Home Automation Part 4: Philips Hue Starter Pack, Friends of Hue Bloom Lamp, and LightStrip
Philips Friends of Hue Bloom Lamp
System setup is exceptionally straightforward. If you can screw a bulb into a socket, you can get the Hue system up and running within ten minutes. First, install the bulbs in lighting fixtures and turn them on. They will glow white, the same as standard bulbs. Then connect the Hue bridge to a router using the supplied Ethernet cable (would it have been so much trouble and added expense to provide Wi-Fi connectivity?). The last thing to do is to install the Hue app on a smartphone or tablet (Android, Windows Phone, and iOS, even Kindle), and then it is just a few simple steps to pair the bulbs and bridge.
In order to control the bulbs from the app, they have to be left powered up (the fixture switch must be left in the ‘on’ position).
Once I had the hub and the bulbs installed and became acquainted with the system, I realized that I really needed the Friends of Hue LightStrip, a flexible two-meter long strip studded with LED. (Yes, I had gone my entire life without one, but I had to have it that moment, and fortunately, they are available at the nearby Apple store, as are most of the Hue products.)
USING PHILIPS HUE
While my parents’ house, as I noted in How to Build Your Internet of Things, had incredible technology (for the latter half of the 20th century) that allowed myriad lights to be controlled and dimmed, one nonetheless had to walk over or be seated next to one of the control panels. The system followed the Henry Ford philosophy on color choices, too: any color you wanted, as long as it was white.
The Philips Hue system is far more powerful. I was able to adjust intensity, create custom colors and color combinations, create schedules, set up geofencing, and easily write action scripts (Philips calls them recipes) using If This Then That, or IFTTT.
The app is the best way to control Hue, although Philips recently introduced a hockey puck-like tap-actuated switch for those who prefer a slightly more traditional method of control.
The app allowed me to quickly control and customize the color and intensity of each individual bulb and lamp. Philips includes a number of preprogrammed “scenes,” such as sunrise, sunset, or beach, which are intended to create a specific mood. You can use these or create your own (I was able to do this on my MacBook Pro’s browser as well as on the app), and even upload photos to match the scene.
Click here to continue to Page 3 – Creating Scenes and Adding Music
