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Philips Hue Line Gains New Wall Light, Pendant Cord and More
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Yeah, that’s very odd. Where about a did you purchase them? Did any of the places you buy from have a return policy etc? (If they are still in return period… some department stores offer policy’s up to 2 years on electronics without having to go direct to manufacturer)
I love Hue lighting, you get what you pay for. Works great, has never failed on me, haven't blown a bulb yet in the 4+yrs I've used them and they are on a lot, works well with HomeKit when Siri is not being stupid and no issues with automations.
They are expensive but I bought a lot when they went on offer as I had to replace dozens of bulbs so that saved a good bit of money, plus adding Hue switches and buttons to every room. I have no complaints whatsoever apart from I wish the bridge supported more devices as the limit currently is pathetic yet they keep adding more and more devices.
They are expensive but I bought a lot when they went on offer as I had to replace dozens of bulbs so that saved a good bit of money, plus adding Hue switches and buttons to every room. I have no complaints whatsoever apart from I wish the bridge supported more devices as the limit currently is pathetic yet they keep adding more and more devices.
I have a Hue system and an IKEA system.
Both are bad, but the IKEA system is becoming better than the Philips system.
Philips Hue (which is no longer owned by Philips and is only using the name..) will soon require you to create an account to keep using Hue.
So you will need to create an online Hue account to control devices in your home. I cannot for the life of me see how that is not going to go wrong. Not at all. Signify (the actual owners of Philips lighting and Hue) need to make choice between selling lamps or selling data.
Similar to the others, I have also found the interface lacking (not that the IKEA one or the Apple is much better) the support lackluster and upgrades breaking automation of connections.
At least the IKEA stuff is 1/3rd of the price.
Both are bad, but the IKEA system is becoming better than the Philips system.
Philips Hue (which is no longer owned by Philips and is only using the name..) will soon require you to create an account to keep using Hue.
So you will need to create an online Hue account to control devices in your home. I cannot for the life of me see how that is not going to go wrong. Not at all. Signify (the actual owners of Philips lighting and Hue) need to make choice between selling lamps or selling data.
Similar to the others, I have also found the interface lacking (not that the IKEA one or the Apple is much better) the support lackluster and upgrades breaking automation of connections.
At least the IKEA stuff is 1/3rd of the price.
Yep, same exact story here! Could I get a similar experience with a cheaper less known product? Perhaps, but why change what works. My whole house is Hue, and it's been flawless. I'm not going to risk potential problems with another brand especially if it takes a lot of time to troubleshoot/setup, I value my time!
Reminds me of the Android/iPhone days (and Windows/Mac), when I was on Android/Windows it was so fun customizing everything, setting all sorts of things up, getting deep and technical doing pretty much anything I want, but I'm older now, I don't have time or patience and just want things to work. I'd rather live a simple tech life and use my extra time on gaming, movies/shows, family, friends, etc
I'm a big fan of Hue bulbs. In my experience, they are very reliable and durable.
However, their lamps and "lights" are unimaginative and terribly overpriced IMO. In the pas I purchased 2 outdoor wall lights. They are made of cheap materials and definitely not designed to withstand harsh weather conditions.
I don't have issues with my Hue bulbs and accessories in the HomeKit environment. But I use them in modern lighting fixtures equipped with standard bulb bases. The only built-in LED products I really like are Hue light strips and "Play" light bars.
PS for @droplink ⬆️
Signify is just the updated name of Philips Lighting. They are still Philips and it's a Dutch company based in Eindhoven.
Privacy is, to date, not a concern as I'm concerned. European businesses have to take privacy issues very seriously.
en.wikipedia.org
Also, in my experience, Ikea products are OK but not very durable. The very first Hue bulbs I purchased many years ago are still fully functional. I also have a few Nanoleaf products but I still prefer Philips. Colors are nicer, the app is much better. The Hue brand benefits from the long Philips Lighting expertise and it shows IMO.
That being said, taste is subjective !
However, their lamps and "lights" are unimaginative and terribly overpriced IMO. In the pas I purchased 2 outdoor wall lights. They are made of cheap materials and definitely not designed to withstand harsh weather conditions.
I don't have issues with my Hue bulbs and accessories in the HomeKit environment. But I use them in modern lighting fixtures equipped with standard bulb bases. The only built-in LED products I really like are Hue light strips and "Play" light bars.
PS for @droplink ⬆️
Signify is just the updated name of Philips Lighting. They are still Philips and it's a Dutch company based in Eindhoven.
Privacy is, to date, not a concern as I'm concerned. European businesses have to take privacy issues very seriously.
Signify N.V. - Wikipedia
That being said, taste is subjective !
