Prices vary depending on the bulb fitting, but expect to pay around £15 for White, around £30 for White Ambiance and £50 for White and Colour Ambiance. The bulk of lights are available in three formats: White (they’re dimmable), White Ambiance (they’re dimmable and the colour temperature can be adjusted), and White and Colour Ambiance (they do all the things the other bulbs can, plus change colour, picking from 16 million colours). If you’ve got a dimmer switch, this will have to be replaced. Traditional bulbsĪs Philips Hue bulbs have all of the intelligence built into them, such as dimming control, they need to be connected to a standard light switch. ![]() It’s worth following our guide on how to choose the right lumens for your light bulbs. For most of us, upgrading to Philips Hue will likely start by replacing dumb bulbs with smart ones. Light rangeĪt the heart of the Philips Hue system are the lights themselves, of which there’s a huge range to choose from. It’s a shame that Philips hasn’t addressed that and made it possible to control lights across multiple Bridges without having to manually swap to the one that you want to control. Multiple Bridges can be added but they don’t talk to each other, so it’s like having separate systems. First, the Bridge only supports 50 devices in total, which sounds like a lot but it’s relatively easy to hit this limit: my kitchen alone has seven lights and two controls in it. While the Bridge seems expensive at £50, it can often be bought for less in a starter pack with some bulbs. Unless you’re only going to use one or two bulbs, the Bridge is an absolute must, and this review continues talking about the features that it provides. Thirdly, you can use the full selection of products, including Friends of Hue devices. Secondly, you get remote control of bulbs while you’re out, plus third-party integration with HomeKit, Alexa and so on. First, each bulb acts as an extender, so control is more reliable. This device enables Zigbee control (a low-power smart home communication protocol), which adds several features. For example, the Hue Wireless Dimmer can be paired with a few bulbs but you get more limited control.įor the full experience, in my opinion, a Hue Bridge is needed. To use Bluetooth, you have to be within range of the lights, and you’re more limited on the controls you can use. Bluetooth control is cheaper to get started with as you don’t need the Bridge, but more limited. The majority of the current range of Philips Hue devices are compatible with Bluetooth and Zigbee. A Bridge gives more features and is required for some devices.Bluetooth is cheaper to get started with. ![]() Whether you want to paint a room in light or dial up the brightness so that you can work more easily, Philips Hue has it all. ![]() Thanks to the wide range of physical controls, the best third-party integration and a brilliant app, getting the most out of the lights is easy. Yet, range is no good without control and it’s here that Hue excels. What makes Hue different to its competitors is the breadth of products available, from light bulb replacements to outdoor lights, standalone lamps, light strips and beyond. Philips Hue might have started life as ‘just’ colour-changing bulbs, but it’s evolved to be more than that. Controls Works with the Hue app, plus the full range of wireless controls.Plus, there are lots of wall, ceiling, lamps and outdoor lights. Light range Zigbee and Bluetooth bulbs are available in B22, E14, E27 and GU10 sizes.
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