Thumbs Up for Philips Hue
Discussion
What am I on about?
Philips Hue
If you fancy some funky LED light bulbs that work via WiFi and a choice of either ios or android apps, then these are an awesome bit of lighting kit. I purchased The Starter Kit and four individual bulbs, so seven in total to light my flat.
Best thing is that the api is open-source so there are already quite a few apps available to create all sorts of customisations including pulsing to music and no doubt many other funky ideas.
Recommended!
errrr. . . not cheap though!
Philips Hue
If you fancy some funky LED light bulbs that work via WiFi and a choice of either ios or android apps, then these are an awesome bit of lighting kit. I purchased The Starter Kit and four individual bulbs, so seven in total to light my flat.
Best thing is that the api is open-source so there are already quite a few apps available to create all sorts of customisations including pulsing to music and no doubt many other funky ideas.
Recommended!
errrr. . . not cheap though!
Very much so Mike. Plenty bright enough, having said that I have three in my Living Room, two in my bedroom, one in the kitchen, and one in the bathroom!
I also went to John Lewis and bought five Otto Lamps as well as a couple of other designs. These are only £40 and diffuse the light brilliantly IMO.
You have to bear in mind that the Hue bulbs are large threaded bulbs only. I got a local lighting shop to change the fittings in the Ottos. A simple enough DIY job as well.
I also went to John Lewis and bought five Otto Lamps as well as a couple of other designs. These are only £40 and diffuse the light brilliantly IMO.
You have to bear in mind that the Hue bulbs are large threaded bulbs only. I got a local lighting shop to change the fittings in the Ottos. A simple enough DIY job as well.
clockworks said:
The product might be really good, but the website is awful! Despite clicking several links, I have no idea how it works or what it can do, let alone how much it costs. All I know is that I can do it from a phone.
Go to the link then scroll downClick on the getting started link and scroll down
How Much??!!lestag said:
Go to the link then scroll down
Click on the getting started link and scroll down
I've gone back and had another look, and it is an interesting product. Seems odd that I learnt a lot more from the comments on the Apple Store than I did from the Philips website.Click on the getting started link and scroll down
Shame they only come in ES format.
Did a bit of research. It seems that the bulbs don't actually connect to you wifi they use something called Zigbee light link which is a control standard. Effectively it creates it's own wireless mesh and the bulbs can act as relays for each other. They then connect to the bridge/hub which is hardwired to you router so the app can access them over wi-fi. End result is the same though!
Also discovered a kickstarter project called Lifx which is virtually the same thing but doesn't use a hub and does connect directly to your wifi (then also creates its own wireless mesh). http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/limemouse/lifx...
This looks even more open than Hue, prices are very similar but Hue seems to have first to market advantage.
Very interesting, even more so when the SDK/open API gets released and you can control them even more effectively.
Also discovered a kickstarter project called Lifx which is virtually the same thing but doesn't use a hub and does connect directly to your wifi (then also creates its own wireless mesh). http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/limemouse/lifx...
This looks even more open than Hue, prices are very similar but Hue seems to have first to market advantage.
Very interesting, even more so when the SDK/open API gets released and you can control them even more effectively.
dave328 said:
These are even cheaper - anyone with experience? http://www.limitlessled.com/
Just ordered the starter pack, and as I'm in NZ they reckon they'll be here in a week....Will let you know how I get on.LimitlessLED starter pack arrived this morning, I chose the colour pack. Products look good and well made, and where installed and running using the remote control within a few minutes. The wifi bridge took me a little longer and needed an email to support for help with setup. Reply came within half an hour, basically your wifi SSID isn't allowed to have spaces. Changing that and then re setting all my wifi devices was a bit of a pain, but everything is working as it should now.
For the money I'm happy, the more expensive options probably have more polished Apps and instructions, but for product and support, so far so good.
For the money I'm happy, the more expensive options probably have more polished Apps and instructions, but for product and support, so far so good.
alex.tvr said:
LimitlessLED starter pack arrived this morning, I chose the colour pack. Products look good and well made, and where installed and running using the remote control within a few minutes. The wifi bridge took me a little longer and needed an email to support for help with setup. Reply came within half an hour, basically your wifi SSID isn't allowed to have spaces. Changing that and then re setting all my wifi devices was a bit of a pain, but everything is working as it should now.
For the money I'm happy, the more expensive options probably have more polished Apps and instructions, but for product and support, so far so good.
How bright are the lamps? Do you think they're really equivalent to a 50w incandescent as claimed?For the money I'm happy, the more expensive options probably have more polished Apps and instructions, but for product and support, so far so good.
Gassing Station | Computers, Gadgets & Stuff | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff