Smart lighting can light up your life. Too cheesy? I meant that literally. Smart lighting is awesome – you can either get ‘white only’ bulbs that can be smartly dimmed and turned on/off, or you can buy color bulbs which can be set to millions of colors. Fancy a home disco? Smart lighting is where it’s at.
Philips Hue is the biggest name in smart lighting, but what are you going to do when you need to give additional users access to your smart light controls? You can set up multiple users whether you are using Bluetooth enabled Philips Hue devices or the Philips Hue Bridge. Your secondary users will only need to … Read more
I recently purchased a Philips Hue starter kit and four candle bulbs, but due to having limited space (and power outlets) by the router in my living room, I instead installed my Hue Hub (the Bridge v2) up in my attic. I was able to do this because I already have full networking (and power) … Read more
The Philips Hue Bridge (or the Starter Kits, which ship with a Bridge) are fairly clear about a seemingly unimportant limitation: “the Hue Bridge allows you to connect and control up to 50 lights and accessories” – Hue Bridge marketing information, 2020. When you’re just starting out on your smart phone journey, 50 lights seems … Read more
I remember the first time I experimented with a smart RGB (color) bulb. One of the first things I did was use my app to set my room to green… I’m so cool. /s Unfortunately I didn’t turn into the hulk right after, but it got me wondering whether it’s possible to set my Philips … Read more
Philips Hue’s Lightstrips have some really nice features, and they can work really well in various places in your house – especially behind your TV, and in your kitchen. In-fact, I’m considering using them in my kitchen but I wanted to know exactly how many Lightstrip packs to buy since I may need to cut … Read more
Philips Hue is expanding their smart devices into new products that seek to give users a more immersive, and smarter, home lighting experience. These devices allow you to have your Hue smart lighting react to music, movies, and video games. How does this all work? The Hue Sync app and Hue Sync Box physical device … Read more
The Philips Hue dimmer switch is great: it acts as a physical remote, allowing you to seamlessly control your smart bulbs (turning them on/off, changing their brightness, and changing between scenes). However sometimes it will refuse to work, instead showing a red ‘error’ light in the top left when you press one of the buttons. … Read more
New Wi-Fi standards are rolling out and this is shaking up smart devices across the board. One of the types of devices that are facing their biggest change is the humble smart light bulb. The increasing popularity of 5 GHz Wi-Fi networks is causing some trouble for 2.4 GHz-only smart bulbs. There are currently very … Read more
Lutron Caseta are a premium smart switch brand, with a range of lights switches, detachable remotes, dimmers, and more. Since smart switches can often be better (and more user friendly) than smart lights, it’s common for people in the UK, Australia and other non-USA countries to ask if they, too, can install Caseta products in … Read more
Smart lights are awesome, as many people can agree. The ability to control more than one light with just the mere touch of a button or voice command is extremely convenient in a variety of situations. They’re convenient, they can be festive, and can really help set the mood at home. Smart lighting can affect … Read more