Philips Hue Discussion

[amjustice]

Hah! Glad you are enjoying it.

They just rolled out an update that allows Echo control of my Rachio wifi sprinkler timer, so that's my next task.

I have to admit though, my wife asked why I would want to control the sprinklers with the Echo and I did not have a good answer.

How do you like the Rachio? I was going to buy one but I didn't feel like my automatic sprinkler system that already runs on its own needed that much more automation.
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My wife and I were discussing this last night, in particular because we just learned that WEMO doesn't support 3 way light switches

As the others said the Lutron switches do this. I just set mine up and it is just as responsive and works just like a standard 3 Way switch. If you get the mounting brackets for the wall its like having another switch there. The other option would be to switch what the 3 ways control which is also nice. So if you want to just have one switch with what used to be a 3 way you can use the remote to pair to another Lutron switch and control that instead. Gives you some flexibility.

 

[Weaselboy]

How do you like the Rachio? I was going to buy one but I didn't feel like my automatic sprinkler system that already runs on its own needed that much more automation.
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As the others said the Lutron switches do this. I just set mine up and it is just as responsive and works just like a standard 3 Way switch. If you get the mounting brackets for the wall its like having another switch there. The other option would be to switch what the 3 ways control which is also nice. So if you want to just have one switch with what used to be a 3 way you can use the remote to pair to another Lutron switch and control that instead. Gives you some flexibility.

I have had it for one year, and it has been totally flawless. I would definitely recommend it. You can either set things manually like with your current timer, only using either the iOS app or the web page, or you can just enter plant type, emitter type, and soil type, and let the Rachio manage the whole thing. In auto "Flex" mode it will manage everything and increase water times as it gets hotter and reduce in cooler weather and you don't even need to touch it. It also monitors local rainfall and will skip a day if the rain threshold is met.

Rachio has a good support forum also.

 

[steve knight]

iconnecthue the new version will let you reset home kit on hue. So I redid it and I could get it to work fine on my phone but on my wises not really. so I set it up from her phone and the scenes would not work but lights on and off would. thats good enough for her.

 

[crashnburn]

Wink starter kit with two bulbs and a hub was $25

How/ where? It shoes me 50$ at most places. Do share the secret/ PM me if needed

 

[leebroath]

Hi guys

I've just bought into the Hue system but only decided to purchase the starter White Hue pack and a couple of extra white bulbs for different rooms.
I have now purchased the Livingcolours Bloom light from Argos and have this second connected it to the bridge using the serial number

How the dickens can I make the Livingcolours Bloom change colours automatically using the App? please don't tell me I've got to use the remote control. Would love to have x2 white bulbs turn on in the living room and the living colours device turn on and change colour automatically when I set a night time scene as it sits behind the TV

 

[chuyn]

What did the app show when you connected it to the bridge with the serial number? If I remember correctly, the "LivingColors" version of the bloom and iris only use the remote. The later versions, when their names got changed to "Friends of Hue" were the ones that could connect to the hub and be controlled by the app (they also no longer came with the remote, nor could they be controlled by a remote).

 

[latweek]

Guys, I'm sorry if this is the wrong place, but I have been looking for an answer related to Hue and I hope you can help. I would like to have my hue lights blink when a call or a text, etc comes on my iPhone. I do a lot of recording sessions and don't want an audio prompt.

I looked into the IFTTT, and don't know if/how I could set this up. Any advice?

 

[Michael CM1]

How/ where? It shoes me 50$ at most places. Do share the secret/ PM me if needed

It was a deal run about a year ago. I saw an ad on Hulu about that. Ended up getting one for my dad, one for me, and another so we each had three bulbs and a spare hub. Quite the deal, although the reliability is iffy.

 

[Starfyre]

Hue looks extremely expensive compared to normal lightbulbs. Is there actually cheaper bulbs or alternatives? I am thinking about just getting a Z-Wave compatible switch so that I can keep using existing bulbs just given the price alone.

 

[Michael CM1]

Honestly Wink isn't too bad, it's just buggy at times. The starter kit is $50 for I believe two bulbs and a Link hub, but it gets you a relatively cheap way to see if it's for you. The dimming doesn't work aside from on and pretty dim. But I love setting timers and proximity timers for a few single-bulb lamps I have in my home. I don't think I'm going to add anything else because of how buggy it is, but at least I get a sense of what this system can and can't do.

The whole industry is segmented right now on this stuff. Some people work together, others don't. It's hard to tell people to really get into it unless they love being guinea pigs for technology.

