Philips Hue WiFi lighting set up - what do you have?

AndyBoBandy · 26-10-2016 9:38am

When does Black Friday usually occur? I've never partaken in it before

edit.

Friday November 25th

J.pilkington · 26-10-2016 10:49am

AndyBoBandy wrote: »

When does Black Friday usually occur? I've never partaken in it before

edit.

Friday November 25th

It works by Amazon releasing a limited number of product types every 15 mins or so at reduced prices. You can see what is upcoming for the day (and filter by lighting products) so you need to be quick and pounce when deal comes live. Example of prices would be an iris which I got last year for £47

Advice would be to sign up to Amazon prime close to the time (1st 30days free) and you get early access to the deals

bk · 26-10-2016 11:54am

I have two Blooms as bedside lamps. They add enough light to read comfortably by, without being too disturbing to another person sleeping. In particular if you use red.

I've an Iris in the babies bedroom, which is mostly used as a fancy night light. Again mostly use red. Yes, the Iris is much brighter then the bloom, but actually probably too bright for what we are using it as. We normally have it at it's dimmest setting.

I've an Aura behind the TV in the living room to add a splash of colour behind the TV. It doesn't change to what is on the TV, or anything like that, I just find that it actually makes it easier to watch the TV in an otherwise black room and improves TV viewing.

I never planned to buy all of these, I just sort of bought them gradually over the years via various Amazon sales!

paulbok · 26-10-2016 12:02pm

bk wrote: »

I have two Blooms as bedside lamps. They add enough light to read comfortably by, without being too disturbing to another person sleeping. In particular if you use red.

I've an Iris in the babies bedroom, which is mostly used as a fancy night light. Again mostly use red. Yes, the Iris is much brighter then the bloom, but actually probably too bright for what we are using it as. We normally have it at it's dimmest setting.

I've an Aura behind the TV in the living room to add a splash of colour behind the TV. It doesn't change to what is on the TV, or anything like that, I just find that it actually makes it easier to watch the TV in an otherwise black room and improves TV viewing.

I never planned to buy all of these, I just sort of bought them gradually over the years via various Amazon sales!

None of us ever did, now it's an addiction

alancostello · 26-10-2016 3:34pm

OU812 wrote: »

Just wondering if anyone has a Philips TV with ambilight? Apparently it works with hue. Might be upgrading TV and might go for one if it does.

I do, and I use the Ambilight+Hue app, though I don't use it particularly often, it is a cool effect however(it just drains the battery life of the device as it does all the calculations/commands to the bulbs). I'd put it on for movies mostly! Apparently some of the newer Android based Philips TVs have the app built in? I'm not aware of any current Philips TV stockists in Ireland though so you might have to go through the UK.

alancostello · 26-10-2016 3:54pm

Here's my bedroom setup.

Three e27 Colour bulbs(bedside, end of bed, ceiling), two Lightstrip Plus, one in each bookcase(with some CAT5 soldering between the two sides), and a 42" wall mounted Ambilight TV.

Stoner · 26-10-2016 5:30pm

We'd need to pin bargain alerts associated with home automation too imo. I miss all these sales

OU812 · 27-10-2016 3:14pm

Wonder if Hue will launch something like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMbmlqLk740

Graham · 27-10-2016 4:07pm

OU812 wrote: »

Wonder if Hue will launch something like this:

That's the Christmas tree lights sorted :mad:

AndyBoBandy · 27-10-2016 5:21pm

My 4 White & Colour Ambiance GU10's arrived just now along with the motion sensor - Happy Days

I had to remove the 12v transformers from 4 of my kitchen spots as well as change from GU4 to GU10 fittings, but alas, it only took 10 minutes and their all in!!

I'm up to 24 hue lights now!!

No doubt I'll have the remaining 6 I need ordered by the end of the day!!

laugh · 27-10-2016 6:11pm

AndyBoBandy wrote: »

My 4 White & Colour Ambiance GU10's arrived just now along with the motion sensor - Happy Days

I had to remove the 12v transformers from 4 of my kitchen spots as well as change from GU4 to GU10 fittings, but alas, it only took 10 minutes and their all in!!

I'm up to 24 hue lights now!!

No doubt I'll have the remaining 6 I need ordered by the end of the day!!

Buying them all off Amazon?

AndyBoBandy · 27-10-2016 6:51pm

laugh wrote: »

Buying them all off Amazon?

Yeah, seems like the cheapest option at the moment, particularly with the exchange rates as they are, before I bought from Apple, but they don't do the individual GU10's, only the (old) starter set for €199 (£149 (~€166) on Amazon for the new starter set).

forget about Argos & Maplin, they want €75 for the colour bulbs!!, and I think Argos have to order them in for you.

