store or the regular google store?

Ordered from ebay store on Monday, was due to be delivered to Parcel Motel yesterday but still no sign. What am I supposed to do with my weekend if this doesn't arrive?!

eBay store. Took a day longer to ship than initially advised. Expecting a delay of a day or so to PM also

OldMrBrennan83

Google still haven't got back to me on whether I can send back the one I ordered last night.

mx5ire

So i have some questions, some of them probably dumb, about some of this home tech, before i jump in. About to buy a google home hub, so want to make sure that i understand some of potential issues/ options:

1. In terms of smart bulbs - i guess you need to leave ceiling type spots / pendants switched on with the traditional wall switch all the time (to get power). Then do you simply use Voice /tablet / phone to switch them of at bedtime etc ? My real query here is can you turn them on without using voice / phone etc - e.g. Go downstairs at 3am for a glass of water, not awake, cannot speak, google doesn't understand me, or more likely, the wife will throw all the smart bulbs it out the window if they are faffy to use and cannot be turned on easily in a moment of need, running in to grab something on the way out the door etc.

2. smart plugs or bulbs for sitting room / dining room tables / floor lamps ? I have two TP link smart plugs already and use them as timers as well - so i am happy enough with plugs. Any real advantage with bulbs instead ?

3. Will pick up some Ikea gu10 smartbulbs for kitchen / dining area this weekend - and the remote & gateway things, any reason not to use ikea stuff. It now integrates with google etc.

Help appreciated!

bk

mx5ire wrote: »

So i have some questions, some of them probably dumb, about some of this home tech, before i jump in. About to buy a google home hub, so want to make sure that i understand some of potential issues/ options:

1. In terms of smart bulbs - i guess you need to leave ceiling type spots / pendants switched on with the traditional wall switch all the time (to get power). Then do you simply use Voice /tablet / phone to switch them of at bedtime etc ? My real query here is can you turn them on without using voice / phone etc - e.g. Go downstairs at 3am for a glass of water, not awake, cannot speak, google doesn't understand me, or more likely, the wife will throw all the smart bulbs it out the window if they are faffy to use and cannot be turned on easily in a moment of need, running in to grab something on the way out the door etc.

If need be, you can just flick the switch off and back on again to turn on most smart bulbs, well Hue bulbs anyway.

Most of us also end up getting smart wireless dimmer switches to cover physical control like this.

mx5ire wrote: »

2. smart plugs or bulbs for sitting room / dining room tables / floor lamps ? I have two TP link smart plugs already and use them as timers as well - so i am happy enough with plugs. Any real advantage with bulbs instead ?

Only if your interested in white ambiance or colour features of smart bulbs.

mx5ire wrote: »

3. Will pick up some Ikea gu10 smartbulbs for kitchen / dining area this weekend - and the remote & gateway things, any reason not to use ikea stuff. It now integrates with google etc.

Help appreciated!

I personally feel Hue is far superior to Ikea. More options, greater variety of products, pretty much integrated with everything else. Outstanding integration.

I've my Hue bulbs integrated with the following:
- Nest Smoke alarms, if they detect smoke, all the lights turn on to help you escape
- Yale security system, if someone breaks in all Hue lights start flashing red, basically turning your entire home into an alarm box
- Logitech harmony remotes, you can have the lights automatically dimm when you turn on the TV to watch a movie.

And that doesn't include the integrations with Google Home, Alexa, SmartThings, Stringify, IFTTT, etc.

Plus loads of cool third party apps available for Hue, that do cool light effects at Halloween, Christmas, etc.

It is just such a rich ecosystem.

Now Hue is normally more expensive then Ikea, but during sales like tomorrow, you can usually get them for the same or just a very slight more then the Ikea bulbs. Worth it IMO.

BTW The Ikea bulbs can be made to work with the Hue hub too, so keep that in mind.

mx5ire

bk wrote: »

Only if your interested in white ambiance or colour features of smart bulbs.

Now Hue is normally more expensive then Ikea, but during sales like tomorrow, you can usually get them for the same or just a very slight more then the Ikea bulbs. Worth it IMO.

BTW The Ikea bulbs can be made to work with the Hue hub too, so keep that in mind.

Thanks for all that. I guess my only real issue with Hue is that i feel violated paying some of the prices !

So to start with Hue setup - i guess i need a Starter kit, hub etc, and some bulbs. Do the bulbs do White and Colour or do i need to buy actual specific colour bulbs ? Or are the plain whites just single cheaper ones ?

So if i did go with the Hue setup, i could get the Ikea Gu10's for the ceiling spots and connect them to the Hue hub.

I have a lot of investigations to do before tomorrows hopeful price drops !

Kintarō Hattori

Atomic Pineapple wrote: »

Just ordered one there myself, what sort of functionality does the screen bring to the home? Can I tell it to ignore my emails for example? Like I just bought a Christmas present for the wife online and I got an email about the order to my Gmail, would she be able to see this on the Home Hub then??