I own some and still agree. It’s built on a fundamentally flawed hub radio signal, which isn’t in the same league of reliability as Lutron Caseta. Drives me insane at times.Why after maaaaany years this stuff is still expensive and kind of unjustified to what they do?
I wouldn't mind the overpriced part if they were high quality. Out of about a dozen Hue lightbulbs in my house, 5 of them failed, all conveniently right after their 2-year warranty period.
The nice thing about the Lutron stuff is that you can just use it as a switch. Guests don't have to do anything. They just hit the switch as they would a "dumb" one.
However, if you think Hue is expensive, the price of the Lutron smart dimmers is eye watering.
Yes Lutron just works, period, the end. I have the Caseta dimmers all round the house and have no complaints. Not cheap, but if I’m spending that kind of money it just need to work each and every time. Nothing drives me more crazy than in my bedroom. The Hue hub is maybe 12 feet from the Hue light bulbs in the ceiling and it still fails at times to turn all three light bulbs off/on etc when I use either the app or the Hue/Aurora wall dial. Looks awesome when 2 out of 3 bulbs in the same fixture are doing something different from the third bulb. Maddening.
Oh, and the inconsistent Home integration. More often than not my wife will turn down the Hue bulbs in the bedroom to the lowest level, before sleep. I’ll check the Home app later and it will say 100% brightness.
Anyway, the reason, if you were wondering, why I even use Hue, - is because of one reason. The lowest 1% brightness I’ve seen on the market (without flicker), and the ability to change color temperature. I’d honestly forego color temperature if I could find regular dumb bulbs that have a really, really low, stable, 1% brightness. I’ve yet to find such bulbs.
This is great and all, but any chance Philips of you sorting out the hub bulb limit?? I’m running 3 and it is a royal PITA. Bridgewrapper made it bearable, perhaps do something like that for your customers.
What is the point in adding all of these options yet gimping it at a foundation level.
What is the point in adding all of these options yet gimping it at a foundation level.
New stuff looks cool but if I was going to pay £200 for a camera I would go for UniFi not Philips. The current issues I have with hue and HomeKit really put me off hue. Unfortunately I have over 40 bulbs
Yes 100%. As someone who suffered through a year of Logitech Circle View cams (+ doorbell, but the doorbell was a bit better), I can attest to highly recommending not to waste any money with subpar camera systems.
I've since upgraded to the Unifi AI Pros, G4 Doorbell Pro, and an NVR. I was already running other Unifi Networking gear (Dream Machine Pro, etc.) since I suffered through issues with a $1500 Linksys 6e three-pack.
The problem many will have though, is you do need to hardwire your Unifi cameras. My wireless G4 doorbell pro performs great, but nonetheless, it's not as good as the hardwired cameras. It's an investment to lay the cables, but once you do, you will be glad you did!
I have over 50 Hue lights and the hub (as well as a Hubitat) and have never had a single one of these problems. They have worked simply and reliably. I don't do much on any given day to have the lighting the way we need it, when we need it, other than saying "good morning" and "good night". Sunset time does the rest.
These have been around for a couple years now, I believe, or did you mean some other type of string lights?
String lights | Philips Hue US (philips-hue.com)
So many things can factor into this. Proximity to other residences and their signals and/or other wireless devices in your own place. Hue has been by far the least reliable of all the home automation devices, - for me.
I switched the HomePod to use Matter to operate the Hue lights. What a mistake. HomePod and Siri are complete garbage when controlling the Hue lights now. I have to use the Hue app to get any reliability. But, hey, maybe in the new iOS update we will get some new emoji! Priorities.
I've been fairly loyal to Hue for some time but I'm ditching them now because of this. The reasons they give for requiring an account (firmware updates! security!) are things we already have without accounts. Which means this is about data collection and eff that, just for my lights. And I let them know that, not that the care about one dude.
It's also funny to read all the complaints from people that clearly have not used Hue. I've found it to be reliable and high quality. And the 'what is it good for?' crowd must still be using candles to read by.
Sorry, but as you can read in the wikipedia article it has been spun off; sold off....
PS for @droplink ⬆️
Signify is just the updated name of Philips Lighting. They are still Philips and it's a Dutch company based in Eindhoven.
Privacy is, to date, not a concern as I'm concerned. European businesses have to take privacy issues very seriously.
...Signify N.V. - Wikipedia
It is true that EU takes data privacy seriously but that only goes so far.
1) The GDPR states that companies must make users aware of what their data is being use for, NOT that a company cannot collect some data... If they can come up with a reason, they can collect it.
2) Good regulation still does not prevent theft and break ins.
Not like those. The outdoor lights with the large shock resistant plastic housing. Something like this: