Let me know what smart lighting you’re using, and if you’re ‘Team Hue’ or ‘Team Anything-but-Hue.’ 👉 Click here to see my smart home gear: www.michaelsleen.com/tech/
I was an early adopter of Hue and have had about 8 globes running on timers throughout the home since the first generation. They have been rock solid all those years. This week I updated the bridge to V2 (which is a gamechanger for location based automation) and, incredibly, all the original gen 1 globes work perfectly with it and I am able to integrate the system into Apple Home as well as add some new indoor and outdoor light strips and spotlights. I was pretty impressed tonight when I tested my new automations - For example, when you turn on the cinema projector in the lounge, the lighting adjusts automatically and then fades back in when you switch it off. I only wish there was better app software integration between Philips and Apple, though I expect there would be commercial interests at stake in merging their APIs.
@@michaelsleen Share/sync scenes, automations and trigger events across apps. Share/recognise light/room/zone settings, external devices and timers. Deconfliction between widgets. Many more opportunities - these were just a couple that come to mind.
@@michaelsleen well it would be nice to have the 8K sync box go right into sync mode when I start my Apple TV in the same room, or to have a voice command or shortcut for it Right now I’m struggling that my 7900 XTX video card for my computer can’t go through the sync box even though with my 3060 TI was able to … yay computer issues
I got hue a few years ago, when it was really the only game in town. Yeah it cost a few bucks more than the competition, but it was (and remains) high quality all around. It integrates effortlessly into the rest of my smart home. Were I just beginning my smart home journey today I might be tempted to make a less expensive choice, but it remains true that Hue is worth the money.
I have Hue Lights that i bought in 2017 and have gone through many smart bulbs from other manufacturers...yes they are cheaper but its really inconvenient to find that the cheaper smart bulbs are out or misfunctioning after a couple of months...my Hue lights still work perfectly and will be getting all Hue lights from now on.
Yessssss! They are worth it. I’ve tried many others looking for lower costs. The Hue bulbs always work for me. The others can work for a while, but there are many that will eventually have reliability issues. Having bulbs not respond will make you always say, “I should have just gotten the Hue, because they work!” ES
There is no question that Hue is the best smart lighting system. You can try to argue but you cannot. They are excellent lights that work every time and the accessories are second to none.
A month ago i had 4 cheap smart spotlights that worked with wifi and it didn’t work so well, and not long ago i bought a starterpack from hue with the Hue bridge ☺️ I love it and what you can so with it 😊😃 Also i bought the Hue Iris and it looks great in my room 🥰
I've had Philips hue before it was even compatible with Siri. Yup I had the round hue bridge when I first started. I've had them since 2015. You are right. The bulbs are expensive but dead RELIABLE. Day in day out...year after year, they just work. I upgraded a few bulbs to later generations because the color green on the first gens was horrible. I have no complaints other than price. They have gotten so much brighter and are extremely color accurate now. I bought a bunch of bulbs second hand on ebay. I have 10 lights in total and I have two Tap Switches that control my lights and works even if my internet is down. Having apple homekit control the show has been seamless as well. Siri control is excellent. Timer and location based automations are great too. I had a philips hue wall plug to seasonally control my Christmas tree lights. I know other companies offer the same on/off functionality, but I've had problems with disconnects. I am definitely team hue. I want to explore the TV syncbox next.
I have a combination of the old GE Zwave, 1 Wiz bulb, and several Sengled Zigbee bulbs. I've had Z-wave and Zigbee bulbs for years connected to my SmartThings for the last 4 years and Wink for 5 years before that. I've never had any latency issues or had any stop working. I have a Wiz bulb connected through Matter and had it connected through the app with SmartThings and never had any issues with it. I think the biggest advantage is the scenes. I have 2 Govee speakers lights (they are on the back) connected through Alexa and have some scenes set to turn on at night, and change colors when you ask Alexa for movie mode. They change back with Alexa normal mode. I've been happy with Govee, just wish they worked with SmartThings.
@@michaelsleen I agree. I feel like that’s why Matter over WiFi is kind of getting a bad rap for people that don’t have a solid WiFi network. Even my WiFi over Matter has been really good. But I’m also running Ubiquiti products for my WiFi.
It’s the best and most expensive smart bulb on the market today. Not only the bulb itself costs a lot, you need the expensive hub too to maximize its features! My TP-Link bulb cannot do the red light anymore and it was my favorite color! 😭
How is this still a discussion Philips hue are the best and most reliable smart bulb they have the cleanest looking app and the best colour saturation out of any other bulb the integration into the smart home is flawless no other bulb can compete with hue.
They are more expensive but not overpriced for smart lighting. I have bought them on sale and clearance many times. Obviously they should be cheaper, but this is the price of admission
@@johncooney1942my house is almost finished I need about 180 feet of strips to wrap my house. I’m gonna bite it and buy all hue strips. What do you mean by lightning? Does govee have something hue doesn’t? Can’t you add anything to any strip with WLED?
Over the years I have used bulbs from Hue, Ikea, Nanoleaf, Ledvance, Aqara and a few more. I have gradually replaced all non Hue bulbs with Hue. None of them have had the simple stability, responsiveness and the “just works” of Hue. My only issue is the old bridge that Hue uses and the need to have multiple bridges since I have something like 70 bulbs at home. But then again I guess that’s part of the stability. My two bridges work fine and integrate seamlessly with home assistant and homekit.
My very first Hub and lamps are still going 6yrs later!!! They’re priced at a premium, but I rather pay a high price tag up front than spend more experimenting with other brands, dealing with returns/exchanges, compatibility issues etc etc. Also, the Hub has been updated to support matter which means a more streamlined communication protocol. None of my automations with HomeKit have even failed or gave me a hard time with Hue.
I bought 36 Govee downlights and the tv backlight Dune edition and I am returning all of it. I have several Hue standard bulbs and a sync box with the Hue TV light strip. I've had non-stop problems with the Govee lights, and the light strip's quality does not compare to Hue's light strip. Although I am spending about double for the same number of Hue lights, I know am making the right choice. The Hue colors and ease of use in my experience is top-notch and worth the price.
Sorry to hear about the trouble with Govee. I suppose sometimes you get what you pay for. In this case, the extra cost gets you better quality and reliability.
Other than the occasional issues with apple (not really hue fault i guess) I’ve enjoyed them over the past 10 years or so. They haven’t gone out.. just wish they were brighter.. but defiantly getting them for the whole house whenever i go back to America
Not sure I fully understand the request, but I have numerous videos on my channel related to smart bulbs vs smart switches, and a variety of smart home sensors if you want to check them out.
There were a bunch of great deals over Black Friday and Cyber Monday! You can click through my deal tracker to see which deals, if any, are still active: www.michaelsleen.com/bfcm-2024/
I would like to add outdoor security lights and a "nanny cam" to my Hue system. Which devices and outdoor bulbs would you recommend thta will be compatible with my Hoe bridge? Many thanks.
@michalartal3148 Hue offers a variety of indoor and outdoor lights, depending on what you need. I'm just using this bulb in four outdoor light fixtures for lighting at night: amzn.to/3VULQDI. Hue also has a line of security cameras, but I don't use them. Instead, I'm using UniFi Protect cameras inside and outside my home, including a few UniFi G3 Instant cameras that I got for $30 each. However, the UniFi Protect setup is more involved (requires a UniFi controller), and the prices have increased. In general, I recommend looking for cameras with local storage (not cloud storage), 24/7 continuous recording, and no subscription required.
@Jester33347 Letting you know that the video comparing smart bulbs with smart switches published -- you can watch it here: th-cam.com/video/UzPCoGAMa6Q/w-d-xo.html
@@michaelsleen I can't get past adding the bridge. The app finds the bridge but and tells me to push the button. I do and nothing happens for that point.
@@HebronGrandpa I had lots of trouble getting my first bridge set up. It needed to update but failed with the stock app, I had to keep logging in to my account and resetting the process and I used an app called "Hue Essentials" for part of the process which helped as far as I remember. Eventually I managed to get it setup, but it was a pita and it is easy to get into a loop where it just does stupid things in the setup procedure. Good luck I hope you can make it work. Also if you keep having problems try sending an email to Philips Hue support.
Don’t forget that let’s day 20% with hue is really 20 procent. Other brands might give brighter light with the same lumen and their color accuracy is correct. As in warm white is warm white and red is red. Some cheaper brands have a different idea of colours.
Phillips Hue in the last few years (starting with iOS 15) has developed a serious problem working with Apple HomeKit even with an Apple TV as hub. The HomeKit hub and the Hue Bridge won’t sync (discussions online but strangely not on TH-cam). If anyone has found a fix, please post.
I went nuts in 2015 and did my whole house in Hue. It was expensive, $1500 or so. I've since moved a dozen times all across the country, and every single bulb and strip I've ever bought still works as well as it did new. They all look deep and rich still and the app has gotten better with time. Nothing has gone obsolete. I'm a harsh critic of consumer electronics but I can't think of a way any of it could be better. It all just works to the point that I don't know why I'd ever buy another bulb in my life. The voice control alone is worth it. In the beginning you couldn't change colors with voice easily/at all. Now it's thoughtless. A rare 10/10 in this throwaway era.
@@michaelsleenI think she's speaking about what you said on setting the Philips Hue so that the colours change through the day to imitate the outdoor luminosity. And even if it wasn't what she meant, I would still like to know how to do it :) and I would like to ad another question to that : are the Philips Hue white ambiance enough to do that because I'm not really into colours (and it is also cheaper...) Thank you !!!
White Ambiance is enough to do that. From the Philips Hue app, you can click Automations > Create automation and it will offer some basic functions like "wake up with light" and "go to sleep." For complete Adaptive Lighting, I made a separate video showing how to set this up in Home Assistant or Apple HomeKit: th-cam.com/video/Ucp3dM8RN2c/w-d-xo.html
Have they fixed their light brightness and CRI and colors compared to LIFX? I'd prefer to get Zigbee bulbs, but from what I've seen, Hue provides an inferior light. So while the operation is spotless, the bulbs themselves are a downgrade :/. I'm curious if you've done any comparisons. It's not like I have to choose one or the other. I can use both in Home Assistant. I'm just really into high-end bulbs. More CRI and many more lumens is what I'm after.
I don’t have a direct comparison video at the moment, but I use both Hue and LIFX bulbs in my home. I also have used TP-Link Kasa, SYLVANIA, Sengled, etc. bulbs. Every time I would choose Hue over all others.
@@michaelsleen Wow! That's a great sell. Why's that? I was like "agree to disagree", but I swapped out some problematic LIFX bulbs today with new LIFX bulbs, and I've spent hours and couldn't get them to pair (even though the old ones were paired just fine). My IKEA Tradfri color bulbs (that I bought to play with) paired instantly! I can't use them in all fixtures because of the lumen count, and they have no BR30, but Zigbee is so good! I don't wanna go back to Wi-Fi bulbs anymore. I'm curious about Hue. I hate that LIFX is always so much brighter and literally no one else can beat their color accuracy, but they also have issues pairing and sometimes lose Wi-Fi connection even though I have 8 APs at my house and lowered the volume enough, so they don't cause too much interference. 2.4GHz is a very noisy frequency for Wi-Fi.
I only like warm lighting as cool lights give me a headache. I also find coloured lighting abit annoying so i went with tapo, 4 bulbs for £15 and can do everything i need and can all be controlled via google home. Also the eco system is fantastic and very very affordable
I’m not overly impressed with the 1600 lamps just wish the colours were brighter. They are lights out there that have better brightness and colour but I have found the Philips are more reliable.
Hue, Works with any Zigbee 3.0 light and plug from IKEA. Sengled, Sonoff, Cree, eWelink, and more, You don't have to stick to expensive Hue brand devices. With Matter all these devices are bridged locally to any other major platform.
I'm new to smart lighting and to be frank about it, I am annoyed over how hard it's been to just be directed to Phillips (seems the best option so far) but literally all I want is the biggest color range, programmability, and reliability. Nearly any of theae bulbs say "16 million colors!" yeah, that's the combinations available with RGB, but you don't HAVE that color pallet unless you actually have CONTROL over the RGB values. So it breaks down to which one has the best app, and nobody really shows their app capabilities on the packaging. So damned annoying.
I know that they aren't the brightest and most vibrant and that they overcharge a lot. But I just like how easy everything is and I am willing to pay for it.
@@michaelsleen I've had Apple HomePod mini's next to my Google minis (or whatever google calls it) and they've both had issues recently. I'm trying to downsize my smart home. I mostly use lights and google for the TV off/on rarely. The google issue is all over the web, but no real resolutions except shaming the user's internet/network. It's throughout the house and it seems google doesn't stay connected while not in use somehow. I"ll troubleshoot when I have more time(not that I want to)(The point of smart homes etc)
I have >20 GU10 ambient white spots in my ceiling… after ~7 years most of them had to be replaced… so better don‘t count on the promised 15k - 25k hours (Depending on the generation) lifetime…
Ok. You miss the point there. It is all about Zigbee compatibility, rather than hue... I do professional lights instalations with my systems, integrated over, including but not only, HA too. For this I use my software integrations running in HA, meaning that I do not use the lights of HA but use it as the platform to join zigbee, dmx and other protocols under one roof in my own lights integration. All i need is the device to follow zigbee standard. The best value for money so far to me are GLEDOPTO products. At home, which I use as the showroom i run ~1500 of their RGBCCW zigbee lights alone, and thanks to ZHA at lower level and my soft on the top, it performs almost as good as dmx lights in the same setup. But even with the standard HA lights you can use these bulbs to create nice effects, but not as fancy ofcaurse...
I’ll have to check out the product you mentioned. While I prefer Zigbee over WiFi lights for their reliability, that wasn’t the point. Since Hue is expensive, many wonder if it’s worth the cost. Not everyone will create a smart home with a standalone Zigbee (or Z-Wave) adapter like I do. They may prefer a simpler solution. Appreciate you sharing!
I just don't like how you are forced to buy a bridge to set up routines and then it needs to be connected to a router that's not even in my room. What If I stop using internet then I'm screwed and the router won't do it's intended job.
When I got started with Hue, I connected them via Bluetooth. However, a Zigbee connection to the Hue Bridge is far better (more reliable, more features). The Bridge must be plugged in to your router. Mine is the basement, but it easily communicates with Hue lights on three levels of my home, and lights that are outside. If you use Home Assistant, you can bypass the Hue Bridge all together and connect them directly using a standalone Zigbee coordinator, such as SONOFF Zigbee 3.0 USB Dongle Plus Gateway: amzn.to/3vqQfmP.
And I've confirmed personally that Hue lights will work if your internet goes down as long as you have zigbee compatible switches/buttons to control them. You can control your lights strictly from the zigbee side of the house. It's just the Wifi dependent smart features won't work. But your lights will continue to function on a basic level.
There are reliable, less costly non-WiFi bulb alternatives for half of the cost of Phillip’s Hue, such as Nanoleaf that works with Matter over Thread. $45+ for the hub and $42+ for each bulb is far too expensive.
Hue is not for everyone. I suggest looking at Innr Zigbee bulbs for a good value: amzn.to/3Yk66yA. Have heard of reliability issues with the Nanoleaf Matter-over-Thread bulbs.
Let me know what smart lighting you’re using, and if you’re ‘Team Hue’ or ‘Team Anything-but-Hue.’ 👉 Click here to see my smart home gear: www.michaelsleen.com/tech/
@@michaelsleen thank you
I was an early adopter of Hue and have had about 8 globes running on timers throughout the home since the first generation. They have been rock solid all those years. This week I updated the bridge to V2 (which is a gamechanger for location based automation) and, incredibly, all the original gen 1 globes work perfectly with it and I am able to integrate the system into Apple Home as well as add some new indoor and outdoor light strips and spotlights. I was pretty impressed tonight when I tested my new automations - For example, when you turn on the cinema projector in the lounge, the lighting adjusts automatically and then fades back in when you switch it off. I only wish there was better app software integration between Philips and Apple, though I expect there would be commercial interests at stake in merging their APIs.
@ thanks for sharing. What are you hoping Hue and Apple could do together but can’t?
@@michaelsleen Share/sync scenes, automations and trigger events across apps. Share/recognise light/room/zone settings, external devices and timers. Deconfliction between widgets. Many more opportunities - these were just a couple that come to mind.
@@michaelsleen well it would be nice to have the 8K sync box go right into sync mode when I start my Apple TV in the same room, or to have a voice command or shortcut for it
Right now I’m struggling that my 7900 XTX video card for my computer can’t go through the sync box even though with my 3060 TI was able to … yay computer issues
I got hue a few years ago, when it was really the only game in town. Yeah it cost a few bucks more than the competition, but it was (and remains) high quality all around. It integrates effortlessly into the rest of my smart home. Were I just beginning my smart home journey today I might be tempted to make a less expensive choice, but it remains true that Hue is worth the money.
Glad to hear it's been a good experience for you!
I bought some HUE Bulbs in 2013....Every single one of them still works perfectly. I cannot believe how long they've lasted.
Nice!
I have Hue Lights that i bought in 2017 and have gone through many smart bulbs from other manufacturers...yes they are cheaper but its really inconvenient to find that the cheaper smart bulbs are out or misfunctioning after a couple of months...my Hue lights still work perfectly and will be getting all Hue lights from now on.
I’d love to see a video about how you created the automations to adjust according to the Sun’s placement in the sky.
Will add that to the queue!