You won't get any email notifications on it so you're safe.

bk

mx5ire wrote: »

So to start with Hue setup - i guess i need a Starter kit, hub etc, and some bulbs. Do the bulbs do White and Colour or do i need to buy actual specific colour bulbs ? Or are the plain whites just single cheaper ones ?

Best to start with a starter kit that includes a couple of bulbs and hub.

Early on the week, they had three colour bulbs, a hub and echo dot on amazon for £90 which is actually a lot cheaper then Ikea. I suspect this deal will come up again tomorrow/Monday.

Getting stuff during these sales can bring the price down to equivalent or even less.

Hue bulbs come in three types:
- White only
- White Ambiance, can set the white to different temperatures, like bright white like in an office or more of a candle white. I find this very handy and worth it over white only.
- Colour and White Ambiance, do both the above White Ambiance and loads of colours.

mx5ire wrote: »

So if i did go with the Hue setup, i could get the Ikea Gu10's for the ceiling spots and connect them to the Hue hub.

Yep. Though keep an eye out on the Hue GU10's too, they were on sale earlier this week too.

mx5ire

So a little bit of reading this afternoon around what i need:

Most of my pendant or floorlights use an E14 bulb.

Hue dont seem to have a 3 colour bulb starter kit in E14 size - nearest i can find is a two white bulb with Gateway setup for 89 Stg on Amazon.

Hue says their gateway can support 50 odd bulbs, an ikea gateway only 10 at a time.

So - i could buy the Hue gateway, and pair it with 2,3 or 4 etc E14 Hues (or Ikeas if i only want white), and then use Ikea GU10's in the ceiling. I need 15 in the kitchen areas, and another 10 in the hall area. Assuming that i can use the same Hue hub with the rooms/bulbs divided out on Hue App or google home app, then this might just work for me.

bk

mx5ire wrote: »

So a little bit of reading this afternoon around what i need:

Most of my pendant or floorlights use an E14 bulb.

Hue dont seem to have a 3 colour bulb starter kit in E14 size - nearest i can find is a two white bulb with Gateway setup for 89 Stg on Amazon.

Are E14 to E27 converters any good to you, note the bulbs are bigger and the adaptor might cause them to stick out:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Luminosa-Adapter-Converter-Halogen-Convertor/dp/B078JJHRPV/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1542907130&sr=8-3&keywords=e14+to+e27+converter

The Hue starter kits aren't really on sale at the moment, they were earlier this week. I'd wait until tomorrow and Monday to see what pops up.

BTW The E14 Hues are pretty new, so less likely to be a deal on those.

Another option woyld be to change fitting to E27

mx5ire wrote: »

Hue says their gateway can support 50 odd bulbs, an ikea gateway only 10 at a time.

Hue is actually more like 64, I think Andy has hit that limit or is close to it :eek:

mx5ire wrote: »

So - i could buy the Hue gateway, and pair it with 2,3 or 4 etc E14 Hues (or Ikeas if i only want white), and then use Ikea GU10's in the ceiling. I need 15 in the kitchen areas, and another 10 in the hall area. Assuming that i can use the same Hue hub with the rooms/bulbs divided out on Hue App or google home app, then this might just work for me.

With so many GU10's if you are only looking for white only, then a cheaper option might be a smart switch that allows you to control all with one switch.

Either a wifi switch, that will work with Google Home etc. Or there is also an official zigbee switch that seemingly is supposed to work with the Hue hub, might be an option (note I haven't tried it, so no guarantee).

Also note that smart switches are complicated, ideally you need to make sure you have neutral at the switch, most require it, but not common in older Irish homes.

Stoner

bk wrote:

With so many GU10's if you are only looking for white only, then a cheaper option might be a smart switch that allows you to control all with one switch.

I'd say white Ikea GU10 is a good option

The Philips and Ikea smart lamps dim very well, they have a soft on off that IMO adds to lamp life.


I've 6 colour Philips GU10s but it was an expensive punt.

Where they are not the main light source I find the white Ikea fittings are decent enough certainly for 7 euro

A good dimmable LED is about 4 or 5 euro and a smart switch is expensive and hard to match for correct LED dimming

If its a room with 2 to 4 GU10 14 to 28 Euro is ok for smart functions IMO



On off is easier but harder on the lamp


Also with smart lamps you can individually switch and dim each lamp, not that you'd need to do that but some might.

I've used it for movie nights sometimes.


I've trialled some zigbee inline switches

One is fine on smarthings not working on hie hub though

mx5ire

Food for thought in both of those replies !

When i say 15 gu10 spots in the kitchen, i should have said that they are spread over 3 switches on 1 switch unit, so 1x6, 1x6 and 1x3. Unusual to have them all on at once too. So not sure that i need to change the switch at all. Same story in the hall, all spots spread over 2 switches. Less worried about the hall for the moment though.

The gu10's are the light source for reading etc, but they can be a bit harsh, and we have other over cupboard downlights (shining down the cupboard doors) for a more gentle relaxed light. However being able to dim the gu10's would be nice. Ikea do a 7 euro and a 15 euro one, i think the 15 is the only one that dims though.

