So, is Philips Hue still the gold standard for smart lightbulbs? We think yes. If this device does not conform to the warranty, Philips will send you, at its election, a replacement device or refund your original price upon receipt of the returned device, register receipt and proof of purchase. Philips offers a warranty of two years based on up to three hours average working time per day at seven days per week. In our case, adding the Alexa skill was all it took, and we could walk into our bedroom and say “ Alexa, turn on the lights” without fumbling for the switch in the dark. Instructions for connecting is different for each platform, but you can get going relatively easily regardless by following the individual instructions/protocol for voice control. Philips Hue works with Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, and Amazon Alexa. If you have a voice assistant in your home, all you need to control the lights is your voice. You can put your lights at five percent, 45 percent, 100 percent, or anywhere in between. And the app works as a true remote control - not only can you turn lights on or off, but you can also dim the lights using an easy-to-operate bar that you can control by sliding your finger. You can group certain bulbs together and control them together or individually. We could walk in and say “Alexa, turn on the lights” without fumbling for the switch in the dark. Thankfully, Alexa is also in our bedroom, and if we felt like sleeping in, we could just tell Alexa to turn off the lights – without even opening our eyes. During testing we found ourselves simultaneously amazed and annoyed that the lights above our bed turned on when we set an alarm for them to do so.
You can set alarms for the lights to start illuminating gradually to wake you up in the morning or dim as it draws closer to bedtime. So, what can you do with these bulbs? Lots. The same goes with asking Alexa to turn on the lights when you walk into a room – the light switch will need to be on in order for it to work. Otherwise, flicking the switch will still turn the lights on or off, you just won’t be able to edit the colors.
It’s important to note that you can only change the light color and brightness if you have the light switch(es) turned on and adjust the settings via the app. This means you can reset the alarms while you’re at work or on vacation, or mess with the lights from afar to prank the kids at home. You can set the alarm for specific scenes to turn on or off, and how long you want the bulbs to begin gradually lighting or dimming.
Through your app, you can control the lights from any remote location. You can also create a new shade using a color wheel or even a picture from your phone’s gallery. There are other “Recipes” that are supposed to cater to particular moods and activities, like “Concentrate,” and “Reading.” These settings are more natural, such as soft yellow tones to calm the mind, or a blueish-white hue to make you feel more energized. The Hue app comes with several preset “scenes,” such as yellowish white for “Relax” and bluish white for “Arctic Aurora.” For each scene, you can adjust the brightness and specific shade to whatever you desire. It’s important to note that you can only change the light color and brightness if you have the light switch(es) turned on While Philips Hue bridges have always required a wired router connection, we wish that there were a way to connect wirelessly to avoid the already-jumbled mess of wires and cords next to the router. The starter kit also comes with a small square bridge that you must connect your router to with an ethernet cable. They are about the same size as your average florescent or incandescent bulb, except with a flatter head. Out of the box, you’ll find four 806 lumens, 10 watts Hue lightbulbs ready to be installed with any standard lamp or ceiling light or fixture. We put the Philips Hue White Ambiance Starter Kit ($150), to the test. Today, they’re considered to be the gold standard for smart lighting. Five years ago, Philips Hue was at the forefront in smart light bulb technology, and their Wi-Fi-enabled LED lighting systems were pretty new and innovative.
That’s why we thought it might be a good idea to give smart home pioneers Philips Hue a fresh look. And that’s not all - from hubs to video doorbells, many homes now feature various tech devices that make our lives more connected than ever. Five years later, both Amazon and to an extent Google have transformed the home with their Echo and Google Home voice-assistant smart speakers.
0 kommentar(er)