Yessssss! They are worth it. I’ve tried many others looking for lower costs. The Hue bulbs always work for me. The others can work for a while, but there are many that will eventually have reliability issues. Having bulbs not respond will make you always say, “I should have just gotten the Hue, because they work!” ES
There is no question that Hue is the best smart lighting system. You can try to argue but you cannot. They are excellent lights that work every time and the accessories are second to none.
This has been very helpful in my search for my first smart bulb for my home.
Glad it was helpful!
A month ago i had 4 cheap smart spotlights that worked with wifi and it didn’t work so well, and not long ago i bought a starterpack from hue with the Hue bridge ☺️
I love it and what you can so with it 😊😃
Also i bought the Hue Iris and it looks great in my room 🥰
Great to hear your experience. Haven't seen the Iris in person, but looks like it can create a unique ambiance.
I've had Philips hue before it was even compatible with Siri. Yup I had the round hue bridge when I first started. I've had them since 2015. You are right. The bulbs are expensive but dead RELIABLE. Day in day out...year after year, they just work. I upgraded a few bulbs to later generations because the color green on the first gens was horrible. I have no complaints other than price. They have gotten so much brighter and are extremely color accurate now. I bought a bunch of bulbs second hand on ebay. I have 10 lights in total and I have two Tap Switches that control my lights and works even if my internet is down. Having apple homekit control the show has been seamless as well. Siri control is excellent. Timer and location based automations are great too. I had a philips hue wall plug to seasonally control my Christmas tree lights. I know other companies offer the same on/off functionality, but I've had problems with disconnects. I am definitely team hue. I want to explore the TV syncbox next.
I debated the Hue Sync Box as well for the TV, but haven’t done it yet. Thanks for sharing!
I have a combination of the old GE Zwave, 1 Wiz bulb, and several Sengled Zigbee bulbs.
I've had Z-wave and Zigbee bulbs for years connected to my SmartThings for the last 4 years and Wink for 5 years before that. I've never had any latency issues or had any stop working. I have a Wiz bulb connected through Matter and had it connected through the app with SmartThings and never had any issues with it. I think the biggest advantage is the scenes. I have 2 Govee speakers lights (they are on the back) connected through Alexa and have some scenes set to turn on at night, and change colors when you ask Alexa for movie mode. They change back with Alexa normal mode. I've been happy with Govee, just wish they worked with SmartThings.
Good to know. I do find Zigbee and Zwave more reliable than WiFi or Bluetooth-based connections for smart home devices.
@@michaelsleen I agree. I feel like that’s why Matter over WiFi is kind of getting a bad rap for people that don’t have a solid WiFi network. Even my WiFi over Matter has been really good. But I’m also running Ubiquiti products for my WiFi.
Ubiquiti...that's another brand that one might ask, "Is it worth it?" For me, 100%.
It’s the best and most expensive smart bulb on the market today. Not only the bulb itself costs a lot, you need the expensive hub too to maximize its features!
My TP-Link bulb cannot do the red light anymore and it was my favorite color! 😭
That's annoying and strange that it just stopped doing one color on you!
How is this still a discussion Philips hue are the best and most reliable smart bulb they have the cleanest looking app and the best colour saturation out of any other bulb the integration into the smart home is flawless no other bulb can compete with hue.
Agreed their product is on another level.
They are the only ones I uses. Now strip lights I have some govee because I needed 80’ and a lightening effect
Overpriced
They are more expensive but not overpriced for smart lighting. I have bought them on sale and clearance many times. Obviously they should be cheaper, but this is the price of admission
@@johncooney1942my house is almost finished I need about 180 feet of strips to wrap my house. I’m gonna bite it and buy all hue strips. What do you mean by lightning? Does govee have something hue doesn’t? Can’t you add anything to any strip with WLED?
Over the years I have used bulbs from Hue, Ikea, Nanoleaf, Ledvance, Aqara and a few more. I have gradually replaced all non Hue bulbs with Hue. None of them have had the simple stability, responsiveness and the “just works” of Hue. My only issue is the old bridge that Hue uses and the need to have multiple bridges since I have something like 70 bulbs at home. But then again I guess that’s part of the stability. My two bridges work fine and integrate seamlessly with home assistant and homekit.
“It just works” is the number one reason I use Hue. Thanks for watching!
My very first Hub and lamps are still going 6yrs later!!! They’re priced at a premium, but I rather pay a high price tag up front than spend more experimenting with other brands, dealing with returns/exchanges, compatibility issues etc etc. Also, the Hub has been updated to support matter which means a more streamlined communication protocol. None of my automations with HomeKit have even failed or gave me a hard time with Hue.
I bought 36 Govee downlights and the tv backlight Dune edition and I am returning all of it. I have several Hue standard bulbs and a sync box with the Hue TV light strip. I've had non-stop problems with the Govee lights, and the light strip's quality does not compare to Hue's light strip. Although I am spending about double for the same number of Hue lights, I know am making the right choice. The Hue colors and ease of use in my experience is top-notch and worth the price.
Sorry to hear about the trouble with Govee. I suppose sometimes you get what you pay for. In this case, the extra cost gets you better quality and reliability.
Hey brother loved the vid. Only question is can multiple people connect and control the lights through the same account on the app?
Yes, my wife and I both log in to the same account on the Hue app. Either one of us can control the lights that way.
Other than the occasional issues with apple (not really hue fault i guess) I’ve enjoyed them over the past 10 years or so. They haven’t gone out.. just wish they were brighter.. but defiantly getting them for the whole house whenever i go back to America
I also would not mind brighter!
id love the video on the background on switches sensors and interfacing them on different platforms... whats best value for money?
Not sure I fully understand the request, but I have numerous videos on my channel related to smart bulbs vs smart switches, and a variety of smart home sensors if you want to check them out.
@ thanks a bunch, and excuse the rough phrasing 🙏🏽
When do the sales come up? Blk fri?
There were a bunch of great deals over Black Friday and Cyber Monday! You can click through my deal tracker to see which deals, if any, are still active: www.michaelsleen.com/bfcm-2024/
I would like to add outdoor security lights and a "nanny cam" to my Hue system. Which devices and outdoor bulbs would you recommend thta will be compatible with my Hoe bridge? Many thanks.
@michalartal3148 Hue offers a variety of indoor and outdoor lights, depending on what you need. I'm just using this bulb in four outdoor light fixtures for lighting at night: amzn.to/3VULQDI. Hue also has a line of security cameras, but I don't use them. Instead, I'm using UniFi Protect cameras inside and outside my home, including a few UniFi G3 Instant cameras that I got for $30 each. However, the UniFi Protect setup is more involved (requires a UniFi controller), and the prices have increased. In general, I recommend looking for cameras with local storage (not cloud storage), 24/7 continuous recording, and no subscription required.
I’d love to see a video about smart switches too.
Good to know, and thanks for the input!
@Jester33347 Letting you know that the video comparing smart bulbs with smart switches published -- you can watch it here: th-cam.com/video/UzPCoGAMa6Q/w-d-xo.html
My daughter gave me a starter set as a Christmas gift a few year back. I recently tried to set it up and when I push the button ... Nothing!!!
Have you added each light to the Hue app? And do you have a Hue bridge, or are the lights connected via Bluetooth?
@@michaelsleen I can't get past adding the bridge. The app finds the bridge but and tells me to push the button. I do and nothing happens for that point.
@@HebronGrandpa I had lots of trouble getting my first bridge set up. It needed to update but failed with the stock app, I had to keep logging in to my account and resetting the process and I used an app called "Hue Essentials" for part of the process which helped as far as I remember. Eventually I managed to get it setup, but it was a pita and it is easy to get into a loop where it just does stupid things in the setup procedure. Good luck I hope you can make it work. Also if you keep having problems try sending an email to Philips Hue support.
Sorry to hear about the difficulty. I assume you've followed all the steps here? www.philips-hue.com/en-us/support/connect-hue-product/starter-kit
Does it work with the controller without a phone, wifi or bluetooth? (So just the controller and the light bulbs)
Yes, Philips Hue bulbs + Lutron Aurora dimmer switches should work even without WiFi.
Don’t forget that let’s day 20% with hue is really 20 procent. Other brands might give brighter light with the same lumen and their color accuracy is correct. As in warm white is warm white and red is red. Some cheaper brands have a different idea of colours.
For those seeking a better value, I suggest looking at Innr Zigbee bulbs: amzn.to/3Yk66yA
Phillips Hue in the last few years (starting with iOS 15) has developed a serious problem working with Apple HomeKit even with an Apple TV as hub. The HomeKit hub and the Hue Bridge won’t sync (discussions online but strangely not on TH-cam). If anyone has found a fix, please post.
Sorry to hear that. I have not experienced this issue.
I went nuts in 2015 and did my whole house in Hue. It was expensive, $1500 or so. I've since moved a dozen times all across the country, and every single bulb and strip I've ever bought still works as well as it did new. They all look deep and rich still and the app has gotten better with time. Nothing has gone obsolete. I'm a harsh critic of consumer electronics but I can't think of a way any of it could be better. It all just works to the point that I don't know why I'd ever buy another bulb in my life. The voice control alone is worth it. In the beginning you couldn't change colors with voice easily/at all. Now it's thoughtless. A rare 10/10 in this throwaway era.
Great to hear your experience. Thanks for watching!
5:00 Comment … advice on how to optimally use Hues is appreciated
Not sure I understand what you're asking. Can you clarify your question?
@@michaelsleenI think she's speaking about what you said on setting the Philips Hue so that the colours change through the day to imitate the outdoor luminosity. And even if it wasn't what she meant, I would still like to know how to do it :) and I would like to ad another question to that : are the Philips Hue white ambiance enough to do that because I'm not really into colours (and it is also cheaper...) Thank you !!!
White Ambiance is enough to do that. From the Philips Hue app, you can click Automations > Create automation and it will offer some basic functions like "wake up with light" and "go to sleep." For complete Adaptive Lighting, I made a separate video showing how to set this up in Home Assistant or Apple HomeKit: th-cam.com/video/Ucp3dM8RN2c/w-d-xo.html
I checked your website for where you got the chandelier but I didn’t see the link anywhere so if possible could you tell me where you got it?
Sure, it's the West Elm Hayes Linear Chandelier (Light Bronze): tinyurl.com/yfncas36.
Have they fixed their light brightness and CRI and colors compared to LIFX? I'd prefer to get Zigbee bulbs, but from what I've seen, Hue provides an inferior light. So while the operation is spotless, the bulbs themselves are a downgrade :/. I'm curious if you've done any comparisons. It's not like I have to choose one or the other. I can use both in Home Assistant. I'm just really into high-end bulbs. More CRI and many more lumens is what I'm after.
I don’t have a direct comparison video at the moment, but I use both Hue and LIFX bulbs in my home. I also have used TP-Link Kasa, SYLVANIA, Sengled, etc. bulbs. Every time I would choose Hue over all others.
@@michaelsleen Wow! That's a great sell. Why's that?
I was like "agree to disagree", but I swapped out some problematic LIFX bulbs today with new LIFX bulbs, and I've spent hours and couldn't get them to pair (even though the old ones were paired just fine).
My IKEA Tradfri color bulbs (that I bought to play with) paired instantly! I can't use them in all fixtures because of the lumen count, and they have no BR30, but Zigbee is so good! I don't wanna go back to Wi-Fi bulbs anymore.
I'm curious about Hue. I hate that LIFX is always so much brighter and literally no one else can beat their color accuracy, but they also have issues pairing and sometimes lose Wi-Fi connection even though I have 8 APs at my house and lowered the volume enough, so they don't cause too much interference. 2.4GHz is a very noisy frequency for Wi-Fi.
@saturn2888 The reliability of Hue, especially compared with most other smart bulbs, is its number one advantage in my view.
I only like warm lighting as cool lights give me a headache. I also find coloured lighting abit annoying so i went with tapo, 4 bulbs for £15 and can do everything i need and can all be controlled via google home. Also the eco system is fantastic and very very affordable
Cool lighting in the evening also gives me a headache. Glad you found something that works for you!
I’m not overly impressed with the 1600 lamps just wish the colours were brighter. They are lights out there that have better brightness and colour but I have found the Philips are more reliable.
Agree, they could be brighter or the colors more saturated, but the reliability is top notch.
Hue, Works with any Zigbee 3.0 light and plug from IKEA. Sengled, Sonoff, Cree, eWelink, and more, You don't have to stick to expensive Hue brand devices. With Matter all these devices are bridged locally to any other major platform.
Hadn't heard of eWelink -- that's a new one for me.
@@michaelsleen theyve been around long time. Chances are they are the ones behind any chinese brands you have heard of. like Leedarson
@@michaelsleen Sonoff is one of their partner brands
Got it, thanks for sharing!
I'm new to smart lighting and to be frank about it, I am annoyed over how hard it's been to just be directed to Phillips (seems the best option so far) but literally all I want is the biggest color range, programmability, and reliability. Nearly any of theae bulbs say "16 million colors!" yeah, that's the combinations available with RGB, but you don't HAVE that color pallet unless you actually have CONTROL over the RGB values. So it breaks down to which one has the best app, and nobody really shows their app capabilities on the packaging. So damned annoying.
Philips Hue easily has the best app in my view.
