The Philips Hue Smart Lighting System, Part 1 (Smart Home Series, Part 6)

The Alexa-Compatible Philips Hue Smart Lighting System 

Automate Your Lights with Philips Hue and Alexa

This is part 6 in a series about building an Alexa Compatible Smart Home. Previous articles focused on The Alexa App itself, fun things to do with your Echo devices, and how to customize your Alexa and Echo experience. (See the sidebar for links to previous lessons. You can find Part 1 here.) Currently, we are talking about adding third-party devices to a Smart Home set up. Today, we'll be reviewing the Philips Hue System and discussing how to use it with your Alexa-enabled devices.

What is the Philips Hue?

Philips Hue is a wireless Smart lighting system.  Hue allows you to control and customize your lights in many ways.  At its most basic, you can turn your lights on and off via voice or via app.  At the more sophisticated end, you can create lighting groups, automate lighting schedules and tones, dim and brighten, as well as schedule. Hue lights eliminate the need for separate dimmers and timers. Hue bulbs can convert existing fixtures and lamps into Smart Appliances.  Hue also offers a wide variety of smart lighting products, such as lamps and strip lights, to help you light your space in many flexible ways.  They also offer installable dimmer switches and motion detectors to extend control-ability of your lighting.

Phillips Hue systems all begin with a Hue Hub. This is a small box that attaches to your router and pairs with your Hue Products.  Each hub (or bridge) can connect with at least 50 Hue products. (Phillips just released Generation 3 of the Hue Hub. Later generation hubs can handle a larger number of devices. Gen 1 hubs were capable of connecting with "up to 50" bulbs.)

The second vital part of the Hue system is the Hue App.  The app interfaces with your lights, and allows you to control and customize them in all the ways described above. The app is available for ios (Apple), Android, and Fire Tablets.  And of course, there is a Hue Alexa Skill.  Alexa works wonderfully with all parts of the Hue System. Alexa gives you voice control for your lights when you are home, and the Hue App gives you remote control when you are not at home.  Through the app, you can set up all types of lighting "scenes" and "routines."  It is also IFTTT compatible, for aficionados of that app.

And of course, the third part of the Hue System are the lighting products themselves.  Philips offers a full range of Hue-enabled Lighting Devices, from single bulbs, to lighting fixtures.  Their multi-color bulbs and lighting strips are two of their more popular products.  They offer flood light bulbs in both colored and plain white.  So you can buy lamps and fixtures with Hue compatibility built right in, or you can add bulbs to the lamps and fixtures you already own. All Hue lighting products are LED, for maximum energy efficiency and long life. Philips Hue Bulbs can reduce power costs in many ways.

How Difficult is it to Set-Up the Hue System?

The Hue System is extremely easy to set-up and pair with your Alexa devices.  For MOST system components, you will NOT need professional installation. The exception, of course, are hard-wired lighting fixtures and wall-mounted dimmer switches. (These may require professional installation, depending on your skill level for DIY electrical work.)  You should NOT even need your Computer Guru to set up your Hub. And once the Hub is set-up, adding additional products or bulbs is a breeze.

Learning to customize your Hue is a little more complex. This article will walk you through initial set-up, as well as through adding additional bulbs.  A later post will talk about setting up timers and routines, as well as about integrating this in with your other smart devices, such as smart outlets. There are also many third party apps that can extend your Hue System's capabilities.

Philips has a website dedicated to the Hue System. This site contains extensive Help sections, with videos and FAQs to assist you should you get stuck. They also have a fairly active Facebook Page, where you can get help with individual issues. And the Amazon review sections of each individual product are always a good resource.

