Philips Expanding 'Hue' LED Lighting Line with White Bulbs, Tap-Powered Switch

[KindredMAC]

The Hue Tap will be VERY much advantageous when my parents come over and want to turn a light on or off in my house that has a Hue light installed in it.
Definitely will be picking that up when it comes out.

 

[Parasprite]

Awesome idea... love it... I'll do my whole house...

How much did you say?

I'll have a box of 12 of those incandescent light bulbs for $5 please

I'll come by next month to help replace them when they all burn out.

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Looks to me like that's just for the current Hue bulbs (see: "16 million colors" for all), nothing about the Lux in there ... yet.

However, I hadn't seen that page before, and I think it's interesting that the BR30 and A19 bulbs have the exact same beam specifications. I'd expect the A19 bulbs to be wider and the BR30 bulbs to be a bit narrower since BR30 bulbs are normally a bit more directional, but I guess not. I still think the A19 bulbs scatter light a bit more widely than the BR30s, though, having used both and even comparing them (and what they do to the wall/ceiling nearby) in a downward-pointing fixture. Yes, I care a lot about light bulbs...

My SO never managed to understand why I spend 15 minutes standing in the lightbulb aisle.

You're among friends.

 

[attila]

Won't a 'click' (like a real button, so you don't need lamps to see where to tap) generate more power than a tap?

 

[parseckadet]

Just so you know, Lightbow can control both your Philips and Belkin WeMo lights at the same time. You can put varying hardware types in the same Preset. For example, if you have a Preset to set all your hue lights to dim reds, oranges, and purples, it can also turn off all (or any number of) your WeMo switches, all with one tap. Next week, Lightbow 1.5.1 will go live with LIFX support as well. If you have any questions, I'd be happy to chat about your lighting setup, or check out more information at www.lightbow.net.

Yep, I've seen your posts before and I've taken a look at your site. My setup is pretty simple still, but if/when I add WeMo to the mix I'll definitely keep you in mind. One question, do you support schedules? The Hue app does what I need right now, but adding WeMo would complicate things. Using IFTTT would work, but that service is simplistic to fault in my eyes.

 

[Binarymix]

Fail on the round surface mount switch, well, unless you like sticking things on the wall. I'm glad they addressed the issue of not having a way to control lights w/o IOS device.

Why not produce a replacement for a standard light switch, where you actually HAVE power to run and make it a mini-controller (read decor form factor).

Many older living rooms don't even have light switches, or even a ceiling mounted light fixture.

I have 4 lamps in my living room, so this would be a perfect setup, and it looks pretty stylish. Plus it allows me to simply tap it to turn on or shut off the lights all in one go, instead of having to use a smartphone to do it, or automated timer settings (which probably wouldn't work for 99% of people unless their lives are totally automated to exact timings.)

What I don't get is how the switch operates with no power, I mean, it must have a battery of some sort to hold whatever kind of kinetic charge you will get out of the tapping, no?

A set it and forget it option like this is pretty cool.

I also wish they would update the hue bulbs to offer more lumen output. I would like at least the equivalent of a 60 W bulb.

 

[PsychoLogicXen]

To everyone that "doesn't get it", I'll guess that the main [only] reason you're not interested is the price, and I get that. But once you replace some of the bulbs around your home with these bad boys, there's no going back.

Being able to dim, geofence and color your lighting any way you choose is incredibly useful, not to mention damn fun. Watching it blow peoples' minds is also an added bonus.

Regarding the new products... Great move to expand the usability via the Tap switch, love that it doesn't require a power source. Naming the white-only bulbs "Lux" though? They do less and cost less... Shouldn't the original color-changing ones be called Lux?

 

[parseckadet]

BTW, am I the only one who thinks those prices on the luminaries are flat out insulting? At first I thought it was a typo, but I'm seeing the same figures on other sites. We know the tech involved isn't THAT expensive, and I can find other lamps and/or light fixtures at any hardware store that are similar.

What I don't get is how the switch operates with no power, I mean, it must have a battery of some sort to hold whatever kind of kinetic charge you will get out of the tapping, no?

A set it and forget it option like this is pretty cool.

I also wish they would update the hue bulbs to offer more lumen output. I would like at least the equivalent of a 60 W bulb.

I don't think it needs too much power actually. All it has to do is broadcast a unique ID and a button number. The bridge then figures out what to do with that and sends the signals to the lights. And remember that Hue is based off of Zigbee, so the switch just needs to broadcast far enough for another Zigbee device (i.e. one of the lights) to receive it. That device then repeats that message to all the other devices within range, all of which will also repeat it. So as long as the switch is within a few feet of at least one light the message will get repeated through the whole building.

