Skip to main content

It’s 2018, and Christmas lights still aren’t smart. Philips, where are Hue?

Image used with permission by copyright holder

The word ‘smart’ precedes just about everything nowadays, from scales, to shoes, and now microwaves. It seems every other week a new product slaps ‘smart’ in front and we all let out a collective, “Huh?”

I’m not here to talk about those products. What I’m talking about here is obvious. What I’m talking about should already exist. What I’m talking about is smart holiday lights.

Recommended Videos

Using my voice to completely change the ambience in my home felt truly magical.

My introduction to programmable home lighting, as with most people, was via Philips Hue. It was probably three years ago, and I still remember the first time I turned them on. Using my voice and phone screen to completely change the ambience in my home felt truly magical. That winter I researched whether a string light version was available. No luck. “Hey, it’s so new,” I thought. “They’ll have them next year.” I felt certain. What maniacs wouldn’t capitalize on such an obvious untapped market?

Well, the next year came, and no dice. Now here we are again, in 2018, this time with robots that can mow our lawns and a microwave we can yell at that will literally listen. Yet I still can’t change the color of my Christmas tree lights.

Let’s be clear: this isn’t just about Christmas. An outdoor version of string lights could impress the neighbors for any winter holiday. Completely remove the festive lens, and this could even be beloved in a kid’s room or a college dorm (or, for children-at-heart people like myself, a kitchen entryway) all year long.

This photo was taken in a not so distant future in which Philips Hue has finally answered my cries. praetorianphoto/Getty Images

To be fair, I have found items that get really close to what I’m looking for. There are lights that can be programmed with a physical remote. There are smart LEDs with those weird fat plastic bulbs. And there’s the Philips Hue Outdoor Lightstrip, but they’re a light rope and not tree lights.

Let’s be clear: this isn’t just about Christmas.

Hell, Philips even sells a product called Illuminate that’s advertised to solve this exact dilemma. The only problem is Philips doesn’t actually make this product. A company called Seasonal Specialties makes it. The result is 25 half-decent bulbs and an outdated app that offers limited functionality (think Sharper Image, but for Christmas lights). According to reviews, they’re less than ideal, and in many cases, are so confusing that buyers simply surrender and return them.

I know it sounds like I’m nitpicking here, and the current options are all steps in the right direction, but if I’m going to be the ambassador for holiday lights that this article will inevitably paint me to be, I may as well lay out my requirements. Here’s what I need:

  • Holiday lights that are the traditional shape of classic glass string lights. To be specific, that’s a cylindrical bulb about an inch long with a tip at the end. Glass is not a requirement, but I do prefer it to the matte finish of plastic.
  • They should be customizable with an app as well as the commanding of any of our voice assistant friends whose ears might be planted in our homes.
  • This one is going to sound elitist, but stay with me. They should be made by Philips Hue. Why? Because they’re the best.

Clearly, Philips Hue has made extraordinary strides in getting consumers comfortable with programmable home lighting. They’re the first brand that comes to mind when it comes to smart lighting, and we all know it. They’re easy to set up and easy to use, albeit a bit expensive. If any company has the budget and know-how to make these the right way and to market them successfully, it’s Philips Hue. So, with all that said, here’s my message to anyone at Philips Hue who might be listening:

A visualization of a fraction of the profits that could be procured by investing in the future of holiday technology, which you’re welcome to share with me as thanks. Or just send us the lights. We’d love to review them! Daniel Grill/Getty Images

Come on, Phil. None of this is news to you. I know you’ve held meetings about it. There’s just no way you haven’t. I refuse to believe this million-dollar idea is mine alone. Have you been to the holiday section of your local major retailer? This time of year, there are hordes of people throwing literally hundreds of thousands of dollars at inflated deer and fake snow. At our core, we’re a simple people, and we’re enamored with shiny things.

What I’m trying to say is: there’s money on the table, and it’s only a matter of time until someone comes and grabs it. Whether it’s engineering issues or a cost-benefit analysis holding you back, you need to figure it out soon because if you don’t, someone else will. And when they do, it probably won’t be as smart as Hue.

Chris DeGraw
Former Content Specialist
Philips Hue expands smart lighting to the great outdoors
The Philips Hue Inara brings smart lighting to the outdoors.

Philips Hue is a brand most people familiar with the smart lighting scene know and love. It has created a variety of smart lighting options to display in and around the home. Now, the company is expanding its outdoor collection with three new lights: The Inara, the Lucca, and the Resonate.

The Resonate is a black, minimal, rectangular wall light that casts light up and down your home siding. The light beams from the light are shaped in a unique and eye-catching triangular design. The Resonate will be able to display both color and white lights.

Read more
Why smart lights are the perfect entry point to the smart home
philips hue updates old products adds gradient strip iris lifestyle living room

Getting started with building a smart home can be daunting. The benefits are sort of nebulous at first, and the up-front cost can be off-putting. There are a lot of ways to approach the idea of building out a smart home, but we contend that smart lights are the best first step on that journey.
You can start small
If you want to upgrade your home's entire lighting setup at once, you can, but that can be pricy. Luckily, you can buy a single smart bulb for $20 without a separate hub and enjoy the benefits right away, and then decide to expand. Mix and match brands one light at a time to find the combination of cost and value that works best for you, then go all-in with whatever lighting system you like best.
The benefits are visible

The benefits of many smart home devices aren't quite as palpable as a smart light's. A smart light changes the mood of your entire home and reinvents your relationship with a light switch. Meanwhile, smart speakers can amount to a spooky robot ghost lady that lives in your kitchen. A smart lock gives you a different way to fumble for your keys. A smart thermostat operates quietly in the background with the end result being a comfortable temperature. These benefits are harder to come to grips with than turning your living room purple whenever you want.
Smart lights are idiot-proof
Setup for smart lights is painfully easy. It's often little more than turning off the light, popping out the old bulb, putting in the new one, turning the light on, and pairing with your phone. It's hard to mess up. In a worst-case scenario, you'll need to reset the bulbs and pair again. In the vast majority of instances, you'll be dealing with the same standard size of socket, so not much chance of getting the wrong kind of bulb.
Your phone has great support
Smart lights are one of the product categories with the most consistent support for smart home platforms like Google Home and Apple HomeKit. These are well-integrated with the phone you already have, giving you an easy way to issue voice commands to your lights. These mechanisms are in addition to native Android and iOS apps that often provide home screen widgets and advanced functions you'll need to dip into anyway during setup.

Read more
Your Philips Hue lights can now sync to the beat of your Spotify music
Philips Hue and Spotify

Smart lights have long been able to sync up with music, but it has always been through your phone's microphone. Philips Hue and Spotify have partnered to create what it calls the "first-ever deep lighting and music experience." The process works by linking the both your Philips Hue and Spotify accounts, and that's where the magic happens.

Philips Hue pulls the metadata from each song played on Spotify, regardless of what device you're playing it on. It then uses an advanced lighting script that causes the lights to shift not only to the beat, but also based on the genre and mood of the song. This means you won't run into the problem of a too-cheerful light show set to the dulcet tones of Helpless as you jam out to Hamilton for what you know is the 175th time.

Read more