Philips Hue or Hive Bulbs?

Nikumba

Nikumba

Nikumba

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So just got an Amazon Echo and now looking towards more home automation.

I am not worrying about doing anything with my heating just yet as boiler should be getting replaced next year so this is more down to the lighting side of things.

Philips Hue appear to be the market leaders in the lighting department for smart bulb with their Hue system but currently lack any smart plugs.

Hive have now got a range of smart bulbs and also smart plugs now but not sure what the software is like for controlling bulbs/scenes etc.

I like the nest as of the future upgrade ability but Hue have some more lighting options.

Any thoughts on either one?
 
I got my first Hive bulb today (RGB version), been a heating user for over a year.

First impressions, software is limited. You can turn it of, on, set colour etc. But there are no apps to cycle through colours etc, a la Hue.

Basic functions work fine though, and setup took 15 seconds. Cost £30 from Amazon.
 
I've got 7 Hue bulbs (3 colour, 4 white) in all the lamps in our house (our main living room light is useless so we use lamps instead) so that I can turn them all on and off together. They integrate well with IFTTT so you can get some extra functionality that isn't supported by the app. I haven't tried the Hive bulbs so I can't comment on those but I'm very happy with the Hue bulbs.
 
I've got the colour kit as it was on offer, but only time I use colour is in the living room. A nice dark orange glow is surprisingly soothing and relaxing when watching TV. The rest I just use as white but it's nice to have the option
 
glen8 said:
Perhaps he likes having his living room just white rather than pink or purple, that and saving £25 per bulb :cool:

I've personally never thought about having a blue kitchen so I also stick with plain white
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My question I guess badly phrased was more along the lines is it a technical issue why he doesn't use the coloured bulbs.
 
You can get ones off ali express that do the same job for a lot cheaper. KUDLED is the make i saw last time.

LIFX does the same thing as phillips for cheaper too and is a kickstarter project.

Personally I see them as an overpriced gimmick. The LED strips are good for decorative purposes other than them I would avoid the bulbs completely see no need for them personally. My LED bulbs cost £1 each in comparison and £10 for dimmable ones, when i'm walking out the room I'm walking past the light switch anyway so I flick it off.

Don't see the need to pay £30 per bulb so an app can turn them on/off.
 
Psycho Sonny said:
Personally I see them as an overpriced gimmick.
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As a general rule I tend to agree with this.


I'm a Hue user, so perhaps a little biased - but I do think the Hue system is the best system out there for a few reasons (Open API, widest bulb selection, better availability). It's by no means perfect, and the official App is pretty terrible but I think it's the best of a flawed bunch at the moment.


I wouldn't recommend it for ceiling lighting though, only for accent lighting.
 
British Gas currently have an offer on where you get a free Hive light starter kit when you take out a boiler plan for £12 a month. I did this, and will report back when I get my Hive set! (Topcashback/ Quidco on top too!)
 
Bes said:
British Gas currently have an offer on where you get a free Hive light starter kit when you take out a boiler plan for £12 a month. I did this, and will report back when I get my Hive set! (Topcashback/ Quidco on top too!)
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Was just about to post the same. thinking about trying it as i already have Honeywell Evohome for my heating which is brilliant.
 
Psycho Sonny said:
You can get ones off ali express that do the same job for a lot cheaper. KUDLED is the make i saw last time.

LIFX does the same thing as phillips for cheaper too and is a kickstarter project.

Personally I see them as an overpriced gimmick. The LED strips are good for decorative purposes other than them I would avoid the bulbs completely see no need for them personally. My LED bulbs cost £1 each in comparison and £10 for dimmable ones, when i'm walking out the room I'm walking past the light switch anyway so I flick it off.

Don't see the need to pay £30 per bulb so an app can turn them on/off.
Click to expand...

You pop up in all the Hue threads saying how much you dislike them...weird!
 
I have 50 hue bulbs, lamps, gu10s, motion sensors etc. I have tried other brands, but norhung has come close to hue for colour, performance and reliability.

You would end up with more than one "ecosystem" but in my experience that doesn't matter - it's 2016 and there are loads of aggregators as previously mentioned.

Get an Echo or Dot also you won't regret it if you like gadets.

Enjoy!
 
I think will take the plunge on Hue, the girlfriends mother gets staff discount in JL's so would keep the costs down.
 
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