Philips Hue Lighting - owners thread
Discussion
gregs656 said:
Got my parents some Hue stuff for Christmas and quickly added some of the Lidl stuff (which is excellent as above)
And recommendations for wall switches?
As above the Phillips wall switch is good and gives you some customisation.And recommendations for wall switches?
Also have you considered getting them an Echo Dot or other voice assistant? One of the best bit about smart bulbs is easy voice control (if they haven't got one already).
So, it seems I've inadvertently become a Hue person...
I bought a fancy ceiling light for my new house and, eleven short months later, I managed to fit it (thanks, covid). The seller said something about it supporting dimming (she was speaking German and I wasn't interested enough to find out the detail at the time) but I assumed it was just because the LEDs were dimmable.
No, turns out it has ZigBee gubbins, and just wiring it in as normal means the ramp-up profile on the KNX switch it's connected to means it came on at random brightness levels. Cue some Googling where I discovered Hue is a ZigBee implementation and, well, a Bridge, a dimmer switch, a few light bulbs and an app install later, I guess I'm invested! It's all working pretty well so far.
I need to find out how much it'll cost to get KNX to talk ZigBee (no doubt another KNX module, plus the inevitable programming
), but for the moment I'm assuming I'll have both systems running in parallel.
One thing I can't figure out though is the connection between the Hue app and HomeKit. It keeps saying there's a mismatch between hue and the Apple Home app, but I can't figure out why. Things seem to be working, and when I go in and check the settings it all seems to be configured correctly. Any idea?
I bought a fancy ceiling light for my new house and, eleven short months later, I managed to fit it (thanks, covid). The seller said something about it supporting dimming (she was speaking German and I wasn't interested enough to find out the detail at the time) but I assumed it was just because the LEDs were dimmable.
No, turns out it has ZigBee gubbins, and just wiring it in as normal means the ramp-up profile on the KNX switch it's connected to means it came on at random brightness levels. Cue some Googling where I discovered Hue is a ZigBee implementation and, well, a Bridge, a dimmer switch, a few light bulbs and an app install later, I guess I'm invested! It's all working pretty well so far.
I need to find out how much it'll cost to get KNX to talk ZigBee (no doubt another KNX module, plus the inevitable programming
), but for the moment I'm assuming I'll have both systems running in parallel.One thing I can't figure out though is the connection between the Hue app and HomeKit. It keeps saying there's a mismatch between hue and the Apple Home app, but I can't figure out why. Things seem to be working, and when I go in and check the settings it all seems to be configured correctly. Any idea?
Edited by loudlashadjuster on Tuesday 19th January 12:26
Has anyone DIY'd outdoor smart lights rather than stump up for the Lily spots?
These spotlight bodies apparently fit the deeper Hue GU10 bulbs
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01BHU33BY
Was also thinking of using INNR GU10s rather than Hue to keep costs reasonably sensible.
Any experience of doing the above?
These spotlight bodies apparently fit the deeper Hue GU10 bulbs
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01BHU33BY
Was also thinking of using INNR GU10s rather than Hue to keep costs reasonably sensible.
Any experience of doing the above?
We've not quite gone down the route you are talking about but we've used INNR GU10s inside of waterproof housing in our decking. For the most, they work OK but they do become "unavailable" a fair bit, unfortunately. We've got Hue bulbs in other lights and we've actually got the Lily's too so it's not a Zigbee network issue as such as our Hue bulbs are beyond the INNR bulbs.
Would I change the bulbs out for Hue ones? Not really. We did actually have "waterproof" housing for the decking that had the Hue colour GU10s in there but the things leaked after a while and the bulbs didn't like it (no surprise really hey!). The reason we changed to INNR was because of the cost-saving and the fact we decided we'd be happy with just white there instead. The fact we cannot see the bulbs isn't an issue as we can quickly power them off/on again and that does the trick for us.
Would I change the bulbs out for Hue ones? Not really. We did actually have "waterproof" housing for the decking that had the Hue colour GU10s in there but the things leaked after a while and the bulbs didn't like it (no surprise really hey!). The reason we changed to INNR was because of the cost-saving and the fact we decided we'd be happy with just white there instead. The fact we cannot see the bulbs isn't an issue as we can quickly power them off/on again and that does the trick for us.
Anyone know of any decent looking blanking plates or Hue switch to replace the existing switch, but keeps the power on to the lights.
Everything I've seen is white and plasticky.
We're looking to replace our GU10s in our dining room with the Hue bulbs, but don't want people turning the switch on and off.
Everything I've seen is white and plasticky.
We're looking to replace our GU10s in our dining room with the Hue bulbs, but don't want people turning the switch on and off.
Perhaps you're just unlucky with them, or perhaps I'm lucky. I have one white Innr bulb (have a second as a spare, but not added to my system) and two Innr plugs - not had any issues with them in just over the year they've been installed - one is used daily as it's connected to my TV - new set but will only go in to standby, no controlled power down, which is/was a bit annoying.
joshleb said:
Anyone know of any decent looking blanking plates or Hue switch to replace the existing switch, but keeps the power on to the lights.
Everything I've seen is white and plasticky.
We're looking to replace our GU10s in our dining room with the Hue bulbs, but don't want people turning the switch on and off.
I was wondering about this too, and it seems like these new Switch Modules might just do the trickEverything I've seen is white and plasticky.
We're looking to replace our GU10s in our dining room with the Hue bulbs, but don't want people turning the switch on and off.
https://homekitnews.com/2021/01/14/hue-announce-sw...
loudlashadjuster said:
I was wondering about this too, and it seems like these new Switch Modules might just do the trick
https://homekitnews.com/2021/01/14/hue-announce-sw...
Hmmm, good spot. Just having a look into this now.https://homekitnews.com/2021/01/14/hue-announce-sw...
Nothing online seems to be very clear about it, but it seems as if it goes behind the existing light switch, and you replace the module with this? Could be a winner if so!
Would there be enough space behind a switch to place it? Oddly enough I was going to ask if anyone had any experience with these:
Yagusmart-Neutral-Required-Working-Control
Yagusmart-Neutral-Required-Working-Control
dapprman said:
Would there be enough space behind a switch to place it? Oddly enough I was going to ask if anyone had any experience with these:
Yagusmart-Neutral-Required-Working-Control
You need a 35mm backbox. If you only have a 25mm backbox then you need the extension bit which makes the switch look a bit ugly.Yagusmart-Neutral-Required-Working-Control
Got all excited about the switch module until I discovered it’s effectively only a wired controller so doesn’t really offer any benefit over one of those switch covers and the usual control.
Why haven’t they brought out a proper Hue switch? Loads of G4 and G9 fittings that would benefit and until then it simply isn’t a complete solution.
Why haven’t they brought out a proper Hue switch? Loads of G4 and G9 fittings that would benefit and until then it simply isn’t a complete solution.
page3 said:
Got all excited about the switch module until I discovered it’s effectively only a wired controller so doesn’t really offer any benefit over one of those switch covers and the usual control.
Why haven’t they brought out a proper Hue switch? Loads of G4 and G9 fittings that would benefit and until then it simply isn’t a complete solution.
https://www.senic.com/friends-of-hue-smart-switchWhy haven’t they brought out a proper Hue switch? Loads of G4 and G9 fittings that would benefit and until then it simply isn’t a complete solution.
I think these do, some of the friends of hue switches fit a uk light switch, but they are not cheap.
Not that one, but I thought that some of the Friends of hue switches worked as a full switch too..
Edited by Heartworm on Wednesday 20th January 09:37
dapprman said:
Would there be enough space behind a switch to place it? Oddly enough I was going to ask if anyone had any experience with these:
Yagusmart-Neutral-Required-Working-Control
The link says Neutral required, but then when you click on it it says no neutral required, I hear the no neutral required will leave the lights on very faintly as they require a current going through them to operate. I would like a decent CE certified neutral required zigbee lightswitch, Yagusmart-Neutral-Required-Working-Control
Heartworm said:
https://www.senic.com/friends-of-hue-smart-switch
I think these do, some of the friends of hue switches fit a uk light switch, but they are not cheap.
Not that one, but I thought that some of the Friends of hue switches worked as a full switch too..
All the ones I'm aware of are wireless and so do not replace the switch, you still need to lights turned on and your bulbs to be zigbee. I have one of the cheaper versions for my upper/lower hallway and it works well but does look a little cheap and alas there is no neat way to place it over a double light switch (as it's single sized).I think these do, some of the friends of hue switches fit a uk light switch, but they are not cheap.
Not that one, but I thought that some of the Friends of hue switches worked as a full switch too..
Edited by Heartworm on Wednesday 20th January 09:37
dapprman said:
Heartworm said:
https://www.senic.com/friends-of-hue-smart-switch
I think these do, some of the friends of hue switches fit a uk light switch, but they are not cheap.
Not that one, but I thought that some of the Friends of hue switches worked as a full switch too..
All the ones I'm aware of are wireless and so do not replace the switch, you still need to lights turned on and your bulbs to be zigbee. I have one of the cheaper versions for my upper/lower hallway and it works well but does look a little cheap and alas there is no neat way to place it over a double light switch (as it's single sized).I think these do, some of the friends of hue switches fit a uk light switch, but they are not cheap.
Not that one, but I thought that some of the Friends of hue switches worked as a full switch too..
Edited by Heartworm on Wednesday 20th January 09:37
t.Is the switch module a relay so you can use Hue to control non Hue fixtures or is it a replacement to the Hue dimmer?
Ben
Heartworm said:
dapprman said:
Would there be enough space behind a switch to place it? Oddly enough I was going to ask if anyone had any experience with these:
Yagusmart-Neutral-Required-Working-Control
The link says Neutral required, but then when you click on it it says no neutral required, I hear the no neutral required will leave the lights on very faintly as they require a current going through them to operate. I would like a decent CE certified neutral required zigbee lightswitch, Yagusmart-Neutral-Required-Working-Control
If you could fit within ceiling rose you could do without neutral in switch.
My problem is I have an old school fluorescent tube in the kitchen and so I was going to use one of these - checked with an electrician and would be fine, however I don't think there's space in the controller area of the light for the unit to safely fit and I'm not sure how suitable it would be to sit outside with all the potential steam/damp.
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