Choosing which smart bulb to buy isn't usually a simple task. There are so many manufacturers, so many prices, and sometimes it's hard to know whether investing more or less money is worthwhile. After all, they're all lights that can be controlled remotely, right? Well, the truth is, yes and no. There are important differences that determine why one model might interest you more than others. We won't discuss them in this article, but if you've opted for Philips Hue, we'll show you how to get the most out of it.
Squeeze the Philips Hue bulbs app
Philips smart bulbs are expensive . Or maybe not, and what's happening is that other brands have been able to significantly lower their prices to compete. But without getting into that, because everyone will surely have a different opinion, what is clear is that they are among the best options due to their maturity, the variety of their ecosystem, and the features offered by their app.
Furthermore, thanks to the use of the Zigbee standard, they are also a very interesting option for those looking for quality lighting for main rooms and to complement the others with compatible solutions such as those from IKEA, which are more economical.
However, what we are interested in telling you are the uses and little tricks that you will be able to do with the Philips Hue application. Thus, if you have just started and you still do not know very well everything it offers, we hope we can help you get more out of it.
1. Individual or group management
Accessing the Philips Hue app and managing bulbs independently is something everyone knows how to do, but it's much more interesting to take advantage of the group options.
Thanks to these groups you can create a set made up of several light bulbs and apply changes to all of them at the same time. So, for example, you can change the intensity and they will all change in unison. Of course, all the bulbs have to be of the same type for it to work.
This, as we say, is something very practical and convenient, because it really does not limit other types of options. What's more, from the selector itself you can quickly switch between group or individual control.
In addition, it is important that from said screen you can group them for synchronized control or separate them. This is as simple as doing the following:
- To group bulbs, as long as they are of the same type (RGB or white), just select one and drag it over another. When you release you will see that the same icon now appears but with a number that indicates the number of lights it has. You can add as many as you have
- To separate a group, tap on said icon and the bulbs will appear independently and you will be able to move each one of them to establish the color you want
2. Automations by locations
At first, many might not see the point, but being able to automate your light bulbs based on your location (or rather, your smartphone's location) is fantastic. You can create an automation so that when you leave home and the app detects this using your phone's GPS, all the lights can turn off.
If you are a somewhat clueless person, you can stop worrying because you will have the certainty that they have been turned off. You can also take advantage of this on the contrary, so that they turn on as soon as you arrive at your house. So when you walk in the door everything configured will be on.
The only thing you should know is that if you live with more people at home, it's still not a good idea. Or warn them that if it happens they know what it is due to. It is not going to be scared.
3. Scenes for repetitive settings
The moment you frequently repeat a configuration for your smart lights, you should consider the idea of ​​creating a new scene. Thus, if you always set the light in the living room to a certain brightness and colors, and the same later with the rest, you will only have to do it once. From then on, go to the app, scene section and choose the one you want.
These scenes are easy to create and can be used in many ways for movies, video games, reading, and more. You're sure to find plenty of ideas for how to use them. To create a new scene :
- Open the Hue app
- Go to the Home option
- Hit Create new scene
- Assign name
- set each light
- Accept and ready, you already have it
4. Scenes from your own photos
If you've explored the Philips Hue app, you'll have seen that there's a section for scenes that replicate the colors of an image . Depending on the number of lights, the accuracy will be much greater, but generally speaking, even with just three lights, the result is quite impressive.
Well, the interesting thing is not so much to use these already established images as those of a photo that you have taken and have in the gallery of your phone. You only have to select it, the app analyzes it and represents it to you by selecting the room or group of lights that you want it to use for it.
5. Wake up with your Philips Hue
Undoubtedly, the sound of an alarm clock can be very annoying. That's why, when many users discover this option to wake up with light, it's like a revelation. You just have to do the following to wake up each morning feeling as if you're in the midst of a transformation, with the light of dawn gently lifting you out of bed.
To create an awakening with light you just have to follow these steps:
- Open the Hue app
- Go to the Habits section
- Now look for the Wake up option and select it
- Then click on Create routine
- You will have to fill in some previous information such as the name for said alarm clock, time and days that it will be active
- Select the Ascending Gradient option so that the amount of light goes from less to more and sets the time it will take to go from minimum to maximum
- Now select the lights and voila, you have it
Try this way of waking up for a few days and tell us what you think. We are convinced that there will be no turning back from continuing to set the alarm clock on your mobile or another clock so that annoying beep tells you that it is time to get up every morning.
6. Relax with the descending gradient
Just as waking up with the gradual increase of light in the room helps you sleep better at night or simply create a more relaxed environment.
To make use of this function that also allows the Philips Hue application, all you have to do is go to Habits and there click on create a new routine. Now create it at the time that interests you the most, set the light level, temperature and that's it. You will see how every day at the same time the lights will change automatically and both you and your little ones, if you have any, will realize that it is time to relax to rest.
7. Timers with light
Timers can be just as annoying as alarm clocks. Also, if you work with your headphones on listening to music, it is likely that you will not notice it on more than one occasion.
If you're looking for an alternative, you could try timers with light alerts . That way, when a set time period ends, instead of a sound, one of your bulbs could light up blue.
8.Hue Sync
As we mentioned at the beginning, one of the main strengths of Philips Hue is its integration with other third-party applications. This isn't the case here, but rather with an app from Philips itself called Hue Sync , which allows for interesting features such as synchronizing content running on your computer (Windows or Mac) with your smart lights.
Thus, through a very simple interface, if you are playing music on Spotify the lights will flash to the rhythm of it. If you're watching a movie or series, the same. And also if you are playing video games on your computer.
Here it's true that the more lights you have, the better, especially for viewing content and achieving a kind of Ambilight experience. By the way, if you install HueDynamic on your Xbox, Android or iOS smartphone, you can also take advantage of this dynamic lighting experience.
Some bulbs with a great support
If you add to all this that you can control these bulbs both with Google Assistant and its Google Home app, with Alexa and its respective application of the same name or with Siri and the iOS, iPadOS or macOS Home app, well they practically have it all .
Also, as we said, it can be combined with third-party accessories and make the experience grow even more.