3:40 I’ll have to learn how to make w widget for my watch and homecreen
Figured out the home screen one now I just have to figure out how to get the app on my Apple Watch
Glad you figured out the home screen widget for your iPhone. For Apple Watch, I suggest using the Apple Home app.
I know that they aren't the brightest and most vibrant and that they overcharge a lot.
But I just like how easy everything is and I am willing to pay for it.
They definitely charge a premium compared with other smart light bulbs. But as you said, they just work really easily.
I have to ask Google twice every time to set a scene. “Lamp is offline”. “Lamp is on”. Resetting all my lights isn't an option.
I haven’t had that issue, but I also don’t use Google.
@@michaelsleen I've had Apple HomePod mini's next to my Google minis (or whatever google calls it) and they've both had issues recently. I'm trying to downsize my smart home. I mostly use lights and google for the TV off/on rarely.
The google issue is all over the web, but no real resolutions except shaming the user's internet/network. It's throughout the house and it seems google doesn't stay connected while not in use somehow. I"ll troubleshoot when I have more time(not that I want to)(The point of smart homes
etc)
That's annoying. Sorry to hear that.
@@michaelsleen No worries. I'm gonna try my Apple Minis one more time before I sell'm just in case.
I have >20 GU10 ambient white spots in my ceiling… after ~7 years most of them had to be replaced… so better don‘t count on the promised 15k - 25k hours (Depending on the generation) lifetime…
Good to know, thanks for sharing!
Yes
This video says 2025, but released 10 months ago, thumbs down for editing the title.
The video content is no less relevant today.
Ok. You miss the point there. It is all about Zigbee compatibility, rather than hue... I do professional lights instalations with my systems, integrated over, including but not only, HA too. For this I use my software integrations running in HA, meaning that I do not use the lights of HA but use it as the platform to join zigbee, dmx and other protocols under one roof in my own lights integration. All i need is the device to follow zigbee standard. The best value for money so far to me are GLEDOPTO products. At home, which I use as the showroom i run ~1500 of their RGBCCW zigbee lights alone, and thanks to ZHA at lower level and my soft on the top, it performs almost as good as dmx lights in the same setup. But even with the standard HA lights you can use these bulbs to create nice effects, but not as fancy ofcaurse...
I’ll have to check out the product you mentioned. While I prefer Zigbee over WiFi lights for their reliability, that wasn’t the point. Since Hue is expensive, many wonder if it’s worth the cost. Not everyone will create a smart home with a standalone Zigbee (or Z-Wave) adapter like I do. They may prefer a simpler solution. Appreciate you sharing!
well yeah the bridge dont work at all
I have never had an issue with the Hue bridge. Sorry to hear that was your experience, and thanks for watching.
They just work 😅
True, there are brighter options or more saturated colors, but I prioritize reliability, and that’s where Hue shines in my experience.
Philips hue only gets worse, I’ll go back to working lights with switches, updates suck and brick devices
Sorry to hear that’s been your experience. I have never had an issue.
I just don't like how you are forced to buy a bridge to set up routines and then it needs to be connected to a router that's not even in my room. What If I stop using internet then I'm screwed and the router won't do it's intended job.
When I got started with Hue, I connected them via Bluetooth. However, a Zigbee connection to the Hue Bridge is far better (more reliable, more features). The Bridge must be plugged in to your router. Mine is the basement, but it easily communicates with Hue lights on three levels of my home, and lights that are outside. If you use Home Assistant, you can bypass the Hue Bridge all together and connect them directly using a standalone Zigbee coordinator, such as SONOFF Zigbee 3.0 USB Dongle Plus Gateway: amzn.to/3vqQfmP.
And I've confirmed personally that Hue lights will work if your internet goes down as long as you have zigbee compatible switches/buttons to control them. You can control your lights strictly from the zigbee side of the house. It's just the Wifi dependent smart features won't work. But your lights will continue to function on a basic level.
There are reliable, less costly non-WiFi bulb alternatives for half of the cost of Phillip’s Hue, such as Nanoleaf that works with Matter over Thread.
$45+ for the hub and $42+ for each bulb is far too expensive.
Hue is not for everyone. I suggest looking at Innr Zigbee bulbs for a good value: amzn.to/3Yk66yA. Have heard of reliability issues with the Nanoleaf Matter-over-Thread bulbs.
Clear your throat 😬 thank you for the video!
Noted!
tldr: no
It's not for everyone. I suggest looking at Innr Zigbee bulbs for a better value: amzn.to/3Yk66yA.
No there not
For those seeking a better value, I suggest looking at Innr Zigbee bulbs: amzn.to/3Yk66yA