To hue or not to hue

Keith186

Hey,

Just looking for some advice.
I already have a few regular lamps and devices on timers via Alexa and GA with smart plugs and am happy enough with the set up.

I'm looking to improve the lighting situation in the hallway and landing that have one bulb each.
Ideally I'd like them to act as a night light in the evening but be able to turn up to full brightness if needed for answering the door etc.
Am I best to bite the bullet and go for the Philips set up with the Hue bridge and switch or would a cheaper set up work instead?

Not likely to be adding more of these lights but who knows... I would like to be able to turn lights on and off when away for security.

Thanks

Alkers

Keith186 wrote: »

Hey,

Just looking for some advice.
I already have a few regular lamps and devices on timers via Alexa and GA with smart plugs and am happy enough with the set up.

I'm looking to improve the lighting situation in the hallway and landing that have one bulb each.
Ideally I'd like them to act as a night light in the evening but be able to turn up to full brightness if needed for answering the door etc.
Am I best to bite the bullet and go for the Philips set up with the Hue bridge and switch or would a cheaper set up work instead?

Not likely to be adding more of these lights but who knows... I would like to be able to turn lights on and off when away for security.

Thanks

I'd 100% recommend the hue ecosystem and app so if I was you I'd try to pickup a bridge from someone second hand and then get whatever bulbs you need in IKEA. For the functionality you're after you can get that all relatively inexpensively and then you can always add more if you like it

Blowheads

I second the hue

Cool when you can tell Alexa code red and all lights go blinking red.. Or just turn off cause it's sleep time

Gregor Samsa

Keith186 wrote: »

Not likely to be adding more of these lights but who knows...

:D:D:D

"Sure, I'll just get one for the front outdoor light", I said.
I'm now considering having my wages paid directly to Philips.

BoardsMember

I'd go Hue too, the only thing I would do differently is not buy colour bulbs, the warm whites are plenty for what I need.

Gregor Samsa

BoardsMember wrote: »

I'd go Hue too, the only thing I would do differently is not buy colour bulbs, the warm whites are plenty for what I need.

Bought colour bulbs for the kids' rooms, and a couple of others that I specifically wanted color for - but yeah, for most rooms, warm white is all you need. Got two White Ambience for our bedroom, and even that's overkill. We never use the cool white settings. Just getting the warm white ones would save a packet.

Keith186

Thanks lads.

Bought two colour ones in a pack with a smart button (link below). Am I better to cancel and go for the smart dimmer switch combo instead?

Yeah, colour bulbs are probably overkill for the hall so will probably get white ones and move these somewhere else! First ones haven't even arrived and I'm talking about getting more...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07XZT9WBV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_dlC_DJaOFbBZJRA32?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

BoardsMember

Keith186 wrote: »

Thanks lads.

Bought two colour ones in a pack with a smart button (link below). Am I better to cancel and go for the smart dimmer switch combo instead?

Yeah, colour bulbs are probably overkill for the hall so will probably get white ones and move these somewhere else! First ones haven't even arrived and I'm talking about getting more...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07XZT9WBV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_dlC_DJaOFbBZJRA32?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

I find the dimmer switches handy, I have a few.

On a slight tangent, I actually can't fathom how people use Hue without switches. I understand they use motion detectors and routines etc, but wouldn't work for me if ever even once the motion detector didn't fire.

Gregor Samsa

Personally, I think the button is better than the switch. Looks better on the wall, and you can still configure it to be a dimmer or to change scenes. If you use the Hue Essentials app, you get a lot more control over it than the regular Hue app. I put the original switch wiring into a terminal block, fitted a blanking plate, and mounted the button onto it so it looks like a regular dimmer, there isn't two switches and no-one can turn off the wired switch by accident. The rectangular Hue switch is good, but it's more like a remote control than a the kind of switch you'd have on a wall that you want to be able to hit without looking at it.



The double button above is in my bedroom, just inside the door, controlling both lights individually. Just on or off - no dimming or scenes. I've a switch beside the bed that then controls both lights as a group, that's configured to dim and switch scenes.

The single button is in one of the kids rooms, and does dimming and scenes.

I too can't understand how people use them without switches. Taking your phone out or barking at Alexa/Siri every time you want to turn a light on or off sounds like hassle to me (although to each their own, obviously). Although, I am thinking of coupling the landing light with a motion sensor and forgoing a switch/button on that - 99% of the time I only want that light on when it's dark and when you're using the stairs or landing, so automating it with the sensor seems to make sense.

It's worth having a few colour ones - they're a lot of fun. It's just that they'd probably be overkill in most houses having them everywhere. So yeah, you'll find the right place for them - no harm in having them at all.

