Philips Announces New Hue Wireless Dimming Kit

[jclardy]

Have we got to a place yet where the lighting is smart enough to remember it's previous setting when turned off, so that it comes back on with the same colour balance you set it up with?

I'd like to set up a suitable lighting blend say, in my bathroom, and have it work via one of these on/off switches so that it always sparks up at the preset balance. I shouldn't have to teach my mother how to use an iPhone in order to visit the bathroom.

This should be possible with current software, the bulb would just have to "check in" when it turns on, rather than just immediately turning on to the default. The bulb would probably need a software update, but Hue can do that wirelessly.

Some comments on the Hue Facebook page are suggesting the new remote works only with these new bulbs and doesn't work with the Lux or the multi-color Hue bulbs.

If so, seems like a pretty significant limitation.

In this article it says it can connect to other bulbs via the bridge...

I wish they sold the switch separately, I already have quite a few Hue and GE Link bulbs, but having dimming switches for $20 would be awesome. I have a Hue Tap but I'm not really a huge fan, cheap feeling build (For $70) and difficult to press buttons (Because it uses the force of your press to power itself.)

 

[rdlink]

Some comments on the Hue Facebook page are suggesting the new remote works only with these new bulbs and doesn't work with the Lux or the multi-color Hue bulbs.

If so, seems like a pretty significant limitation.

By "significant limitation" you mean total fail?

 

[prowlmedia]

Philips just don't seem to want make a complete system. Plugs and wired switches to control existing lights. There are some other zigbee switches that will work however.

 

[friedmud]

Tap is surely better as a switch if you have hue though. This won't change scenes or colours. Though it's price is much nicer!
I'm about to buy my second tap and this is no way makes me think I should change my mind as someone who already has 17 hue light bulbs/strips etc.

Agreed - I have two Taps. They are certainly more versatile. I have a couple of buttons that active "dim" scenes and a few that do coloring.

 

[friedmud]

Have we got to a place yet where the lighting is smart enough to remember it's previous setting when turned off, so that it comes back on with the same colour balance you set it up with?

I'd like to set up a suitable lighting blend say, in my bathroom, and have it work via one of these on/off switches so that it always sparks up at the preset balance. I shouldn't have to teach my mother how to use an iPhone in order to visit the bathroom.

Just get one of these: http://www2.meethue.com/en-us/the-range/hue-tap/

I bought one for each room we have Hue in... and they have the approval of my wife ;-)

 

[wx4olf]

I would like to know this, as well. I bought a Lux, and it wouldn't allow me to set up timers/alarms on it. I returned it. I don't always need a bulb that will show every color in the spectrum at the expense of brightness.

Might have been a configuration issue - I have several Lux bulbs running on alarms. The one added last week (turns on at 4:30 and off at 9:00) initially would not let me add a alarm for it but then I added it to a scene and was able to create the alarm from there. Anyway, the software may not be exactly straightforward for creating alarms using Lux bulbs but it is certainly possible.

 

[peterh988]

Just get one of these: http://www2.meethue.com/en-us/the-range/hue-tap/

I bought one for each room we have Hue in... and they have the approval of my wife ;-)

Looks like what I need. So with these, I can just set up my lighting once, say light the bathroom bright red and then every time someone goes in there, using that switch it will come on bright red again?

I'm just looking for a 'set & forget' system that can be used afterwards with a simple wall mounted on/off switch.

I'll wait for the home kit announcement first though.

 

[zorinlynx]

Frankly, I'm annoyed.

Different companies are releasing different smart lighting systems, all incompatible with each other rather than agreeing on a standard and sticking with it.

X10 may be antiquated, but at least it's standard and you can use any light you want with it. Until this sector comes up with a universal standard and stops making stuff that doesn't work across brands, I'm going to stick with X10. It freaking works.

 

[mw360]

Frankly, I'm annoyed.

Different companies are releasing different smart lighting systems, all incompatible with each other rather than agreeing on a standard and sticking with it.

X10 may be antiquated, but at least it's standard and you can use any light you want with it. Until this sector comes up with a universal standard and stops making stuff that doesn't work across brands, I'm going to stick with X10. It freaking works.

Hue uses Zigbee Light Link, an agreed standard between these manufacturers: http://www.zigbee.org/zigbeealliance/our-members/

 

[mw360]

Agreed - I have two Taps. They are certainly more versatile. I have a couple of buttons that active "dim" scenes and a few that do coloring.

In case not everyone is aware, the Hue tap isn't limited to one function per button. Using a third party app I was able to load the tap with three scenes for each button. Each press cycles through the scenes.

 

[friedmud]

Looks like what I need. So with these, I can just set up my lighting once, say light the bathroom bright red and then every time someone goes in there, using that switch it will come on bright red again?

I'm just looking for a 'set & forget' system that can be used afterwards with a simple wall mounted on/off switch.

I'll wait for the home kit announcement first though.

Yep - just set a "bright red" scene to be activated by one of the buttons and then every time you press that button the lights will turn "bright red".

It is actually 4 buttons... Each one can be set to activate any scene you can think of. Button 1 is the "whole thing" (ie you just mash your hand on the whole thing). I use that for normal "on" (easy to hit). Then I use button 4 for "off".

The other two I use as "special" scenes for each room. In the living room one goes into "movie mode"... bedroom has, ummm.... special dim modes ;-)

 

[unplugme71]

But Philips did announce that they would be home kit compatible with a future firmware update.

HomeKit requires special hardware approved by Apple. None of the current Philips stuff is HK compatible. Most likely they will release a separate hub to replace the existing one.

 

[friedmud]

In case not everyone is aware, the Hue tap isn't limited to one function per button. Using a third party app I was able to load the tap with three scenes for each button. Each press cycles through the scenes.

Cool - I actually didn't know about that. Which piece of software are you using?

 

[mw360]

Cool - I actually didn't know about that. Which piece of software are you using?

I've plugged this app way too many times already, but it's called iConnectHue. Not the cheapest, and does have IAPs, but pretty good on looks and features. Completely replaces the official app.

 

[jsmith189]

HomeKit requires special hardware approved by Apple. None of the current Philips stuff is HK compatible. Most likely they will release a separate hub to replace the existing one.

Which is why I'm trying to wait it out. I've wanted to get them for months but I don't want to have to buy another hub when they update.

 

[btallada9870]

If you can buy the switches by themselves, I'll be replacing all of my home light switches with these.

I bet on the wrong horse when I purchased a Wink Relay hoping that I could have a screen in each room and Wink light switches everywhere. Wink turned out to be years late to supporting Hue and buggy as hell. Sometimes it works, often times it doesn't. No reason for either one.

I was hoping for Phillips to release their own replacement switch. Now that they did, I'll put an iPad mini on the wall in each major area of my home to control and monitor all of my smart home devices and these switches replacing my existing dumb ones.

Check out Lutron Caseta switches. Home kit enabled, apple watch app, in wall or plug in dimmers.

 

[Arran]

In case not everyone is aware, the Hue tap isn't limited to one function per button. Using a third party app I was able to load the tap with three scenes for each button. Each press cycles through the scenes.

I discovered this Philips site the other day: http://labs.meethue.com

"The hue Tap Dimmer allows you to dim your lights with the hue Tap. Easily switch between different levels to match your needs."​

There were a few other experimental features there that I played around with. It's limited to one button on one tap only right now - but it shows potential.

 

[jclardy]

Tap is surely better as a switch if you have hue though. This won't change scenes or colours. Though it's price is much nicer!
I'm about to buy my second tap and this is no way makes me think I should change my mind as someone who already has 17 hue light bulbs/strips etc.

Depends on how they are implemented in the API, they could make the buttons essentially register like the tap buttons do...meaning a third party app could make them do something else, like cycling through scenes every time you tap the on button.

iConnectHue does this with the Tap right now, each button can cycle through different states. You can't do it with the normal hue app though.

 

[Kissaragi]

They really need to make these things compatible with either existing wired in wall switches or release special replacements. Until I can turn the lights on and off from my normal wall switch im just not interested.

 

[3duardoms]

Tap is surely better as a switch if you have hue though. This won't change scenes or colours. Though it's price is much nicer!
I'm about to buy my second tap and this is no way makes me think I should change my mind as someone who already has 17 hue light bulbs/strips etc.

Actually i contacted Philips via the Hue fb page asking if the dimmer only works to dim and turn on/off lights, or the on button can be programed with the app to activate a scene, and this is their reply:
Yes, via the Hue app you can activate a scene via the dimmer switch.

So this is possible

 

[ipedro]

Check out Lutron Caseta switches. Home kit enabled, apple watch app, in wall or plug in dimmers.

Do they work with Hue? I've never gotten a definitive answer. I've heard speculation both ways.

 

[btallada9870]

Do they work with Hue? I've never gotten a definitive answer. I've heard speculation both ways.

They don't work with Hue. They would be able to turn power on and off but not control the light directly. Color changing aside, you'd be able to control all your lights with dimmable LED's from your phone. Set them up on time clocks...slow fade to on in the morning is the best alarm clock