The Philips Hue Starter Kit

Personally, I recommend dipping your toes in the water with a Hue Starter Kit.  These kits contain a couple of bulbs and a hub.  Phillips just released the Gen 3 Hub, meaning Gen 2 Starter Kits are available at great prices.  I personally have the Gen 1 Hub, and these are being sold across the Internet at rock-bottom prices, often for about the cost of a couple Gen 2 bulbs. Gen 2 Hub Owners are being offered Firmware Upgrades, so there is little difference between a Gen 2 and a Gen 3 hub. There are few reasons NOT to save a few dollars and snap up a Gen 2 Starter Kit while they are still available.  And depending on what you are looking for your hub to do, you might even consider grabbing a Gen 1 hub.  I will be providing Amazon links here, but be sure to check Ebay and "Deal of the Day" type sites for Gen 1 and Gen 2 Starter Kit deals

You can also grab a Starter Kit that contains the colored bulbs, but that costs A LOT more.  Unless you have real specific reasons you need ALL colored bulbs, a white-only starter pack is the way to go. Usually, you can pick this up for little more than the cost of the bulbs alone.  The colored bulbs rarely go on sale, and generally run between $40 and $50 a bulb. The White Bulbs run $15 to $20 a piece.  (Home Depot and WalMart are currently the cheapest place to buy Hue Bulbs, but Amazon and Best Buy are also competitive.)  Of course, specialty bulbs, such as those for flood lights or recessed lighting, or those with candelabra bases, cost more, and you will have a better chance of finding those online.  Starter packs come with "standard" 60 watt equivalent LED bulbs.

(Links show current Starter Kit prices on Amazon; you may need to disable your ad-blocker to see them.  Shown are Gen 1 Starter Kit, Gen 2 Starter Kit, and Gen 2 Colored Bulb Starter Kit.)

Generation 1 vs. Generation 2 Hubs.

There ARE some differences between the Gen 1 and Gen 2 hubs when it comes to Alexa. A Gen 1 hub can turn on, turn off and dim your Hue Lights. However, with a Gen 2 or later Hub, you can take advantage of the FULL range of Alexa Hue Skills. This includes controlling "scenes" and "colors" via Alexa.  With a Gen 1 hub, you still need to set up your scenes and color changes in the App.

Personally, I do not have colored bulbs, and have no need for anything other than on, off, and dimming via voice.  For this reason, I am not yet upgrading my hub. The latest hub is available, by itself, for ~$60.  Considering the Starter Pack is only a few dollars more, and it includes a couple of bulbs, I'd definitely go for that over a hub alone.  Generation One Hubs are round, (like in the "header" photo,) while 2nd and 3rd Gen Hubs are square, (like the one pictured with the colored bulbs, or the one shown below.)  All Hue lighting products work with any generation of hub.

NOTE: A "Hue Bridge" and a "Hue Hub" are the same thing. You will see these terms used interchangeably. 

Advantages to a Hub-Based System

Several manufacturers have started putting out "hub-less" Smart Light bulbs.  Smart Outlets can convert lamps to Smart Lamps without specialized light bulbs or hubs. Are there any advantages to a Hub Based system? The answer is a definitive "yes."

The hub acts as a mini-router, effectively putting your lights on their own, mini-network.  Many routers have difficulty effectively handling a lot of smart devices, and as such, will start dropping devices randomly.  Your Hue Hub can handle up to 50 Hue devices, with your router "seeing" those as only one -- your Hue Hub. It keeps its associated devices from overcrowding your wi-fi network. It runs your lights on a separate frequency, decreasing interference from things like phones and microwaves.  A hard-wired hub is a lot less taxing on your overall wifi system.  It also runs on a different channel than your typical wifi router, making it less prone to poor performance due to "channel congestion."

Tech writers are warning about security dangers of the "Internet of Things," Pranksters have been known to break into unsecured devices, just to show that they can. Having your lights communicate through a device hard-wired to your router actually makes it a LOT more secure.

Hub-based systems basically run on their own, separate mini-network.  That means, when you access them remotely, you are accessing a DIFFERENT network than the one that contains all your files and personal information.  If a script-kiddy DOES get into your lighting network, there's not a lot s/he can do but "poltergeist" your lights.