Bluefoam

BoardsMember wrote: »

I find the dimmer switches handy, I have a few.

On a slight tangent, I actually can't fathom how people use Hue without switches. I understand they use motion detectors and routines etc, but wouldn't work for me if ever even once the motion detector didn't fire.

Why wouldn't the motion detector fire? I have a couple of motion detectors and I can't understand why anyone would chose to use a light switch...

Bluefoam

Colour bulbs have exactly three purposes... Halloween, Christmas & New year, for precisely 10 mins use...

Beyond that, I did light up my apartment green for Paddy's Day when I lived abroad, then went out and it just glowed green to anyone passing... That was a novelty... Haven't done it since.

Oh, the other reason to use it is when you are showing off the capabilities to other people... Again, 10 minutes of fun ��

Alkers

Bluefoam wrote: »

Colour bulbs have exactly three purposes... Halloween, Christmas & New year, for precisely 10 mins use...

Beyond that, I did light up my apartment green for Paddy's Day when I lived abroad, then went out and it just glowed green to anyone passing... That was a novelty... Haven't done it since.

Oh, the other reason to use it is when you are showing off the capabilities to other people... Again, 10 minutes of fun ��

You need to setup a few scenes, the colours really work better with lamps and feature lights as oppose to the main light in the room

cefh17

Bluefoam wrote: »

Colour bulbs have exactly three purposes... Halloween, Christmas & New year, for precisely 10 mins use...

Beyond that, I did light up my apartment green for Paddy's Day when I lived abroad, then went out and it just glowed green to anyone passing... That was a novelty... Haven't done it since.

Oh, the other reason to use it is when you are showing off the capabilities to other people... Again, 10 minutes of fun ��

You're forgetting with Ambilight Tv's

ablelocks

cefh17 wrote: »

You're forgetting with Ambilight Tv's

...in a group with main and wall lights for when you watch a concert on TV. I haven't actually had a chance to set it up properly yet, that's next weekends lockdown project.

to answer the original question, hue

ablelocks

Gregor Samsa wrote: »

Personally, I think the button is better than the switch......

I never knew there was a button! they look a neater, better option alright...

Gooey Looey

Bluefoam wrote: »

Why wouldn't the motion detector fire? I have a couple of motion detectors and I can't understand why anyone would chose to use a light switch...

Yep, we've motion detectors in the hallway and upstairs landing, they fire every time, work perfectly

Clareman

I'm another fan of the motion detectors, I've 1 at the front door and another in the downstairs hall, great jobs, the only reason I don't have 1 in the upstairs hall is because I've the path light on the Nest Protect

BoardsMember

Bluefoam wrote: »

Why wouldn't the motion detector fire? I have a couple of motion detectors and I can't understand why anyone would chose to use a light switch...

It's probably me, and my less convinced family - if something tech doesn't work first time/every time, it is branded as useless and why can't we just go back to.....

Good to read that others swear by the motion detectors. I have one that I haven't used. Part of it, for me, is finding the right place in a room to ensure it always sees movement, e.g. large hallway with multiple access points & obstacles. Also to ensure that people sitting, reading in rooms dont end up in the dark.

Stoner

I like the motion detectors myself. I don't have them in living areas though.
One thing to pick up on though, I don't think the Philips lamps dim down enough for a nightlight

Gooey Looey

BoardsMember wrote: »

It's probably me, and my less convinced family - if something tech doesn't work first time/every time, it is branded as useless and why can't we just go back to.....

Good to read that others swear by the motion detectors. I have one that I haven't used. Part of it, for me, is finding the right place in a room to ensure it always sees movement, e.g. large hallway with multiple access points & obstacles. Also to ensure that people sitting, reading in rooms dont end up in the dark.

For a large hallway you can use 2 of them in tandem

FastFullBack

I use a mix of switches and sensors and find they both work great. Sensors in hallways, stairs and kitchen. Switches in sitting room and bedrooms.
Right now with a newborn baby and overnight feeds the sensors are great. As we get up and move downstairs for a bottle, they light up the upstairs landing, then the hall downstairs and then the kitchen. And with a specific scene most of the kitchen is a nightlight overnight except for the corner where we make bottles which is on full brightness.

RobbieTheRobber

Stoner wrote: »

I like the motion detectors myself. I don't have them in living areas though.
One thing to pick up on though, I don't think the Philips lamps dim down enough for a nightlight

The basic warm white only bulb cannot be used as a nightlight. I also find its dimmest setting quite bright.

The white ambiance and colour bulbs all can be used as a nightlight. The nightlight theme on these bulbs gives a really low level of light.

I recently swapped out warm white for white ambiance on my landing, as I felt the warm white on its dimmest setting was too bright at night.