Gone are the days of boring lightbulbs that can only be switched on the old-fashioned way with a light switch. Today, many people conveniently control their lamps using their cell phones. If that’s not enough, you can choose your own Philips Hue bulbs and light strips tease out a lot more. Three things are enough for that.
Upgrading your Philips Hue lights: Here’s how
Turning lights on and off with a smartphone is already a big step forward compared to the conventional method of providing brightness. In addition, you can also control the home lighting from outside the apartment – for example to keep burglars away by pretending you are at home. But the capabilities of Philips Hue lamps don’t stop there.
#1 Pair the light with music, TV, and video games
If you are not only concerned with brightness, but also with mood and atmosphere, it makes sense to link your smart light sources with different media. This is how Philips Hue lamps can be synchronized with music, for example via Spotify.
But it can also be exciting to have films and especially video games accompanied by additional and coordinated lighting. You can even add light to some content from Netflix and Amazon Prime.
All you need is the Hue Sync program. Alternatively, the coupling also works via the HDMI Sync Box from Philips Hue and a Hue Bridge from the starter kit.
#2 Use other apps for even more effects
In addition to the software provided by Philips, there are also free third-party apps that can add functionality to your smart lighting system. The application “hueDynamicFor example, (Hue Entertainment by MD2) can synchronize Philips Hue lights with your breathing to help you fall asleep. More than 50 so-called “Experiences” mix light and sound to create special scenes for every mood.
The app “OnSwitch(Buzzhaus, LLC), which includes a sunrise alarm and sunset sleep timer. There are various themes that are implemented in light and sound, such as “hero lighting” or “creative lighting”.
Free apps in the Google Play Store
- hueDynamic: 4.4 stars (over 2,000 reviews, 100,000+ downloads)
- OnSwitch: 4.2 stars (over 2,600 reviews, 100,000+ downloads)
#3 Create routines based on your behavior
Life becomes even easier when you match Philips Hue lights to your everyday life. The “Routines” tab in the Philips Hue app will help you with this. Here you can edit various processes in such a way that they are used completely automatically. Among other things, you can use the location function of your mobile phone to switch on lamps when you arrive at home or to switch them off when you leave your apartment.
- Open the Philips Hue app > Routines > Select one of the given options
- Open the Philips Hue app > Routines > more routines > here you can put together your own automatisms
Of course, there are other ways to use the bulbs individually. For example, Philips Hue lamps can be connected to Alexa. Then the operation becomes even more convenient.
Sources: Philips, own research