The first big step towards a smart home: Smart lighting with Philips Hue
March 14, 2021
Getting Started 🎬
A cikk magyar változatáért kattints ide.
The idea of “smart” lighting kicked off our entire smart home project while we were still renting. I wanted to solve a minor but persistent issue: I always leave lights on wherever I go. At the same time, my wife diligently switches everything off. This became a point of contention. I thought the situation could be resolved if, instead of walking through the house and turning off all the lights, we could just say, ”Hey Siri, turn off all lights” from the comfort of bed. I know — what a problem, right?
So I looked into the available options then, and every bit of research pointed to Philips Hue as the ultimate solution (IKEA was just launching their system, but it wasn’t HomeKit compatible yet). So we went with Hue. Our rental and later our own property had standard E27 bulb sockets, making choosing from basic Hue bulbs easy. In our new apartment, we considered using built-in Hue LED lights, but we were concerned that if the bulb or controller failed, we’d have to replace the whole light fixture, which wouldn’t be cheap. If a bulb fails, no problem — it’s easy to replace without drilling or rewiring. So we stuck with E27 everywhere except for the bedside lamps, where we used one E14 candle-style bulb each.
White, White Ambiance, or White and Color Ambiance? 💡
When it comes to bulbs, you generally have three options:
- White: Standard warm white light (2700K).
- White Ambiance: Allows for adjusting the colour temperature of white light (2700K – 6500K).
- White and Color Ambiance: Offers adjustable white light and 16 million colour options.
Prices increase accordingly: White is the cheapest (~7,000 HUF per bulb), White Ambiance is mid-range (~11,000 HUF), and White and Color Ambiance is the most expensive (~22,000 HUF). Of course, there are discounts, and the type of socket (e.g., E14 or GU10) can affect the price. You can also buy them in bundles (with multiple bulbs or a switch included), but this gives a rough idea of the cost. All bulbs are dimmable, meaning you can adjust the brightness.
Since I figured if we were going to do this, we should do it properly, I bought a White Ambiance starter pack, which included 1 Hue Bridge (necessary for controlling the bulbs), 2 White Ambiance E27 bulbs, and a Hue Dimmer Switch. I also bought a pack of two White and Color Ambiance bulbs to test whether coloured lighting was worth it.
It was fun for about two weeks, but we then stuck to various shades of white. For us, the extra cost of colour wasn’t justified. However, there are some fun features (like syncing with Spotify to create concert-like light shows or adjusting the light colours to match what’s on the TV screen). Ultimately, White Ambiance became our favourite, with the coloured bulbs relegated to the bedroom and nursery ceiling. Our current setup looks like this:
- Living Room: 5 bulbs
- Dining Room: 3 bulbs
- Kitchen: 2 bulbs
- Hallway: 2 bulbs
- Bathroom: 2 bulbs
- Nursery: 2 bulbs (2 colours)
- Bedroom: 4 bulbs (2 colours in the ceiling, 2 White Ambiance E14s in bedside lamps)
- Corridor: 1 bulb
- Toilet: 1 bulb
- Balcony: 1 bulb
What About the Switches? 🔆
For the Hue system to work (remote control, HomeKit, Siri, automation, etc.), the bulbs must be constantly powered because they can only be controlled when active. This doesn’t mean they need to be lit, though — you can control that via the Hue app, HomeKit, or Siri voice commands. You can also install switches to control them while keeping other control options available.
Since we weren’t present for the initial electrical setup in either the rental or our new apartment and didn’t want to start tearing up walls, we opted for a functional but imperfect solution: we installed Hue Dimmer Switches and Hue Smart Buttons next to the existing light switches, keeping the traditional switches permanently on.
Hue Dimmer Switch
The Hue Dimmer Switch is a long, four-button switch you can customize. By default, it controls On, Brightness +, Brightness -, and Off. The centre part of the switch is magnetically attached to the frame, so you can remove it and use it as a remote. Here’s how it looks:
Hue Smart Button
The Hue Smart Button is a small round button that you can press or hold. It’s programmable (e.g., double press to trigger a specific action). Still, it toggles lights on and off by default and adjusts brightness when held. Like the Dimmer Switch, the Smart Button can be removed from its frame and mounted with a small magnetic base. Here’s how it looks:
Each switch has its pros and cons. The Hue Dimmer Switch is more affordable (~6,000 HUF each), but its elongated design is unusual in Europe. The Hue Smart Button has a more standard switch size, so it fits in better than traditional switches, but it’s about 1.5 times the price (~9,500 HUF). It’s not officially available in Hungary, but you can order it from abroad (like from Amazon Germany), and it works perfectly with the system.
In January 2021, Philips introduced a Hue Wall Switch Module, which fits behind traditional non-smart switches without needing rewiring. However, like the other two switches, it runs on button batteries despite being connected to the electrical system. This means that when the batteries run out (after many years), you’ll need to replace them. The module costs €40 for one or €70 for a two-pack, and it’s not officially available in Hungary yet.
Other Hue Accessories 🔌
Many Hue accessories exist, from LED strips and floor lamps to smart plugs and sensors. We use a Hue Motion Sensor, which detects motion and measures brightness and temperature. I bought it mainly for temperature monitoring, as it was the easiest way to get a HomeKit-compatible room thermometer. The brightness detection also helps with the automation of our smart blinds.
Summary: So, how did it work out? ❓
In short: It’s great.
A bit longer: We’re delighted with the system — it has never let us down, and everything runs smoothly. The HomeKit integration works perfectly, and the Hue app is decent, with some unique settings that can be configured there. It also gets regular updates. It’s absurd that the bulbs and switches sometimes need firmware updates, but they handle it effortlessly. The Hue Bridge can manage up to 50 bulbs and 50 devices, and if you need more, you’ll have to add another Hue Bridge. Network coverage is critical here, as the devices create a mesh network to communicate with each other. Automations work well, and you can create “scenes” for different moods. We most often control the system with voice commands and love it.
One important note: the brightness of each bulb (at least the E27 ones) is capped at 806 lumens.* This isn’t much, so you’ll likely need at least two bulbs unless you’re lighting a small space (like a toilet). The type of fixture also matters — for instance, we have covered ceiling fixtures in the living room and dining room, so we needed extra bulbs to achieve the desired brightness. This may differ with spotlights (GU10), but I don’t have experience with those.
*: After publishing, I noticed that Philips released a 1600-lumen E27 Hue White bulb. Hopefully, the other categories will follow with higher brightness.
The switches use button batteries, but they drain slowly. Our first Hue Dimmer Switch (from the starter kit) still has 75% battery after over four years of use. Battery replacement is easy; the original should last 10-15 years. None of our bulbs have burnt out, and they haven’t dimmed or flickered — they’re as good as new.
Of course, there are alternatives to building a smart lighting system (like IKEA), with cheaper or different solutions. Still, it’s hard to argue against Philips Hue as the market leader. If you want to get started, I highly recommend it. It supports all the popular smart home systems right out of the box. It’s best to start with a starter pack and buy additional bulbs in bundles.