OU812 · 27-10-2016 7:15pm

Graham wrote: »

That's the Christmas tree lights sorted :mad:

Only 100 LEDs on it though. We have 400 bulbs on our tree

Graham · 27-10-2016 9:18pm

OU812 wrote: »

Only 100 LEDs on it though. We have 400 bulbs on our tree

They've committed to support chaining individual sets by December to make them behave as 1 larger string

My Christmas spirit thanks you.
My wallet doesn't!

laugh · 27-10-2016 9:45pm

AndyBoBandy wrote: »

Yeah, seems like the cheapest option at the moment, particularly with the exchange rates as they are, before I bought from Apple, but they don't do the individual GU10's, only the (old) starter set for €199 (£149 (~€166) on Amazon for the new starter set).

forget about Argos & Maplin, they want €75 for the colour bulbs!!, and I think Argos have to order them in for you.

Went into Argos and two Woodies this evening, I was eager to get something to play around with Home Assistant for the weekend.

Woodies Tallaght had almost nothing, Woodies Nass had a set with the 4 button switch and a white bulb no bridges and Argos appear to have no stock of Hue Kits in the entire country.

AndyBoBandy · 28-10-2016 7:12am

Woodies in Lucan is where I bought a light strip & the bloom (however the light strip was €100, its about €75 on Amazon)

AndyBoBandy · 28-10-2016 10:45am

Argos look like they have some very good deals on Hue products at the moment!!

Needs to be ordered in for collection, but still, looks like some great deals can be had.

Stoner · 28-10-2016 10:50am

I was looking at Amazon last night . I saw a regular Philips hue lamp at Â£15 BC too

Philips Hue White Personal Wireless Lighting LED B22 Light Bulb, 1 x 9.5 W Bayonet Cap [Apple Homekit Enabled] https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0152WXDDQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_A8XeybXG1YHGT

I didn't realise that that this basic offering

laugh · 28-10-2016 10:51am

AndyBoBandy wrote: »

Argos look like they have some very good deals on Hue products at the moment!!

Needs to be ordered in for collection, but still, looks like some great deals can be had.

Doesn't appear you can reserve it since it's not in stock anywhere in the country.

AndyBoBandy · 28-10-2016 10:54am

Argos are selling them now for €13.99

they are the basic, warm white only, I have a few of them in centre lights, as well as in the attic (guest room) and the hallway,

but I've just ordered a few white ambiance from Argos @ €23.99

Get onto Argos, the reductions are amazing!!, colour bulbs are €47.99, light strip is €66.99, colour starter set is €143.99

amazing prices for Hue products!!

AndyBoBandy · 28-10-2016 10:55am

laugh wrote: »

Doesn't appear you can reserve it since it's not in stock anywhere in the country.

I tried reserving a white ambiance E27, and it will be available to collect on Tuesday, tried as well for a B22 white ambiance and it said not available!!

so I'd say pull up a load of stuff, and see if it's available to reserve for store collection!

Stoner · 28-10-2016 10:57am

Fexk off you!! I'm skint!

But I'm going to look .

Stoner · 28-10-2016 10:58am

AndyBoBandy wrote:

they are the basic, warm white only, I have a few of them in centre lights, as well as in the attic (guest room) and the hallway,

But they dim too

AndyBoBandy · 28-10-2016 10:58am

doesn't look like much can be got from Argos!!

nothing is in stock, and the only thing I was able to order for store collection was 2 white ambiance E27's!!

typical argos, massive reductions on things that aren't available!!

AndyBoBandy · 28-10-2016 11:04am

it seems liffey valley Argos have a few bits in stock,

I also managed to get a lightstrip for collection on Tuesday. I don't need it(yet) , but for €66 it's too good a price to let go.

Stoner · 28-10-2016 11:18am

AndyBoBandy wrote:

doesn't look like much can be got from Argos!!

I was seriously looking at getting the colour set. TBH my house is full of GU10 LEDs.and in the living and dining room I've have decorative pendant's that I took along time to source in a Matt chrome to match a Matt chrome mk edge light switches.

I'm not a fan of lamps,
I've a play room with a fitting that takes a ES lamp . After that I've a BC on the landing. One on the spare bed room and one in my son's room although the pendant is his room powers fitting the turns around, private ship, popular at the moment.

I'm struggling to fit Hue into my house over and above say the bloom type situation or the strip

I'm not spending 1000 euro on Hue gu10s

My dining room has a 6 lamp SES screw lamp and my living room has SBC lamps x5.

