I wasn't in the market for wifi-enabled lights. Honestly, I always felt such devices was a bit of useless puffery. These lights, though, have changed my mind entirely.
The unboxing was simple - frustration-free packaging is always good. Included in the box are the two lights, the bridge unit, a power cord and an ethernet cable. I was a bit concerned that the instructions were literally 3 instructions - install the light bulbs and turn on the switch; plug in the bridge and connect to wifi; download the Hue app and follow the instructions. In 18 languages. Fortunately, though, the URL was on one of the pages, so I downloaded the Hue app. Surprisingly, the setup was just that simple. Before you get started, though, you should download/install the app from your device app store, and you must have an active internet connection, an open ethernet port to your network, wifi, and a power source (outlet) for the bridge.
1. Install the bulbs where you intend to use them, and ensure the bulbs are turned on. I'm using mine in lamps at either end of my living room sofa.
2. Attach the bridge to your network via ethernet cable. In most cases that means connecting it directly to your router, but I'm using TP-Link Powerline devices, which provide an ethernet connection at various outlets in my home, so I chose one of these locations. I do have a 9-port switch attached to my router, and could have plugged in the bridge there, but a shortage of electrical outlets made it more convenient to chose one of the Powerline ports. As soon as the bridge was powered up, three LEDs across the top quickly lit and two of them went out.
3. Open the app. It'll start looking for the bridge, and find it pretty quickly. You're prompted to press the center button to begin the pairing process and light bulb setup. You're asked to create a group name for your lamps; I chose Living Room. Each lamp was placed in this group with the default name. I was NEVER going to go to the trouble of using the long default names, so I chose something more meaningful. One of my lamps looks like a Japanese Lantern, so it was named Shoji. The other looks somewhat like a beehive, so Beehive. The app made it easy to figure out which lamp was which - touch one in the app, and that lamp would blink, so light 1 became Beehive, and 2 became Shoji. That done, I registered my email address and a password to create a Hue account. Done. Tip: If you've got an Echo, Home Kit, or Google Assistant, keep individual light names simple so they're easy to remember and speak, and distinct so your Echo can clearly hear you and respond correctly.
I've got an Echo too, so added the Philips Hue skill to it. That wasn't quite as intuitive as I'd hoped - the Alex app is a bit kludgey - but once I found the Hue skill installation and setup was quick. The Echo had a hard time with controlling the lights at first, but I realized that the television was too loud. I turned the sound down, and tried turning the Living Room off and back on. That worked, so I tried the individual lamps by name, and that worked flawlessly - on; off; 50%; 100%. The Echo takes just a bit of time to process the command, and the light ring at the top lights and flashes as it executes. When complete, the Echo will say "Okay". Certainly, though, it's quick enough
I found there are two 'groups' - Home, which, I imagine, turns every Hue device attached to the bridge on or off at one time, and Living Room -
the group I created during setup that controls both bulbs at one time. Home has an on/off button, as does Living Room. By tapping the Living Room group, I can see the individual lamps, and can control them individually. Registering an account with Hue opens up additional options. By turning on the "Location Aware" function, you can get your lights to turn on (at full brightness, dimmed, or 'night light') when you come home. You can further stipulate that this happens only if you come home after sunset. You can also have the lights turn off when you leave home. As I mentioned, you must enable "Location Aware" to make these proximity settings work.
So, yeah. Surprised - and very pleased - sums up my unboxing and setup experience with Philips Hue lights. Now that I've got some, I'll absolutely add more. Don't know that I'll go for the colored lights and wilder stuff, but certainly the standard lights. Love the energy efficiency and cost savings from LED lamps. If you've got an Echo, you already know how easy it is to use it via voice. Being able to control lights with it is a great addition to an already invaluable tool - at least in my home it is.
| Brand | PHILIPS |
|---|---|
| Light Type | LED |
| Special Feature | Operating in completely closed fixtures may reduce lamp life, Zigbee HAN 1.2 Certified, Commercial applications warranty is based off 12 hours a day, Extend your warranty at philips.com/RegisterMYLed, Compatible with Alexa, Wink, Apple HomeKit, Siri, Samsung Smartthings, and others |
| Wattage | 10 |
| Bulb Shape Size | A19 |
| Bulb Base | E26 |
| Incandescent Equivalent Wattage | 60 Watts |
| Specific Uses For Product | Indoor use only |
| Light Color | Hue White, Soft White |
| Voltage | 120 Volts |
| Unit Count | 1 Count |
| Color Temperature | 2700 Kelvin |
| Number of Items | 1 |
| Brightness | 750 |
| Shape | A19 |
| Model Name | Philips Hue White A19 60W Equivalent Smart Bulb Starter Kit (Compatible with Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, and Google Assistant) |
| Connectivity Technology | Infrared |
| Indoor/Outdoor Usage | Indoor |
| Controller Type | SmartThings, Other |
| Included Components | Philips Hue White A19 60W Equivalent Smart Bulb Starter Kit (Compatible with Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, and Google Assistant) |
| Power Source | A/C |
| Connectivity Protocol | Zigbee |
| Color Rendering Index | 80 |
| Power Consumption | 10 Watts |
| Item Package Quantity | 1 |
| Light Source Type | LED |
| Specification Met | ANCE, UL Listed, Lighting Facts, certified frustration-free, ETL |
| Light Source Wattage | 9.5 Watts |
| Control Method | Voice |
| White Brightness | 800 Lumens |
| Manufacturer | CQMTO |
| Part Number | 455303 |
| Item Weight | 1.4 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 11.22 x 7.28 x 3.86 inches |
| Item model number | 455303 |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Size | 2-Bulb Starter Kit |
| Color | White |
| Style | Standard |
| Finish | Soft White |
| Special Features | Operating in completely closed fixtures may reduce lamp life, Zigbee HAN 1.2 Certified, Commercial applications warranty is based off 12 hours a day, Extend your warranty at philips.com/RegisterMYLed, Compatible with Alexa, Wink, Apple HomeKit, Siri, Samsung Smartthings, and others |
| Batteries Included? | No |
| Batteries Required? | No |
| Warranty Description | 2 years parts and labor. |
