It’s nearly Christmas and if you’re thinking of setting up some lights you can’t go past the Philips Hue that allows users to control the colour and brightness.
And you can control it all with a smartphone app for iPhone and Android to make your lighting do exactly what you want it to do.
Now there are even more choices with the Philips Hue lighting systems.
We’ve still got the Starter Pack that comes with three screw-in bulbs and the bridge that connects to your router to give you wireless control of the system.
The circular bridge unit links to your router with a cable and links the Philips Hue lights to your home network.
From here you simply use the app to find these lights and create a connection to give you complete control like changing the colour of the lights along with the brightness.
The new lights in the Philips Hue range to join the regular bulbs in the range are called Friends of Hue – LivingColors Bloom and LightStrips.
The LivingColors Bloom is a lamp designed to enhance the mood and feel of a room. It can emphasis a favourite section or painting or anything else you’d like to show off.
And because you can easily control the colour and brightness you have plenty of options on how you’d like to change the room.
It can be placed on a mantelpiece, behind a display cabinet or just facing a blank wall to bathe it in your favourite colour.
The Philips Hue LightStrips can also be used to enhance your interior spaces.
The LightStrip is two metres long and can be run under the edge of a table, bench, behind an entertainment unit or around your favourite picture or piece of artwork.
The only limit to what you can do with the Philips Hue lights is your imagination.
We were able to set up the bulbs, lamp and strip in minutes.
The real power of the product comes from the excellent Hue app which not only offers general controls like on and off but also allows you to set alarms and timers and be alerted through the connected lights.
You might get a Facebook notification, for example, and the light can change to a certain colour to let you know.
There are also a number of scenes which can be set the lights whether it’s the colour of sunset, the ocean or to a shade that is more relaxing, energizing or one that helps with your concentration.
But it is just as easy to choose your own colour just by touching the shade of colour on the app that you’d like to see replicated on the Philips lights.
You can also sync the lights to your favourite music to create a light show that goes along in time with the song.
Also onboard is a geo-fencing feature that allows users to set your location and activate certain scenes when you come home and turn off lights when you leave.
And you’re not limited to the Hue app to control your lights. There are a number of third party apps to open up the options with the Philips Hue lights even further.
Philips Hue offers plenty of choices to allow users to be more creative with their lights.
You’ll be surprised how much these lights can change the look and mood of the rooms in your home.
Philips Hue, Friends of Hue
Price: Philips Hue Connected Bulb Starter Kit $249.95, Philips Hue Connected Bulb $69.96, Philips Friends of Hue LivingColors Bloom $99.95, Philips Friends of Hue LightStrips $124.95.