I'd end up with wall lamps just to work Philips in.
50 euro a lamp in a room I have 6 in is just too much money tbh for what would be just dimmable gu10s
So I've pendant fittings in the rooms used infrequently in my house.

So I'm limited to adding lights.

I've pl fittings in my kitchen 26watt units have them 12 years five of them. I've replaced 6 lamps in 12 years

My hall has 3 x 13watt pls 3 lamp replacements in 12 years , one went last week having lasted the whole 12 years

But I'd need to change them now. I'm limited to led large down lights.

For someone like me some Philips inline dimming units would be really handy.

AndyBoBandy · 28-10-2016 11:18am

Stoner wrote: »

But they dim too

yes, full hue functionality with the app etc.., only in 1 colour though

AndyBoBandy · 28-10-2016 11:22am

Stoner wrote: »

50 euro a lamp in a room I have 6 in is just too much money tbh for what would be just dimmable gu10s

Have you looked at the white ambiance GU10's? Amazon do a 2 pack for £45 they do warm/cold white, just no colour, and are a much cheaper GU10 hue option. I've 4 on the way for my landing

Stoner · 28-10-2016 11:47am

AndyBoBandy wrote:

Have you looked at the white ambiance GU10's? Amazon do a 2 pack for Â£45 they do warm/cold white, just no colour, and are a much cheaper GU10 hue option. I've 4 on the way for my landing

As a sample.

https://goo.gl/images/srSFg5

This is the type of fitting I have , I've two, similar but nicer imo , not as hickey

So I'd have that as a centre light, with 4 GU10 around it.

I've that twice.

I'd like to get all the lights in a room working or as is, not partly.

I'd get the Hue GU10 if I could get something to control the centre lights , they are a small led lamp. I think one has 9 no 6watt less that cost 18 euro each

So is like have the facility to put in an inline unit to bring the central light into the scene, or not have it at all.

AndyBoBandy · 28-10-2016 7:57pm

For my centre lights, I just prefer a 1 bulb light with a decent shade, as I'd only ever use my centre lights 0.0000001% of the time!! (My mothers hatred of having centre lights on must have rubbed off on me!!)

paulbok · 28-10-2016 11:01pm

Has anyone tried the hack from Reddit for joining two hue lightstrips with some cat cable to run behind a dead zone? I want to continue a 3M section with two 1M section separated by cable running behind a cabinet. Can't justify two additional controllers just to add 1m sections.
Any tips from anyone who managed this?

Stoner · 29-10-2016 7:50pm

Note I did read here or somewhere on boards that someone was making their own strips.

Also cat5 cable might be being used because it's rigid and can be pushed up the strips

This guy soldered new male and female connectors on. Looks like a good job.

https://youtu.be/jQEjFyyuVac

You could use the cat5 cable as a spacer

I found a guy boosting the rgb signal with a pwm amp and adding on non Philips strips on too.

Stoner · 29-10-2016 9:58pm

See this guy boosting the strips to get more out of them

https://youtu.be/CFIdDXNJJ6o

AndyBoBandy · 30-10-2016 7:42pm

Picked up 2 white ambiance bulbs today in Argos,

I had ordered E27's (as that's all they seemed to have, or could get), but was surprised to see they'd given me B22's!

No major issue as I can still use the B22's, as most of my fittings are a mix of bayonets & Edison's

It looks like their huge discounts ends tomorrow, so could still be worth seeing if they can get anything else hue

Advbrd · 31-10-2016 11:35am

I haven't bought any gadgetry in a while and am having withdrawal symptoms.
I would love to jump on the Hue bandwagon but apart from the bathrooms, all my rooms have multiple bulb fittings or masses of gu10 spotlights.
There are eighteen in the kitchen alone. I'd need to take out a small mortgage to automate the house lighting. Someday maybe.

irelandrover · 31-10-2016 11:39am

So I can see this becoming an adiction. So far I have 4 colour bulbs, three in teh living room and one in teh bedroom, 1 white bulb in the upsatirs hall and 2 white bulbs in the basement activated by the motion sensor. So far I am very impressed with the setup.

I want another 2 colour bulbs for lamps in teh living room, a bloom to replace my current one that isnt compatible with hue and a lightstrip for the kitchen. I think thats all i can get away with for the moment while remaining married.

