I own a few rooms worth of these. This is an AMAZING upgrade! I can't wait to put them into action. Every time the Blackhawks score, my lights will flash red. When my oven timer goes off, my desk lamp will flash yellow, etc! I've loved these since I first got them a few months ago.
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Philips 'Hue' Receives Major Update With Geofencing, Visual Alerts, and More
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Your username precedes you.
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Who needs a computer with more than 640kb of memory. Who needs to carry their entire music library in their pocket? Who needs a phone with a camera or maps or apps? You're objection has been noted and deemed to come from "crotchety old man" syndrome. Now get off my lawn.
I have never in my life heard this before. Why do you switch your home's power off?
Has the purpose of lightning changed (starting from candles going to electric lights?)
No, the purpose of lightning hasn't changed. Lightning occurs for all the same reasons in nature that it always has.
However, lighting certainly has changed over the years. It has evolved from a simple means to illuminate a room or path strictly for visibility purposes to a variety of other "non-visibility" related uses. We now have accent lights that set mood or enhance a scene. We have lights that turn red, green or yellow to assist in traffic control. There are alert lights on ships that flash red in emergency situations. Tail lights on cars that turn on when you hit the breaks. You have an indicator on your phone that can flash when you get a text message. A check engine light in your car that turns on when the computer detects an error. We can harness/generate light into a focused beam to use for surgery or to get music from a CD or as a toy to play with cats... The examples go on and on.
So, yes, the purpose of lighting has changed quite a bit over the years. It still has it's most basic purpose of illumination...but we can use light for so many other purposes now.
15.000 hours, according to the box, which at 4 hours a night equates to over ten years.
I have them and use them in my entire house. Oddly enough, the 3rd party app makers on the android platform make the best apps for the lights. They have had all of these features for a few months now.
I have some regular LED bulbs from Phillips and a couple other brands and they claim they will last 22 years if used on average 3 hours per day.
I'd love to give these a try but at 600 lumens per bulb, they're just too dim to be worth my while. Hopefully in a year or two's time they'll have ~1100 lumen versions at half the cost. Then we'd be talking.
The only legitimate use for these would be to turn your lights on when you are away from home so that potential thieves don't think your house is empty. However, there are timers that have done this for years already.
I guess if you lived in a very large home and had patio lights, pool lights, driveway lights and various other lighting systems it might be easier to have a centralized control. If you're well off enough to have such a place then you'll already have a centralized system built into a panel and controlled by a remote in your home.
Otherwise, I think I'd rather spend $5 a bulb and you know, just use the light switches in my house. I can see tech enthusiasts gushing over this but the general public isn't going to bite at $199.
In a word, "ludicrous".
I guess if you lived in a very large home and had patio lights, pool lights, driveway lights and various other lighting systems it might be easier to have a centralized control. If you're well off enough to have such a place then you'll already have a centralized system built into a panel and controlled by a remote in your home.
Otherwise, I think I'd rather spend $5 a bulb and you know, just use the light switches in my house. I can see tech enthusiasts gushing over this but the general public isn't going to bite at $199.
In a word, "ludicrous".
Have the lights slowly turn red whenever Barry White starts to sing...
No. Lightbulbs have lots of purposes. And benefits.
For some people lighting is a way of setting a mood, or creating an ambience. It's not a function of "optimization". I have my whole apartment lit with these and I love them. I configured a 'bright' preset though, which provides more than enough light if I need it. I also have preprogrammed settings for things like eating meals, watching movies, waking up, entertaining, warm lighting, and cool lighting. It's not for everyone, but I feel a bit more optimized hitting a single button on my phone, vs. turning on or off and dimming 4-5 various lights each time I change tasks.
I've had my system for months with 7 bulbs. I use them every day to turn lights on and off. Also have them in my home theater room for ambient light when needed without washing out the screen.
This new update is awesome and can't wait to dig in.
I agree, the starter pack and bulbs are expensive but after using the system for a while, for me, it was worth it. Just being able to adjust color temperature is great for doing certain projects that require a distinct kind of light.
Purchasing over time helps. I got the starter pack then one or two bulbs per month.
This new update is awesome and can't wait to dig in.
I agree, the starter pack and bulbs are expensive but after using the system for a while, for me, it was worth it. Just being able to adjust color temperature is great for doing certain projects that require a distinct kind of light.
Purchasing over time helps. I got the starter pack then one or two bulbs per month.
My father is a double amputee. I have the system and set him up with one as it allows him to turn on and off lights he normally could not access. It's impressive, lights with wireless chips that can be any color, turned on/off from your devices or system(s), automating lights to come on in groups, certain times, specific colors, and now geofencing and allowing lights to slowly come on based on daylight savings are great features. Keeping in mind, these are LED lights, combined with tailored control, will save money over time.
Check out SiriProxy, developers have been able to get Siri to work with Philips lighting.
Check out SiriProxy, developers have been able to get Siri to work with Philips lighting.
Bought these when they first came out and loved them at first and then hated them because of inconsistent on/off (i.e. Master Bedroom Lamps). Now with all the software updates they work perfect. Back to loving them. I use them outside on covered patio (I know they are indoor only). I like the timers that turn them on/off everyday so I don't have to flip the switch. My other house I replaced the actually switch with a programmable on/off setting, but love this option even more. Just waiting on PAR30's for the million can lights I have.
Question: is it possible to program them to change colors / cycle automatically? if yes, can the length of the cycle be adjusted? the intensity? the individual colors of the cycle? can each bulb be cycled independently, or can the cycle be synced among them?
Nowhere in the Hue site or reviews talks about this...
Thanks
Yes to all of the above.
Times, colors, individual lights or in groups (lights are custom named when first installed), even physical presence can be set. This latest update has brought even more functionality and control.
The starter kit includes 3 light bulbs and the receiver. The bulbs cost $60 each so the $199 base price is pretty good considering you're getting 3 bulbs.
I'm buying them.
pretty good
pretty good
pretty good
Sorry man... No, just no...
Glassed Silver:mac
Yes to all of the above.
Times, colors, individual lights or in groups (lights are custom named when first installed), even physical presence can be set. This latest update has brought even more functionality and control.
Thanks!
Two more questions (sorry)
How sensible are they to electrical variations? My area has terrible service, plus when something heavy is plugged in, one can see the small variations...
And, can one control the bulbs and full functions from the computer? or are they only accessible through iOS? I see in the website that "With a hue account you'll be able to access your wireless lamps from anywhere in the world through a web browser or your app", but it doesn't specify the level of control through the browser, or if it can be controlled while in the same network.