Absolutely love my Hue lights, but the software currently is so-so. This update actually looks very promising, can't wait!
I am very surprised by some of the comments: i totally agree with you. So, like every other case where the manufacturer's app was so-so, I got other apps on iPhone and iPad, in my case iConnectHue and Thorlight. try them and you will like your hue lights even more!
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Ugh, If only I didn't have to give up my physical light switches.
Eh ... why? Assuming you don't have a light switch fetish or something like that, why don't you get a bunch of dimmer switches and you're done - with extra control options like dimming etc. If you want you can even mount them where your switches used to be, but I found other places, such as the coffee table, much more convenient. With iConnectHue you can even use extra options for 2x, 3x or long presses as a bonus - try that with a light switch!
I hardly ever touch a light switch in my house at all anymore - except when somebody used them to turn of lights - I am seriously considering to take them all out...
I use motion switches in places where I don't sit still for long time, like corridors or the kitchen.
For the living room, you can use it to switch the lights on, but then use a dimmer switch to switch them off, rather than the timer option, I ended up not using a motion sensor there at all, still not having found a usable set-up.
For bedrooms motion sensors are a big no-no: you don't want the lights to turn on when you turn over...
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I don't get it. Might be cool in a new house with smart switches, but in an existing house, it's just a pain. We removed our Hue lights because it's so annoying that you can't use the switches anymore (as you would turn off the smart lights). We even tried working with Eve Sensors, but it was still a hassle. Smart switches make much more sense than smart lights.
We set them to only switch on when there's movement after dark, but then we wouldn't have enough lighting on darker days, or when we set the lights to always come on when there's someone, then the lights would often be on unnecessary.
Even turning the lights off was far too complicated. HomeKit does allow a timeout to dimm lights when there's no movement, but that just resulted in us waving our hands during dinner. Automations also don't bring a solution. For instance, turning all lights of after midnight resulted in people sitting in the dark sometimes. Or lights burning while there was no-one around. Currently HomeKit is far too limited and not at all smart. Nothing beats a simple wall switch. At the moment, smart lights are a gimmick.
Hi Hagar: it seems to me, that it is your set-up that causes your disappointment: get dimmers witches instead of the light switches and use iConnectHue to configure your motion sensors, so you can set at what light level they come on.
They can then respond also taking into account the time of day: the light in the corridor at night is dimmed and almost orange, but at day it is bright white, and in the evening bright but more yellow.
Yes it is a bit of a job getting the settings right and for instance in the living room I don't use motion sensors. I always find it amazing to see people trying use Hue lights without dimmer switches or a decent app.
