This is what’s in the box, plus some printed instructions and a power cable for the bridge. Philips Hue A19 starter kit manufacturer photo. The central piece of equipment called a “bridge”. This review is for the set I own, the Philips 456210 Hue White and Color Ambience Starter A19 Kit. The Philips Hue family is a collection of bulbs and hubs you set up in your place, hook up to your WiFi network, and control from a smartphone all. » Check current Philips Hue price on « The Philips Hue family
Philips will continue to update the app and roll out updates to the system, too, so it will only get even better. I didn’t find enough wrong with the Hue bulbs to stop recommending them to everyone who shows the slightest interest in home automation or making their home prettier.
The official Philips Hue app is somewhat limited in features, but there are plenty of other apps to pick from for a fuller feature set (some are downright great, like Hue Pro for Android and iOS).Any lamp or fixture you use a bulb in should be left on at all times and only controlled remotely… might be challenging to get used to, or inconvenient for certain fixtures.Incompatible with dimmer switches – put the switch in the 100% position, then use the app for dimming and try to break the habit of using the slider.$60 light bulbs! Sticker shock is probably the biggest downside of the Hue system.Public development APIs – this means many developers can make apps that hook into the Hue system, creating almost endless possibilities for the bulbs.Also works with Zigbee, If This Then That (IFTTT), and a whole slew of other home automation systems and apps.
Remote control lights – you don’t even have to get off the couch to dim the lights for movie time.Save energy – Use 80% less power than traditional incandescent bulbs.
This will be ancient tech before the bulbs burn out. LEDs are immortal – supposedly good for 15,000 hours and 15 years.So FUN! Sunset colors, all bulbs to soft pink, and deep blue/purple are my favorites.Don’t be surprised if you soon finding yourself lusting after more Hue bulbs… Pros Just be warned: the starter kit is like a gateway drug.