There are three different Philips Hue color types available: White, White Ambiance, and White and Color Ambiance. In January 2019 they announced outdoor sensors and lights. In July 2018, an outdoor version of the Philips Hue suite was introduced, and in October 2018 a suite of entertainment-focused, free-standing light fittings. The initial system had bulbs capable of producing up to 600 lumens while the newer systems have bulbs that produce up to 1600 lumens. Commands are delivered to the bridge via a wired Ethernet connection which transmits the commands to the devices over the Zigbee mesh network. Hue system components can be controlled via any internet device, but most typically smartphone apps over cellular or WiFi networks, or a Home automation voice command interface. Hue HDMI sync, used the Zigbee Home Automation protocol but now also use Zigbee 3.0. Smart switches, motion detectors, and other accessory devices e.g. Products released prior to 2019 use the Zigbee Light Link protocol, a compatible subset of Zigbee 3.0, to communicate, while lighting products released after 2019 use either Bluetooth, or Zigbee 3.0. The Hue system was released in October 2012 as an Apple Store exclusive and was marketed as the first iOS controlled lighting appliance. Early adopters were forced to buy a V2 bridge in order to use their light bulbs other than as configured before the server cutoff, a limitation not typically amenable to the technologically adventurous tinkerers who best typify the early adopters of new home automation products. Functionality like grouping lights into rooms and scheduling scenes that depended on Philips servers to pack the instructions into a form the bridge executed could no longer be created.
The first-generation bridge received a final software update in April 2020 and disabled support from the Philips web servers. In 2016, Philips released a new square shaped v2 bridge with increased memory and processor speed which replaced the round v1 bridge. The Hue Bridge is the central controller of the lighting system which allows the bulbs to "communicate" with Apple HomeKit and the app.
It's expected to hit store shelves (specifically: Apple stores, Amazon and Best Buy) around the end of May and will retail for $100.Hue Lightstrip Outdoor strip light Operation
Like every other branded light in the Hue family, the new Go works seamlessly with both your existing Hue system and any of the 200-plus aftermarket control apps currently available.
Each unit reportedly lasts about three hours on a single charge and can be controlled through the associated mobile app (or the Hue Tap) just like a standard Hue bulb.Įven if you aren't close to your phone, you can still change the Go's current color output to one of five presets (whatever the heck Cozy Candle, Sunday Coffee, Meditation, Enchanted Forest, and Night Adventure mean) using a manual switch on the unit itself. But unlike these earlier designs, the Go isn't tethered to a wall socket. It's called the Hue Go and is basically a salad bowl of light that you can hold in your lap (because people do that apparently?) or use as an accent or serve as a luminescent centerpiece much like the Hue Beyond or Luminaires. Philips has just unveiled a mobile addition to its venerable line of programmable LED Hue bulbs.