I bought this starter kit as a gift for my sister after becoming addicted to my own Hue lights. I was able to go through the setup with her and the whole process from start to finish was quick and easy.
Hue lights are awesome, especially when you pair them with the Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa. These Hue color bulbs are very bright and vibrant and fit it to any standard bulb socket. My sister and I were having fun cycling through all the colors and most were very vibrant. The only color that seemed off was purple which has more of a pink-ish hue to the color. Sorry fellow purple lovers.
Setup:
Setup was VERY easy. There are quick start instructions of getting the Bridge and lights plugged in, and the Hue app walks you through the rest. Make sure that you have an open ethernet port on your modem or router, the Hue Bridge needs to be hardwired into your home Internet network. The two bulbs come paired to the bridge already so you don't have to do any setup work unless you have additional Hue products to pair. Depending on your device the Hue app will also help you setup Siri or Google Assistant for voice control. Overall setup was very easy and went smoothly from start to finish. We were up and running within 5 minutes and playing with the different scenes and bulb colors.
Apps:
The Hue app is great to control your bulbs, but it is often easier to link to Siri, Google Assistant, or Alexa for quick voice control, rather than always waiting for the app to open. Other apps can also connect to your Hue bulbs once you setup a Hue account. Downloading additional apps can let you do cool things like syncing your lights to music or use IFTTT to turn on your bulbs when different events happen like getting a phone call, if it's going to snow in your area, and tons more. Make sure in the Hue app you also change the power-on behavior. For most people you'll want to set them to use the last state. That makes it so your lights won't turn on at 4am when they were already off because of a power failure.
Your old light switches:
Speaking of power-on behavior, Hue lights may take some getting used to, especially for people who have been using switches for all their lives. For Hue bulbs to work best you need to leave them in a lamp that is ALWAYS switched on. This allows you to control them with whatever app or voice assistant whenever you want. Hue also sells a wall switch that some people might like more if they are accustomed to switches. You would still need to leave your lamp on 24/7 to allow the bulbs to power on; this is something that my parents could not get used to when using smart bulbs. Though less than ideal, if you still want to use your existing lamp switches you can also use the Hue bulbs to just turn on as the last color you set them, but you will always have to manually turn them on and can't use the app to power them on.
Conclusion:
Hue bulbs are an awesome way to start your smart home. They are perfect for anyone who uses light bulbs...so everyone! It's very fun to customize your Hue bulbs and find the best lighting for you based on your personality, mood, or time of day. The Hue lights are bright and reliable and I'm very glad with my Hue purchases.
| Brand | PHILIPS |
|---|---|
| Light Type | LED |
| Special Feature | Shatter resistant, Instant On, Dimmable |
| Wattage | 10 watts |
| Bulb Shape Size | A19 |
| Incandescent Equivalent Wattage | 60 Watts |
| Specific Uses For Product | General purpose |
| Light Color | Soft White |
| Voltage | 120 Volts |
| Unit Count | 5.0 Count |
| Color Temperature | 6500 Kelvin |
| Number of Items | 1 |
| Brightness | 800 Lumen |
| Shape | a19 |
| Material | Plastic, Metal |
| Model Name | Hue 2-Pack Premium Smart Light Starter Kit |
| Connectivity Technology | ZigBee, Infrared |
| Indoor/Outdoor Usage | Outdoor |
| Controller Type | IFTTT, Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, SmartThings |
| Included Components | Hue Bridge, Lan/Ethernet cable, Power adapter, Hue White and Color Ambiance A19 LED bulbs |
| Power Source | AC/DC |
| Connectivity Protocol | Zigbee |
| Color Rendering Index | 80 |
| Power Consumption | 60 Watts |
| Item Package Quantity | 1 |
| Light Source Type | LED |
| Light Source Wattage | 10 Watts |
| Product Dimensions | 3.23"W x 8.27"H |
| Control Method | Voice |
| Is Electric | Yes |
| Manufacturer | CQMTO |
| Part Number | 536474 |
| Item Weight | 1.32 pounds |
| Item model number | 536474 |
| Batteries | 1 CR2 batteries required. |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Style | 2 Pack Color |
| Color | Soft White |
| Finish types | Soft White |
| Number of Lights | 2 |
| Maximum Compatible Wattage | 20 Watts |
| Special Features | Shatter resistant, Instant On, Dimmable |
| Shade Color | Multicolor |
| Light Direction | Uplight |
| Switch Installation Type | Tabletop |
| Batteries Included? | No |
| Batteries Required? | No |
| Wattage | 10 Watts |
| Bulb Features | Dimmable, 2-way switching |
| Bulb Length | 1 Inches |
