Philips Hue is getting new smart switches, new outdoor connected lights, and adding voice control for the Hue Play HDMI Sync Box, the smart home lighting company has announced at CES 2020. In addition to easier control, Hue-owner Signify is also pushing easier installation of its custom fixtures, by adding low-voltage versions that don't necessarily require an electrician to fit them outdoors.
Even before IoT and smart homes became a thing, Philips' Hue smart lights were already paving the way for the fledgling industry. It's still one of the easiest ways to get started, given its brand name and ease of use. It has more competition now, however, and the market is more crowded than before. Naturally, the company will try to fend off rivals with a new line of indoor and outdoor lights that might debut at CES 2020 next month. Not before they get leaked entirely, of course.
The color-changing Hue bulbs in your living room are about to get a lot more useful, with the Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box enabling just about any media source to get its own "surround light" show. Connecting in-between a TV and your HDMI sources, the new adapter wirelessly controls the smart lighting in the room, matching it to the colors on-screen.
The smart lighting space is getting crowded, with numerous options to give your lamps an IoT upgrade, but segment behemoth Philips Hue has a new set of bulbs and accessories. As well as expanding Bluetooth support for even easier installation, there are now decorative Edison bulbs, a handy Hue button, and a Hue smart plug all arriving in time for the holidays.
Philips Hue bulbs are getting a Bluetooth upgrade, opening the door to easier installation without requiring a hub. One of the earliest smart bulbs on the market, Hue's new bulbs have so far used Zigbee for mesh networking, a system which has both strengths and drawbacks.
What with apps, smart speakers, and smart displays, it feels sometimes like the connected home forgot about how useful a simple button can be. Lutron's Aurora always-ready smart bulb dimmer is a $40 fix for a thoroughly first-world problem, but don't let that put you off. If you're a Philips Hue user, Aurora may very well be the answer to your prayers.
Philips Hue smart bulbs inadvertently cut off from the network could be a problem no longer, with Lutron launching an Aurora dimmer accessory that also prevents accidental switch-offs. Hue bulbs are now a mainstay of many smart home installations, however they typically come with one lingering problem. For the bulbs to work, the power must remain switched on.
A new update for Philips Hue smart bulbs has improved how the lights recover after losing power, with the option to have them resume their last state. The connected bulbs can be controlled from a smartphone or a voice-controlled smart speaker, but they've always had one semi-frustrating limitation.
While there are plenty of ways to control Philips Hue connected lights - including by voice, smartphone app, or smartwatch - sometimes there's nothing quite so convenient as a regular light switch. Now, integrating the Zigbee bulbs into a more streamlined smart home is about to get easier, the announcement of a range of new Friends of Hue light switches at IFA 2018.
Philips Hue is gaining two more connected lighting ranges, with the Hue Signe Collection and Hue Play joining the line-up of wirelessly-connected lamps and bulbs. Rather than retrofitting existing fixtures with new, smart bulbs, however, the two new ranges are standalone lamps in their own right, with installation promising to be as straightforward as plugging them into an outlet.
Your Philips Hue bulbs are about to get a lot more interesting, with Hue Sync launching to expand the colors from your PC or Mac into the room. Designed to deliver a more immersive viewing experience, whether you're watching movies or playing games, Hue Sync offers a DIY approach to Philips' Ambilight TV sets.
When it comes to getting started in the smart home, connected lights are where most people start, and one of the more popular platforms is Philips' Hue. If you're looking to get some more connected color in your IoT life, Amazon is running a sale on a number of Hue products today, from starter kits to individual bulbs.