You can set up integration with something like If This Then That, or IFTTT to make the lights change when certain things happen, according to a "recipe." You can browse Hue recipes for inspiration and even tweak existing recipes for yourself. See below:Īs I mentioned before, there are other ways to "run" the lights. Ambify will listen to the music and adjust the lights accordingly. A popular one at my house is Ambify for iOS, since the largest concentration of Hue bulbs is in my basement, next to the nice A/V setup with big speakers hooked up to AirPlay. Right now this only works with the Sharknado films and the 12 Monkeys series, but so far it's been fun to watch TV this way.Īnother fun way to use the Hue bulbs (particularly if you have color ones) is with apps that extend functionality. It's fun to watch television and have the rest of the room get involved. There's also the SyFy Sync app which I've discussed before. You can also have the lights automatically come on when it gets dark, so you don't end up stumbling around looking for a switch. There are a number of options for adjustments too: the lights can be set to brighten or dim at a particular time, so you can have a nice low light when you first wake up and have it gradually get brighter over say, 15-30 minutes so you can ease into your day. And as a bonus it can come on at a brightness (and optionally, color) you specify so not only can the light be on, it can be dim so you're not blinded when you walk in the door. Within the Hue app from Philips you can set a rule so that when your phone arrives home, your light comes on. This one small change can make a huge difference in daily life since every time you come home, it no longer has to be to a dark house. You can also use the Hue app to set up my favorite feature: geofencing lights. Then set up other recipes for combinations of lights, or brightness/color configurations you can activate at the touch of a button. You'll get some basic examples for setting up the lights, and with the Hue app you can add your favorites to the Notification Center widget. First install the official app to get the basic setup configured. Now that you've got some lights set up and ready to go, this is where it gets fun. It was very hard for me at first, after a lifetime of being told to turn the light off, but it gets easier in a hurry. Once the lights are ready to go, turn on the light switches and (this is where it gets tricky) leave them on. Beyond that perhaps consider a light you use often or a light in an area with an inconvenient switch. I suggest one near an entrance/exit for reasons you'll see below. Once you make the purchase, take the bulbs out of the box and screw them into the fixtures of your choice. This way you can start with the less expensive Lux bulbs and expand to full color later if you prefer. One advantage to the Hue hub is that the hub is essentially free in the kit and whichever kit you decide on, both types of bulbs will work with it. Wink sells a hub separately, and WeMo has a hub too. You can get a hub with either the Hue or Hue Lux starter kit, a set of bulbs that includes the hub. (Wink and WeMo are both white-only lights, LIFX is the other main multicolor bulb.) Most styles require a "hub", a small puck that sits on your network and allows for all the control. Primarily you see two styles of bulbs: the "Hue" bulb which can be adjusted to a variety of colors, and the Hue Lux which is a white bulb that only has brightness adjustments. There are others from companies such as Wink and WeMo, and most of the same concepts apply to these bulbs. Generally, setup isn't a big deal, but once you have them, then what? For people who are mildly curious, here's a gentle introduction to the world of Light Bulbs You Can Boss From Your Phone: For now we'll mostly deal with the "regular" light bulbs, specifically the Philips Hue line of LED smartbulbs. If you're interested in smart lighting, resources to help you can get overwhelming in a hurry.
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