 

[ericgtr12]

Hue looks extremely expensive compared to normal lightbulbs. Is there actually cheaper bulbs or alternatives? I am thinking about just getting a Z-Wave compatible switch so that I can keep using existing bulbs just given the price alone.

Do you need color? If not the Hue white bulbs are around $15 a piece now which isn't too bad all considering, I've outfitted most of my house with them.

 

[brianbunge]

Do you need color? If not the Hue white bulbs are around $15 a piece now which isn't too bad all considering, I've outfitted most of my house with them.

I was going to say the same. The starter kit is $80 for the hub and 2 bulbs. Just add more bulbs as needed.

 

[Recognition]

Does anyone know if House Of Fraser in the UK sell Philips Hue bulbs?
I have some gift cards I'd like to use if they do.
I've had a look at their website but it says their entire Philips brand is out of stock?!
Tweeted them too but no definitive answer yet, my nearest store is an hour away so don't want a wasted journey.

 

[Starfyre]

I was going to say the same. The starter kit is $80 for the hub and 2 bulbs. Just add more bulbs as needed.

You know how many normal lightbulbs you can buy for $80? A lot more than 2!

 

[ericgtr12]

You know how many normal lightbulbs you can buy for $80? A lot more than 2!

True, but the starter kit includes the necessary hub to work with the bulbs. Once you have that you can then buy just bulbs.

 

[chuyn]

True, but the starter kit includes the necessary hub to work with the bulbs. Once you have that you can then buy just bulbs.

There are some pros to just getting switches though. Along with being cheaper, they'll allow app control/timers as well as keeping physical switches on the wall. The main downside to swapping everything to Hues (the white-only ones) is that you have to put up with leaving the switches "on" all the time and relying only on the app to control, while not getting the benefit of the different colours. I have some Hue colour bulbs myself, but personally, I wouldn't have them if I couldn't have the tap/dimmer switch for that room. I wanted the colours and they're all in lamps, so it was easier to add a Hue switch onto the wall. It's just a pain when guests are over and they can't easily control the lights. I didn't really want to add an extra Hue dimmer beside the existing switch in each room so I went with Insteon switches for those rooms.

 

[Recognition]

There are some pros to just getting switches though. Along with being cheaper, they'll allow app control/timers as well as keeping physical switches on the wall. The main downside to swapping everything to Hues (the white-only ones) is that you have to put up with leaving the switches "on" all the time and relying only on the app to control, while not getting the benefit of the different colours. I have some Hue colour bulbs myself, but personally, I wouldn't have them if I couldn't have the tap/dimmer switch for that room. I wanted the colours and they're all in lamps, so it was easier to add a Hue switch onto the wall. It's just a pain when guests are over and they can't easily control the lights. I didn't really want to add an extra Hue dimmer beside the existing switch in each room so I went with Insteon switches for those rooms.

In my house I have the existing wall switches still fitted and can operate the hue bulbs like normal bulbs, they switch off and on with the wall switch and default to the standard white light when doing so.
So if we have guests over, they can still turn lights off and on without using the app.

Did you remove your wall switches or have hard-wired light fixtures or something?

 

[chuyn]

In my house I have the existing wall switches still fitted and can operate the hue bulbs like normal bulbs, they switch off and on with the wall switch and default to the standard white light when doing so.
So if we have guests over, they can still turn lights off and on without using the app.

Did you remove your wall switches or have hard-wired light fixtures or something?

Oh, no sorry I meant that I'd have to leave the switches on if I want any scheduling to work. I've got pretty much the entire house set up like that, so if I had the Hue white bulbs and someone turned off the switch, they'd no longer turn on by schedule or say, if I come home in the evening.

I know they'll turn on/off still but was just saying in my case, I preferred having the switches be controllable so they can be turned on/off physically (guests, and mostly my kids) while still always being able to be set on a schedule or controlled by the apps.

-edit-
Forgot to mention, for the room I have the Hue colour bulbs, it's my living room in an older home that has no ceiling lights. Just lamps around the room for the lighting, so it was actually an improvement to use Hue bulbs and the Hue dimmer switch on the wall to control all the lamps

 

[Recognition]

Ahh gotcha, yea I do find it annoying when the wife turns the wall switch off and I'm wondering why Siri can't get a response from my lights!

