Phillips HUE Lux Starter Kit

I got this on sale through Amazon for $40 basically (39.99), unfortunately now it is $80. I’ve been wanting to try these for a while but couldn’t bring myself to spend the normal 75 or some odd dollars for it. When I saw it on sale it was a no brainer. Here is the nitty gritty.

In the box

The box was very simple. There was 2 bulbs, power cord, Cat 5e Ethernet cord (about 3-4 feet), and what they call the bridge. Like I said very simple

Hooking it up

This was so easy a caveman could….well you know the rest. The one I have is the first gen Hue so I don’t know if the newer version has WiFi but this one you have to plug in to your network via the included Ethernet cable. First you put the lights where you want them and turn their switch on. Then plug your bridge into the wall and your network. Then you need to download the Hue app to your phone or tablet, the app will see there is a bridge close and ask you to press the button on it, which will pair it with the app. Then you will be able to control your lights from your device. Just know you have to create a username in order to control your lights away from your house.

The app

When you first set up your lights it will ask you what room of the house they are in. This makes everything very easy if you are trying to connect your whole house. You can also set up Routines, which will let you set it up to say turn your lights on when you get home. A feature like this will use your phones GPS. You can also set Routines to wake you up in the morning or when you go to sleep. Some people can use something like this, if you sleep like a rock, like myself, that probably wouldn’t help much.

Conclusion

I remember back in the day if we were gonna be gone for a week or so my Dad would set up a timer for the lights so they would turn on when it got dark so people would think someone is there. Fast forward 30 years or so and now you can do it straight from your phone. It’s nice to be able to use an app to turn on your lights. The convenience has made me think about buying a Nest Thermostat for my house. These are things that no one really needs but they are nice to have. Plus how cool would it be to pair something like this with the Amazon Echo and just tell your lights to turn on?


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