 

[blackcrayon]

It's a no-brainer that they're doing this, but $40 a bulb is just too expensive! You can get good quality, good warranty, 25 year white LEDs for around $10, even from Philips. I'd maybe pay $10 for the privilege of using my iPhone to control them. But a $30 surcharge per bulb? It's just too much. I'm really disappointed.

Expensive, yes. But fun. Individually scriptable lights? I love them. Mine turn on when/if I return home after dark (proximity of my phone which I'm always carrying). I even have a certain color pattern flash a certain time if someone messes with my car (recent thefts in the area). Granted, I live in a relatively small apartment, and it's not like I need one in every socket.

 

[Amazing Iceman]

There is a date in the eu for cfl's to stop being used because of mercury content but I can't remember what it was and tbh I'm using halogen replacements at the moment because cfl's are crap

I just bought some CFLs (in the US) that work great, turn on immediately at full power, and come in different color temperatures.

I also bought some LED bulbs at IKEA ($5 each), more powerful than equivalent incandescent bulb, but I found out were not dimmable, so I returned all but two of them. Their $ 10 LED bulbs may be dimmable. I'll stop by to check them out sometime this week.

 

[4nNtt]

It's a no-brainer that they're doing this, but $40 a bulb is just too expensive! You can get good quality, good warranty, 25 year white LEDs for around $10, even from Philips. I'd maybe pay $10 for the privilege of using my iPhone to control them. But a $30 surcharge per bulb? It's just too much. I'm really disappointed.

You obviously have never bought a dimmer. These have built in dimming. A standalone dimmer costs about $25 on top of the price of an LED bulb. A smart dimmer (more comparable to Hue) costs $50-$80 on top of the cost of the LED bulb. The only competitor that equals them is Insteon who sell an LED bulb with integrated dimmer for $40. Hue bulbs are not a bad deal when you compare apples to apples.

 

[jnpy!$4g3cwk]

High CRI list somewhere?

Does anyone know where there is a comparison table/list of the specifications of high-CRI LEDs? How do these Hue lamps compare?

 

[RMo]

Does anyone know where there is a comparison table/list of the specifications of high-CRI LEDs? How do these Hue lamps compare?

Hue has a CRI up to about 91, depending on which shade of white you use. There's a Wikipedia page that is the best list I've found so far. Hue does pretty good considering that a lot of LEDs don't make it past the 70s. That being said, CRI is not everything.

---

And responding to myself:

I'm guessing the [color temperature] is fixed [on the Lux], much as I would love the ability to switch between cool and warm white.

AppleInsider is reporting that the Hue Lux will be able to change between warm and cool white. Unfortunately, nobody else is, so I'm not sure if this is accurate or not. There are certainly two promo images Philips appears to have provided that show both cool and warm light, but I'm not sure whether that's supposed to mean it's the same bulb or whether there are simply two different models.

 

[BrentD]

The Hue Tap will be VERY much advantageous when my parents come over and want to turn a light on or off in my house that has a Hue light installed in it.
Definitely will be picking that up when it comes out.

I've seen other people mention things similar to this, but what prevents your parents (or others who have said similar) from just flipping a wall switch or lamp switch? There's nothing they aren't already used to that would prevent them from turning a light on or off. I would doubt your parents are interested in any colored lighting, so the default 'normal' temp light that comes on when you flip a switch to a Hue-connected light would make perfect sense to them, no?

 

[BrentD]

Why not produce a replacement for a standard light switch, where you actually HAVE power to run and make it a mini-controller (read decor form factor).
...
Here's the problem. Power outage, regardless of the state of each bulb when the power went out, the turn on at full white brightness when the power returns. Imagine at 3am you are in bed and you have a power interruption, then your entire house lights up.

I'm with you on the switch, too. The Wemo switches are not a solution IMO, either. If it doesn't fit the form factor of a standard wall switchplate it's a no go. The Wemo requires the 'custom' plate it comes with. 90% of the switches in my house are on plates that have 2 or more switches, so the Wemo wouldn't work on any of those. The only single switch plates I have are in closets or the foyer that doesn't need that kind of control. So the Wemo is useless for me, as much as I'd love the capability otherwise.

The power outage is really a stupid issue with the Hue system. I have 5 bulbs, with two that are on either side of my bed. It's completely unreasonable for every bulb to come on when power is restored. Power outage or not, every bulb should return to its previous state when power is applied, whether it's after a power outage or after you turned it off manually at the switch.

 

[parseckadet]

I'm with you on the switch, too. The Wemo switches are not a solution IMO, either. If it doesn't fit the form factor of a standard wall switchplate it's a no go. The Wemo requires the 'custom' plate it comes with. 90% of the switches in my house are on plates that have 2 or more switches, so the Wemo wouldn't work on any of those. The only single switch plates I have are in closets or the foyer that doesn't need that kind of control. So the Wemo is useless for me, as much as I'd love the capability otherwise.

I don't believe this is so. It comes with a switch plate, but you don't have to use it. The switch itself is a standard size and will work with other plates. Their own system requirements say as much, which can be found here: http://www.belkin.com/us/p/P-F7C030/

Works with your existing single/double/multi-switch rocker-style plates

You can also get plates for mixed switch types. For example: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Leviton-...ylon-Wall-Plate-White-R52-PJ126-00W/202059769

 

[ipedro]

Hue changed my life

I'm a big fan of Hue and as a person with ADD, it has certainly changed my life.

I get visual cues that snap me into a routine I set for myself, sometimes without even noticing it. For example, when I'm supposed to be working, my lights are a bright white which helps me stay focused. When it's time to put down my work and unwind, my lights go a deep blue and I get the feeling to relax. When it's time to eat (people with ADD can forget to eat believe it or not), my kitchen spotlights light up my counter.

Other useful functions, fit in the Internet of Things category. Every morning, I step on to my Withings scale. It keeps track of my weight and if I'm falling below the target weight my personal trainer set for me (I'm trying to gain weight), my kitchen LEDs will turn red and I know I need to do better at eating more calories.

Another one of the great uses is a tie in with my Calendar. If I have a high priority item coming up, one light near my desk will flash red. This could just mean it's time to leave to an important appointment or that an important project is soon due.

Finally, it's so nice to wake up to a glowing sunshine in your bedroom even though it may be gloomy and raining outside.

All that said, I'm lucky I live alone because when I have visitors, my whole system falls apart because nobody knows how to turn on the darn lights. So glad they finally brought out a switch.

 

[KindredMAC]

I've seen other people mention things similar to this, but what prevents your parents (or others who have said similar) from just flipping a wall switch or lamp switch? There's nothing they aren't already used to that would prevent them from turning a light on or off. I would doubt your parents are interested in any colored lighting, so the default 'normal' temp light that comes on when you flip a switch to a Hue-connected light would make perfect sense to them, no?

When the folks start flipping switches it will turn the bulb off from the bridge if the switch is in the off position.

 

[unfrostedpoptar]

Fail on the round surface mount switch, well, unless you like sticking things on the wall. I'm glad they addressed the issue of not having a way to control lights w/o IOS device.

Why not produce a replacement for a standard light switch, where you actually HAVE power to run and make it a mini-controller (read decor form factor).

I struggled with trying to integrate Hue bulbs with all the HA switches and lights I already had. Finally found Indigo http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/indigo/index.html. If you have a Mac available to run this, it works great and is very powerful with lots of 3rd-party interface software (including Hue) being added/updated all the time.

Now I can program my Hue bulbs with Indigo and also use and old X10 or Insteon switches to trigger various scenes. For example, I've got a cheap X10 wall switch set up so that when I go into my family room, I press a button and it sets the 3 Hue bulbs in the ceiling to mid-level brightness and reddish color and also turns on the receiver and sets it for TV input and the volume low. When I'm done, I press the off switch which turns everything off - with a 5-second fade on the lights.

 

[unfrostedpoptar]

I struggled with trying to integrate Hue bulbs with all the HA switches and lights I already had. Finally found Indigo http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/indigo/index.html. If you have a Mac available to run this, it works great and is very powerful with lots of 3rd-party interface software (including Hue) being added/updated all the time.

Also, if you don't have a Mac or want a dedicated hardware controller, the Revolv ( http://revolv.com ) looks great.

 

[sentiblue]

I need to rob a bank!!!

So I'm a fan of these Philip LED products...

But the last product with price tag of 2500 and 3000 euros? Who the hell is gonna pay that much for a stupid light. I would... only if I won $400M lottery jackpot!!

 

[jclardy]

It's a no-brainer that they're doing this, but $40 a bulb is just too expensive! You can get good quality, good warranty, 25 year white LEDs for around $10, even from Philips. I'd maybe pay $10 for the privilege of using my iPhone to control them. But a $30 surcharge per bulb? It's just too much. I'm really disappointed.

Only $10 more is a lot to ask, I could see these going for $30 though. I don't know exactly how these work, but I would imagine it is a simple cheap RF transmitter for communication with the base station which actually connects to the wireless network.

The other thing is that I doubt your $10 LED's are dimmable. I have some BestBuy rebranded Cree LED's that I have bought for $5 and they have been great so far. I use them for the office room as they are a bit less warm than incandescent, so they seem to help me stay more awake.

But this switch design is interesting, mainly as it doesn't require any power source other than kinetic energy. I do wonder if it has some kind of battery in it for the actual wireless emission, it seems it would require more power than just pushing in a button (But the battery would last a while as it would only be used when the button is pressed.)

 

[jnpy!$4g3cwk]

Hue has a CRI up to about 91, depending on which shade of white you use. There's a Wikipedia page that is the best list I've found so far. Hue does pretty good considering that a lot of LEDs don't make it past the 70s. That being said, CRI is not everything.

Wikipedia, of course. I usually look there first. But, I didn't this time.

Agreed that CRI isn't everything. That is, a high CRI is necessary, but not sufficient, for describing color rendering across the entire spectrum. At least one other index is necessary, and, this is something that people have been arguing, or negotiating, over, for a long time.

And, thanks for the pointer. If you follow the links, you get to two presentations that I enjoyed reading. The one from the RPI Lighting Research Center was particularly useful, because the recommended additional index, GAI, has results listed for a number of lamps and lamp types.

http://www.lrc.rpi.edu/programs/solidstate/pdf/IES-NYC-ColorRendering-web.pdf

See slide 28. Which leads to my next question -- has anybody used the Sharp Zenigata lighting system they list? (I think it is intended for fluorescent-type rectangular ceiling office fixture applications.) The Zenigata is very high in both CRI and GAI.

 

[Lundmark]

It's a no-brainer that they're doing this, but $40 a bulb is just too expensive! You can get good quality, good warranty, 25 year white LEDs for around $10, even from Philips. I'd maybe pay $10 for the privilege of using my iPhone to control them. But a $30 surcharge per bulb? It's just too much. I'm really disappointed.

Oh, come on.
You need to take into account that these are both wireless and dimmable, so it's fair to include the price of a decent dimmer in the comparison and they do cost a bit of money.

Where I'm from, $40 buys you five beers in a decent venue.

 

[charlituna]

It's a no-brainer that they're doing this, but $40 a bulb is just too expensive! You can get good quality, good warranty, 25 year white LEDs for around $10, even from Philips. I'd maybe pay $10 for the privilege of using my iPhone to control them. But a $30 surcharge per bulb? It's just too much. I'm really disappointed.

Simple answer. If you don't like the price, don't buy the product. The world isn't going to end because you don't have iPhone controlled lights in your house. Sure some folks might think you are backwards, but just tell everyone that you are going 'retro' and you'll be cool and hip again.

 

[Arran]

I'm a big fan of Hue and as a person with ADD, it has certainly changed my life.

I get visual cues that snap me into a routine I set for myself, sometimes without even noticing it. For example, when I'm supposed to be working, my lights are a bright white which helps me stay focused. When it's time to put down my work and unwind, my lights go a deep blue and I get the feeling to relax. When it's time to eat (people with ADD can forget to eat believe it or not), my kitchen spotlights light up my counter.

Other useful functions, fit in the Internet of Things category. Every morning, I step on to my Withings scale. It keeps track of my weight and if I'm falling below the target weight my personal trainer set for me (I'm trying to gain weight), my kitchen LEDs will turn red and I know I need to do better at eating more calories.

Another one of the great uses is a tie in with my Calendar. If I have a high priority item coming up, one light near my desk will flash red. This could just mean it's time to leave to an important appointment or that an important project is soon due.

Finally, it's so nice to wake up to a glowing sunshine in your bedroom even though it may be gloomy and raining outside.

All that said, I'm lucky I live alone because when I have visitors, my whole system falls apart because nobody knows how to turn on the darn lights. So glad they finally brought out a switch.

Some very clever integration you have there.

How do you get the Withings scale to turn the lights red when you gain weight? I could really use that one. Better still if it could just lock my fridge (or turn the interior light blue so everything looks unappealing )