 

[Number-Six]

I've been looking into the Philips Hue starter kit, but I have a few questions I can't seem to find the answer to:

- schedules can be set, but let's say i want to turn a light on outside of its schedule will it have to be reprogrammed or will the schedule just resume the next day?
- one of the lamps in my living room is connected to a light switch that turns it on/off, if the switch is turned off for that lamp is the programming lost for that bulb (once the switch is back on, obviously)
- does turning off/on a lamp where a bulb is in interrupts any programming in the bulb? I'm wondering if there's a quick way to turn one on, without having to get the phone

The last point above is mainly what's making me hesitate, if I have to fumble in the dark to find my phone to turn on the light, it's a fairly big fail in my book - especially since the lamp switch never moves, as opposed to the phone never being in the same place and not always being plugged in to use "Hey Siri"

 

[chuyn]

I've been looking into the Philips Hue starter kit, but I have a few questions I can't seem to find the answer to:

- schedules can be set, but let's say i want to turn a light on outside of its schedule will it have to be reprogrammed or will the schedule just resume the next day?
- one of the lamps in my living room is connected to a light switch that turns it on/off, if the switch is turned off for that lamp is the programming lost for that bulb (once the switch is back on, obviously)
- does turning off/on a lamp where a bulb is in interrupts any programming in the bulb? I'm wondering if there's a quick way to turn one on, without having to get the phone

The last point above is mainly what's making me hesitate, if I have to fumble in the dark to find my phone to turn on the light, it's a fairly big fail in my book - especially since the lamp switch never moves, as opposed to the phone never being in the same place and not always being plugged in to use "Hey Siri"

- Turning on a light outside of the schedule will not affect the schedule. Say you have it turn on at 8pm and off at 10pm... but you turned it on that day at 7pm... it will turn off at 10pm as per schedule. The next day it will turn on at 8pm as well, according to your schedule.

- If that light switch is turned off, the programming will not be lost. The programs are stored in the hub, not the bulbs.

- Turning off the lamp... all that will happen, if that lamp is physically turned off at the lamp or a light switch, is the schedule can't turn the light on. The lamp/switch has to be on for the bulbs to be controlled by the app or a schedule. The solution I've used to turn a light on quickly without the app is to use a Hue Tap or dimmer. With the Tap, you can turn on 3 scenes and all off (or turn on 4 scenes if you'd like). You can try some beta Hue Labs options so the Tap can also be a dimmer switch or each button is a toggle on/off for each scene. The cheaper/simpler option is the dimmer. You can assign lights or a scene to the dimmer. I put the dimmer on the wall so my kids/guests can easily control the lights easily. I have the tap too, but that one sits near the couch to turn on different colour scenes for fun.

 

[Number-Six]

- Turning on a light outside of the schedule will not affect the schedule. Say you have it turn on at 8pm and off at 10pm... but you turned it on that day at 7pm... it will turn off at 10pm as per schedule. The next day it will turn on at 8pm as well, according to your schedule.

- If that light switch is turned off, the programming will not be lost. The programs are stored in the hub, not the bulbs.

- Turning off the lamp... all that will happen, if that lamp is physically turned off at the lamp or a light switch, is the schedule can't turn the light on. The lamp/switch has to be on for the bulbs to be controlled by the app or a schedule. The solution I've used to turn a light on quickly without the app is to use a Hue Tap or dimmer. With the Tap, you can turn on 3 scenes and all off (or turn on 4 scenes if you'd like). You can try some beta Hue Labs options so the Tap can also be a dimmer switch or each button is a toggle on/off for each scene. The cheaper/simpler option is the dimmer. You can assign lights or a scene to the dimmer. I put the dimmer on the wall so my kids/guests can easily control the lights easily. I have the tap too, but that one sits near the couch to turn on different colour scenes for fun.

Thank you for the information. I had overlooked the dimmer switch but it seems like it would handle my concerns

 

[BSben]

Does the new Hue app not have an Apple Watch app?
Also I seem not to be able to teach Siri new scenes in the new app, any idea how to do it?

 

[Starfyre]

Is the brightness of the Hue's comparable to regular incandescent bulbs? Given the smaller surface area of the bulb compared to a standard one, I question whether a Hue bulb can be brighter...

 

[xraydoc]

Does the new Hue app not have an Apple Watch app?
Also I seem not to be able to teach Siri new scenes in the new app, any idea how to do it?

Doesn't appear to. The new app is missing several features of the old one though has some nice new features. I've unfortunately got both on my phone until the new one gets the missing features. New one doesn't even support the iPad (iPhone/iPhone emulation only).