Discussion
Coming to the end of our extension project I'm getting interested in smart "stuff" to kit it out. thoughts have turned to smart bulbs. I was shocked that with Philips Hue the 23x bulbs that we would need in full colour come to over £1k. I see however there are a variety of alternatives now, and of course not all the bulbs need necessarily be full colour.
What have you and how do you rate it?
What have you and how do you rate it?
Plenty of Hue discussion here (and some tangents into alternatives). Yes it's bloody expensive, I have kitted out pretty much all my house with Hue but not yet paid full price for anything, just wait for sales and grab what you can over time.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Never pay full price for Hue, to you never seem to have to wait that long, black Friday will undoubtedly bring several Amazon offers so wait til then I'd say.
I'd suggest you don't need colour in all of your lights, it's enough to add some colour but use white ambient for the rest. I would suggest white ambience bulbs where you can change the white colour temperature ate a useful addition to have.
I'd suggest you don't need colour in all of your lights, it's enough to add some colour but use white ambient for the rest. I would suggest white ambience bulbs where you can change the white colour temperature ate a useful addition to have.
1878 said:
Plenty of Hue discussion here (and some tangents into alternatives). Yes it's bloody expensive, I have kitted out pretty much all my house with Hue but not yet paid full price for anything, just wait for sales and grab what you can over time.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Another Hue fan here - any lighting thread draws us all out & with good reason.
For my build I decided to go with smart bulbs rather than smart switches as it gave me more flexibility to change my mind afterwards. They also let me add colour all under a single system.
I've done most of my house in Hue & spent a considerable sum that I don't care to add up - but as with everything, the cost fades in your memory, but you live with the quality every day.
Good advice above - I bought the bulk of mine in various sales, mainly Amazon, but they tend to be bundles, so I did pay full price for some bits.
White Ambiance for the ceiling lights - they did a standard White, but the Ambiance lets you adjust the colour temperature from a blue white through to a yellow, so you can pick what you want - and can have a bluer (daylight) in the morning and a softer yellowed tone in the evening if you want to.
Colour Ambiance is better in lamps & light strips IMHO - they are bright enough to give a good throw of colour without being too OTT
For my build I decided to go with smart bulbs rather than smart switches as it gave me more flexibility to change my mind afterwards. They also let me add colour all under a single system.
I've done most of my house in Hue & spent a considerable sum that I don't care to add up - but as with everything, the cost fades in your memory, but you live with the quality every day.
Good advice above - I bought the bulk of mine in various sales, mainly Amazon, but they tend to be bundles, so I did pay full price for some bits.
White Ambiance for the ceiling lights - they did a standard White, but the Ambiance lets you adjust the colour temperature from a blue white through to a yellow, so you can pick what you want - and can have a bluer (daylight) in the morning and a softer yellowed tone in the evening if you want to.
Colour Ambiance is better in lamps & light strips IMHO - they are bright enough to give a good throw of colour without being too OTT
I played around with a few brands, but it's best to stick to one, and Hue is the best.
They are like dominos pizza though, never pay full price as an offer will come along shortly. With Amazon you can usually only order one on a lightning deal at a time, so I built mine up over time on these deals. You shouldn't have to pay more than £30 for a colour bulb, less for other options.
I initially bought colour bulbs, but don't use the colour very much at the moment. It's good in kids bedroom and entertainment area if you want to set it up for a variety of uses. But generically used rooms are just as well served with white ambiance bulbs.
Be careful to note the difference with the white non-ambiance as they just have a dimming function and that's it on top of wifi control. OK if it's the right colour temperature, but no adjustment so quite inferior to the other bulbs, so I would only use these ones in hallways, so you can have it bright during the day and dim at night.
They are like dominos pizza though, never pay full price as an offer will come along shortly. With Amazon you can usually only order one on a lightning deal at a time, so I built mine up over time on these deals. You shouldn't have to pay more than £30 for a colour bulb, less for other options.
I initially bought colour bulbs, but don't use the colour very much at the moment. It's good in kids bedroom and entertainment area if you want to set it up for a variety of uses. But generically used rooms are just as well served with white ambiance bulbs.
Be careful to note the difference with the white non-ambiance as they just have a dimming function and that's it on top of wifi control. OK if it's the right colour temperature, but no adjustment so quite inferior to the other bulbs, so I would only use these ones in hallways, so you can have it bright during the day and dim at night.
Xaero said:
With Amazon you can usually only order one on a lightning deal at a time, so I built mine up over time on these deals.
Tip - you're correct that the quantity per order is usually limited to 1 - however, you can put through multiple back to back orders. They even figure it our at the back end & deliver them in a single box..... I'm a Prime subscriber, so no postage cost.Gassing Station | Homes, Gardens and DIY | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff