Key Takeaways
Philips Hue offers a variety of lighting options, including indoor, outdoor, and portable. The Hue Bridge acts as a communication hub for up to 50 lights, eliminating latency issues. The lights work with all major smart home platforms, including Apple HomeKit, Google Home, Amazon Alexa, and SmartThings.
I’ve been using and testing smart home devices since I installed my first Nest thermostat back in 2013. Since then, I’ve used a variety of smart home products from different brands. Here’s why Phillips Hue is my favorite smart home brand:
1. Diverse lighting options
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The original Philips Hue lights were standard bulbs designed to fit into lamps, but the range has definitely grown. Now, you can choose from just about every Hue lighting source you can think of. The brand has outdoor lighting, like string lights and security lights, and a surprising number of options for indoor use.
There are unique choices for indoors, including 3D printed lamps with Hue bulbs, floor lamps, and even portable options that use built-in rechargeable batteries to provide lighting anywhere. Hue options can be used just about anywhere in your home. If you’re new to the Hue lineup, you’ll also find several starter kits with multiple bulbs and a Hue bridge.
2. The Hue Bridge Reduces Latency and Other Issues
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Compared to other smart lighting options, the Hue Bridge is unique: it’s the component you need to control your Hue lighting system.
This little box connects to your home router and uses an additional power plug. It acts as a communications hub for all your lights so you can communicate and control them wherever you are. All you need is an internet connection and the Hue app for your iOS or Android device. With one bridge you can control up to 50 lights in your home.
Installing the Hue Bridge takes just a few minutes and can be purchased separately or in a starter kit. While some smart home users may be uneasy about having to worry about additional hardware, the Hue Bridge is definitely worth it. Not only does the Bridge unlock additional features, like custom lighting scenes, it can help address an issue you might encounter when using smart home products: lag.
Have you ever pressed a button on your smartphone app or used a voice command to your smart speaker to turn your lights on or off and noticed it took a long time for your lights to do their thing? That’s lag. I’ve been using Hue products with bridges for over 10 years and have never had an issue with lag, even when using my lights outdoors where Wi-Fi is poor.
3. Works with all major smart home platforms
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If you’ve ever been on the hunt for a new smart home product, the first big question you usually need to ask is whether the product will work with your smart home platform. Apple HomeKit, Google Home, and Amazon Alexa are all popular choices, but more often than not, a device will only work with one platform.
Thankfully, you don’t have that problem with Philips Hue lighting: it integrates with all three major platforms, as well as some lesser-known options like Samsung’s SmartThings, making it a great choice no matter how you want to control your smart home.
4. Substance Preparation
The Hue lineup is not only compatible with today’s smart home, but also with the near future of smart home technology: the Matter protocol. While Matter is currently facing short-term challenges, it’s shaping up to be a good thing for the smart home in the long term.
For those of you who don’t know, Matter takes the hassle out of smart home devices: instead of requiring you to use a specific platform or compatible device, Apple, Google and Amazon offer Matter-compatible hubs that let you control any Matter device, and thanks to the Hue Bridge, all Hue products are Matter-compatible.
5. There are options for every budget
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Some users talking about Philips Hue consider it to be more expensive than competing smart lighting solutions. That may have been true years ago when Hue only offered color-changing light bulbs, but that’s no longer the case. The brand has continued to expand, so it really does have products for every price range.
Now, you can find plenty of inexpensive lighting options that offer only a white hue, and many bulbs can connect via Bluetooth, so you don’t have to immediately buy a bridge before jumping into the ecosystem.
6. Great apps for control and customization
Let’s be honest, most control apps from smart home manufacturers are poorly designed and confusing, so much so that they are deleted after setting up their products. But the Philips Hue app is completely different.
While the app isn’t perfect, it’s hands down my favorite smart home controller app. Not only is it the best way to add new lights to your system or start from scratch, the Hue app makes it easy to control smart lighting throughout your home with just a Hue bridge or Bluetooth. You can group your lights into rooms or zones for easy control. It’s also the go-to app for the most common issues with Philips Hue bulbs.
That’s not all the app can do. Use popular custom-made scenes, like the Arctic Aurora or Savannah Sunset, paired with the lighting in specific rooms to create a unique ambiance. You can also browse by category or customize your own scenes from scratch with custom colors and brightness.
7 This brand is not just about lighting
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You may not know this, but the Hue brand is much more than just lighting. It also offers complete home security. You can purchase indoor and outdoor cameras and contact sensors to keep an eye on your home, and the technology is also integrated into your lighting system.
With contact sensors, all the lights in your home will automatically turn on when your front door opens.
The Hue app is where you view recorded video, customize your camera settings, and fine-tune notifications from your security products. Adding security to a robust lighting brand makes sense, and is a great way to get more out of a great ecosystem.
As you know, I’m a huge fan of all things Philips Hue. They’re one of the best smart home brands out there, and for good reason: With so many lighting options, smart lighting can really make any home shine.