Wifi "dead zones" are the negative of a hub-based system. The hub has its own set of internal antennae.  Wifi signals can be "boosted," but there's no boosting the signal of a hub. However, wifi outlets will function no better in dead zones, and in my own experience, they often function worse.  It IS possible to use powerline extenders to reach wifi dead zones; these are not compatible with the Hue Hub. If you are looking at Smart Lighting in a "dead zone," you may want to test a single bulb in an existing lamp, to see how it performs, before investing a lot of money in equipment that may not work well.  (Relocating a router, and the associated Hue Hub, can do a lot to address "dead zones" in vital areas.)

Hue Bulbs

Hue offers three basic varieties of bulbs: White, White Ambience, and Hue white and color ambiance.  The White Bulbs are most like "traditional" bulbs, and offer the fewest customization features.  At the other end of the spectrum, the White and Color Ambience bulbs offer the full range of hue customization. You can adjust brightness, color, and color temperature.  The White Ambience Bulbs are in between. With these, you can adjust color temperature, as well as brightness.  With the White Bulbs, you can only make them dimmer or brighter.  The Lux Bulbs are merely Generation One White bulbs. They put out a soft, white light.  All types of bulbs feature various degrees of dimming, all of which can be easily set up with the app.

If you want to be able to change color temperature, go with Ambience bulbs.  If you have no idea what that means, you can probably stick with a White bulb for a few dollars less.  Soft White basically is what old-fashioned incandescent bulbs put out.  With LED, you can often choose from "Soft White," "Bright White," and "Daylight" bulbs.  "Daylight" bulbs have more blue in them, while "Soft White" has more yellow.  The "Ambience" bulbs basically let you adjust the light from "Cool White" to "daylight," or somewhere in between, as well as how bright or dim they shine.

If you are looking to replicate a S.A.D. treatment light or a "wake-up" light, an "ambience" bulb is the better choice. If you are looking for the brightest white possible, go with the "ambience" bulb. If you are looking to save a few dollars and are fine with an incandescent-like color spectrum, go for the White bulbs.  If you want to be able to go from blue to red to orange to white, and everything in between, go for the Color Ambience bulb.

Setting Up the Philips Hub

Setting up the hub is easy.  First, go to the appropriate App Store, (iTunes, Google Play, and/or Amazon,) and download the Hue App.

You may also want to go to MeetHue.com to set up an account. (This is optional. However, if you're going to want to control your Hue Products outside of the Alexa app, it's recommended. Registering at MeetHue.com allows you to control your lights remotely, via PC.  If you want to rename your light bulbs, and you will, it is easiest to do so through the PC interface.  You can set up an account now, or you can do so through the app later.)  To set up a "My Hue" account, click on the "My Hue" link at MeetHue.com, or navigate to https://my.meethue.com/.

Next, decide where you'll be using the bulb. Replace your old bulb with the Hue Bulb, and turn the switch on.  (For ease of renaming, I suggest beginning with a single bulb. You can add additional bulbs later.)

Now it's time to set up your Hub. First, connect the power brick to the hub, then to an outlet.  Next, using the cable provided, plug it into an Ethernet port on the back of your router. Watch for the lights to come on.

Finally, open the Hue App.  If you created an account earlier, go ahead and sign in.  (If it opens to the "pairing" screen, proceed and sign-in later.) DO NOT leave the room with the physical hub, but rather, bring your phone or tablet with you. You may need to press a physical button on the hub to pair your device.

The app SHOULD  open to the "Find Hue Bridge" Screen. (If it doesn't, press the "gear" icon to open the Settings menu, then tap "Hue Bridges." Tap on the "plus" icon to launch the "Find Hue Bridge" screen.)  Earlier generation hubs have a button you'll need to press and hold to pair the device. The app will prompt you to do so. Hold the button until the app says your hub is paired.