AndyBoBandy · 31-10-2016 12:09pm

I'm up to 26 bulbs (with 10 more in the post)

how she hasn't left me yet i'll never know (although it was herself who bought me the starter kit, so I keep winding her up that she started it all)

Stoner · 31-10-2016 3:13pm

Advbrd wrote:

there are eighteen in the kitchen alone. I'd need to take out a small mortgage to automate the house lighting. Someday maybe.

I'm in the same boat. That's why I'm considering the iris or bloom as its too expensive to achieve regular lighting changeover for me with Hue .

I have regular Philips dimming lamps GU10 I'm considering adding dimming modules to lightwaverf to tie in the large amount of exist lamps.

900 euro on lamps is crazy you are paying for the same thing over and over again where as an inline 250W dimming unit can be used with five euro lamps
So it would be a cost of 900 vs 70 for what I'd pretty much call the same thing.

But the other Hue colour change stuff adds something extra.

OU812 · 31-10-2016 3:20pm

irelandrover wrote: »

So I can see this becoming an adiction. So far I have 4 colour bulbs, three in teh living room and one in teh bedroom, 1 white bulb in the upsatirs hall and 2 white bulbs in the basement activated by the motion sensor. So far I am very impressed with the setup.

I want another 2 colour bulbs for lamps in teh living room, a bloom to replace my current one that isnt compatible with hue and a lightstrip for the kitchen. I think thats all i can get away with for the moment while remaining married.

Firstly. Impressed with the basement. Not too many places in Ireland have one. Secondly, Why bother with them down there? You could just put a regular motion sensor there with ordinary bulbs.

irelandrover · 31-10-2016 3:24pm

OU812 wrote: »

Firstly. Impressed with the basement. Not too many places in Ireland have one. Secondly, Why bother with them down there? You could just put a regular motion sensor there with ordinary bulbs.

I dont live in Ireland. And its only a place to store food and the freezer. I had a normal sensor there but with energy saving bulbs there they took forever to warm up so i couldnt really see down there for the 30 seconds i was down there. The hue set up was incredibly easy.

I'll also be honest and say it was also a way of getting the sensor into the house and getitng my wife used to it.

Stoner · 31-10-2016 5:39pm

irelandrover wrote:

I'll also be honest and say it was also a way of getting the sensor into the house and getitng my wife used to it.

Good stuff and tbh the basic led Philips hue lamp is reasonably priced

The issue you had before with the energy saving lamp was that it was most likely a CFL . You could get a Philips basic LED lamp and it would sort out the warm up issue without hue.

I've a utility room with a sensor . I recently did some work on it and made it smaller I kept the sensor it's a gift as usually your hands are occupied with washing, great place for an on off sensor with a gu10 LED. No need for hue here though, it's on off control only.

AndyBoBandy · 01-11-2016 5:12pm

The remaining 6 GU10's arrive this afternoon, so I now have 10 in the kitchen!!

Optimus Prime · 01-11-2016 5:15pm

Do they fit into the ceiling fittings ok? ive heard they are bigger than normal GU10s and I need 6 for mine!

AndyBoBandy · 01-11-2016 5:19pm

They are a little taller than standard GU10 bulbs, however my fittings are a holder for the bulb, and the actual GU10 female is only on a wire, so the bigger bulbs have no issues going in.

The attached image is what I have on my landing (not a hue bulb) but it shows what I'm talking about, with the lamp holder and frame being separate

Optimus Prime · 01-11-2016 5:38pm

yes they are like the ones in my attic alright, but the ones in my kitchen are "cups" if you know what I mean, no wire like that.

AndyBoBandy · 01-11-2016 6:17pm

I know exactly what you mean,

I have 6 of those cup types in my attic,

My suggestion would be to buy one hue GU 10 bulb and try it.

It most likely won't fit, as per all the reviews on Amazon, so I'd also plan on buying the other spot fittings like in your attic.

It's a bit of a pain, but if you want hue lights in your kitchen, it might be the only option!!

Optimus Prime · 01-11-2016 6:21pm

grand, at least ive I buy 3 and they don't fit they will do me for the attic until I replace the fixtures in the kitchen.

OU812 · 01-11-2016 7:50pm

AndyBoBandy wrote: »

The remaining 6 GU10's arrive this afternoon, so I now have 10 in the kitchen!!

Upload a photo when you have them in place

Graham · 01-11-2016 7:51pm

OU812 wrote: »

Upload a photo when you have them in place

When the new home automation forum starts

there should definitely be a HuePorn thread.

AndyBoBandy · 01-11-2016 8:43pm

Graham wrote: »

When the new home automation forum starts there should definitely be a HuePorn thread.

In that case, I'll change my username to Ron Jeremy

Philips Hue WiFi lighting set up - what do you have?

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