So i am edging towards the Hue gateway and see if i can shoehorn the e27 bulbs into an e14 via a converter, changing the fittings is not an option due to lamp designs etc.

The individual Hue e14s are eye wateringly expensive, have to look out for deals tomorrow.

irishchris

mx5ire wrote: »

Food for thought in both of those replies !

When i say 15 gu10 spots in the kitchen, i should have said that they are spread over 3 switches on 1 switch unit, so 1x6, 1x6 and 1x3. Unusual to have them all on at once too. So not sure that i need to change the switch at all. Same story in the hall, all spots spread over 2 switches. Less worried about the hall for the moment though.

The gu10's are the light source for reading etc, but they can be a bit harsh, and we have other over cupboard downlights (shining down the cupboard doors) for a more gentle relaxed light. However being able to dim the gu10's would be nice. Ikea do a 7 euro and a 15 euro one, i think the 15 is the only one that dims though.

So i am edging towards the Hue gateway and see if i can shoehorn the e27 bulbs into an e14 via a converter, changing the fittings is not an option due to lamp designs etc.

The individual Hue e14s are eye wateringly expensive, have to look out for deals tomorrow.

Have hue lights setup through my house here and went with ikea €8 tradfri gu10s. 6 in kitchen and 4 in hall. Work perfectly with hue hub in the hue app and also with google home and alexa. You can zone each area in the app with specific gu10s and find they work perfectly as well as the more expensive hue with ask the same functionality. Have some ikea e14 bulbs coming this week too so hoping they work as well as the gu10s have for the last year.

Now to order the Google home hub :-)

CantGetNoSleep

irishchris wrote: »

Have hue lights setup through my house here and went with ikea €8 tradfri gu10s. 6 in kitchen and 4 in hall. Work perfectly with hue hub in the hue app and also with google home and alexa. You can zone each area in the app with specific gu10s and find they work perfectly as well as the more expensive hue with ask the same functionality. Have some ikea e14 bulbs coming this week too so hoping they work as well as the gu10s have for the last year.

Now to order the Google home hub :-)

I'm going for something similar today too - would you definitely go for a Hue hub over Ikea's own one? I only have the Floalt panel so far

slicedpanman

Yesterday I'd ordered the home hub and hello doorbell in the UK Google store (to deliver to parcel motel) but this morning I see that Google have cancelled my order due to "suspicious activity"... Anyone else ever get that?

I've emailed them and asked for the order to be reactivated

adox

Mines been cancelled too.

CantGetNoSleep

Any physical shops in London doing this deal?

OldMrBrennan83

slicedpanman wrote: »

Yesterday I'd ordered the home hub and hello doorbell in the UK Google store (to deliver to parcel motel) but this morning I see that Google have cancelled my order due to "suspicious activity"... Anyone else ever get that?

I've emailed them and asked for the order to be reactivated

My Mrs had this recently when she ordered a customised case for the Pixel 2. She replied straight away (around 5 weeks ago) and they've yet to get back to her.

slicedpanman

Patww79 wrote: »

slicedpanman wrote: »

Yesterday I'd ordered the home hub and hello doorbell in the UK Google store (to deliver to parcel motel) but this morning I see that Google have cancelled my order due to "suspicious activity"... Anyone else ever get that?

I've emailed them and asked for the order to be reactivated

My Mrs had this recently when she ordered a customised case for the Pixel 2. She replied straight away (around 5 weeks ago) and they've yet to get back to her.

Thanks... Not encouraging

mightybashful

Dicks cancelled my order too

OldMrBrennan83

I've one dispatched that I don't want because it was full whack, wish they'd done the same to me.

Ha Long Bay

The Hub is still available at £99 on the smarthomeuk eBay site. Received mine yesterday via PM.

bk

Yikes, sorry lads! My Hub got dispatched, phew

Sheep Shagger

CantGetNoSleep wrote: »

Any physical shops in London doing this deal?

John Lewis instore and online showing it at £99 now

bk

mx5ire wrote: »

Most of my pendant or floorlights use an E14 bulb.

Great deal on Amazon at the moment on 3 E14 bulbs, perfect for you, great price for them:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Philips-White-Colour-Ambience-3-Pack/dp/B076BWQ7J7?ref_=Oct_DLandingS_PC_e0e46690_NA&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE

Note, it doesn't include a bridge, so you will either need to also keep an eye out for a deal on a starter kit with more bulbs that you might need or alternatively look for one on ebay,adverts, etc. Lots of folks end up with extra unneeded bridges from buying starter deals and sell them cheap.

Tinder Surprise

bk wrote: »

Yikes, sorry lads! My Hub got dispatched, phew

mine too ..Phew

Sheep Shagger

Order cancelled too...Littlewoods have for €115 so ordered that.

https://www.littlewoodsireland.ie/google-home-hub/1600320026.prd?_requestid=57992&Ntt=google home hub