If you are using a Fire Tablet, the "official" Hue App is buggy. As an alternate, I suggest the freemium "All 4 Hue" app.  This means all of the "basic" app features are free. However, you may need to pay to use some more advanced features.  This app sets up EXACTLY like the "official" app. You will need to open the app, then press the button on your Hue Hub until the hub pairs to your Fire Tablet.  (If you have already set up your Hue on another mobile app, All 4 Hue will import all your devices, rooms, scenes, and other settings.)

If you have a choice between using a Fire Tablet and a mobile app (Android or Apple) for the initial set-up, go with the mobile app.  You can use your tablet as a main controller, but the set up is MUCH more user-friendly on Android or ios than it is on Fire os.  Once set up, you can pretty much use Alexa to control your Hue Lights. If you are smartphone challenged, you may want to "borrow" a friend's for the initial installation. You should be able to add additional lights through the Web App or through All 4 Hue fairly easily.

To set up your new light bulb, follow the steps outlined below in "Adding Additional Bulbs."  And of course, you'll follow the same steps when adding new/additional Hue Lights to your Smart Home.

Adding Additional Bulbs

To add your Smart Bulb to the app, follow these steps:

• Replace the old bulb with the Smart Bulb. Unscrew the old light bulb, and replace it with your Hue Bulb. Turn the light switch on. The bulb should illuminate.
• Open the Hue app on your phone or tablet.
• Tap the "gear" icon to open the "Settings" Menu.
• Tap on "Light Setup"

• Tap on the Plus Sign (+)

• This will open the "Add Lights" screen. Once there, tap "Search"

• The app will search for your new bulb. Once it finds it, it will revert back to the "Light Setup" screen. Your new bulb(s) will appear at the top of the list.

• To rename your light, tap on the "i" icon, to the right of the current name (Hue White Light 1). This will bring up a screen where you can rename your bulb. Tap in the "name" field to bring up your keyboard. I'm renaming my bulb "Cassidy."

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• Hit the "back arrow" after renaming your device.  If the app gets finicky about renaming your bulb, log in to the My Hue Website, and change the device name there.

You have now finished pairing your first light bulb to the Hue bridge and the Hue App.  You have also renamed it, to make it easier to identify and control. Repeat these steps for each Hue Bulb in your Starter Set.   You'll also repeat these steps for each new lamp, bulb. or accessory you add to your Hue Lighting System.

You can now control each light individually, with the Hue App.  However, the power of the Hue system lies in controlling multiple devices with one command. To do that, you'll create rooms or groups. You can create these either through the Hue app or through the Alexa app.  We'll first learn how to group bulbs into "Rooms" through the Hue App, before moving on to pairing your Hue Lights with Alexa.  In a later article, we'll learn how to create groups with Alexa, so you can control devices from different manufacturers with a single voice command.

Creating Rooms with the Hue App

Placing your lights into "rooms" allows you to control all the lights in a specific room with one command. You can create "scenes" utilizing one or more lights in that room.  It also helps you keep track of which device is where. Finally, rooms are very handy once you pair your Hue with Alexa, so you can control all Hue lights in the room with a single Alexa request.

To create a new room:

• Tap the gear to go to the Settings menu, then tap Room Setup
• Tap the Plus Icon (+) to create a New Room

• Tap on "Room Type" to select the room type, then tap in the "name" field to edit the Room Name.  (I selected "Office" as my room type, and I'm leaving the default suggested name: Office.)

• Under the room name, you will see a list of ALL Hue Lights associated with the app. Check the box beside each light you want included in your room.  (Rooms may consist of one or more lights.)  Tap "Save" to save your room setup. You will be brought back to the "Room Setup" screen.

Here, I've included the bulb named "Cassidy" in the room named "Office."

• Tap the "back arrow" until you are back at the settings  menu. Then tap the "Home" icon to return to the home screen. You should see your newly created room listed there.

(In this screenshot, "Living Room" is on, while "Bedroom" and "Office" are off.)

• You can control ALL of the lights in each room by taping the "switch" slider to the right of the room's name. You can turn off ALL lights in ALL rooms with the slider switch at the top.
• To control an individual light within a room, or to dim your lights, tap on the room name. This will bring up a screen with the light name(s), and a slider under each light.  The light we just set up looks like this:

This shows the light named "Cassidy" is turned on, and dimmed to approximately 60%. 

My "Living Room" has two hue lights. It looks like this:

In this screen, "Bertha" has been dimmed, while "Star" is at 100%.  Both lights are on. If you have colored or "Ambience" bulbs, you can adjust color and temperature here too.

• You can, of course, check the individual status of the lights through the app too. If you're out running errands, and you can't remember if you turned off the living room lights, you can open the app to check.  If it's dark when you get home, you can turn on the lights from your driveway. You can turn on all of the lights, selected lights, or selected rooms..

Creating "Scenes"

You can also create "Scenes," which are basically groups of saved settings. Scenes are handy when you have colored or Ambience light bulbs.  To create a scene, first adjust all the lights in the room to the levels and colors you want them.  Then tap on "Scenes" at the top of the screen. Tap the plus (+) button, and a menu will pop up, saying "Current Settings." 

Tap that to save your settings in a scene.  (I am naming my scene "TV," as I have the lights set perfectly for TV watching while surfing the 'net!)  Your new "scene" will be available on your "Scenes" tab, and you can adjust your lights to those settings by tapping on the scene name. 

Depending on your bulb, you will also have several "Default scenes" installed.

If you have colored bulbs, you may want to play with the second "new scene" menu option: Picture Scene. This will adjust bulb color and temperature to complement a photo. You can choose from a few Hue presets, or you can match a photo on your device's camera roll.

Pairing your Hue Lights with Alexa

It is extremely easy to pair your lights with Alexa.  If you have not yet paired your actual hub with Alexa, you may need to push its button to do so.  Therefore, I recommend running hub discovery from the Alexa app if you do not have an Echo device within voice range of your router.  If your Echo device is close enough to your router to press the button on the hub, you can pair the hub by voice.

To Pair your Hub (and/or bulbs) by voice, say "Alexa, find my devices." She will respond "Starting discovery...if you have Phillips Hue, press the button on your bridge."  You will then need to press the button on the physical hub within 20 seconds. (You are pressing the same button on the hub you pressed when pairing it with the Hue App.) If you "miss" pressing the button on time, re-issue the command, or use the Alexa app to pair your Hue devices.

To Pair your Hub (and bulbs) using the Alexa app, open Alexa, open the Hamburger Menu, and go to "Smart Home." Tap on "Devices." A list of already paired devices will appear. Scroll down to the bottom of that list and tap the "Discover" button.  Then press the button on the Hue Bridge.

The app will go through discovery, and then return to the "devices" screen. You should see your new Hue Lights in the device list. (Note: you will only see the individual lights, by name. You will NOT see your hub in the device list. If you see the individual Hue Lights, then the hub itself has been successfully paired. That is why you should install at least one Hue bulb or lamp, as well as the hub, before having Alexa "discover" your new devices.)

You can now control your Hue Lights via voice command. You can operate them either by individual light name, ("Alexa, turn on Cassidy,") or by room name, ("Alexa, turn Office on.")  You can also ask Alexa to dim your lights. ("Alexa, dim Cassidy.")

If you have a Generation 2 or 3 Hue Hub, you can also ask Alexa to activate any scenes you have set up.  ("Alexa, turn on TV Scene in Living Room.)  You will need to enable the Hue Skill first. ("Alexa, enable the Hue Skill.")

Overriding App Control

In order to control your lights via app or voice, you need to have a working Internet connection. So does that mean you cannot control your lights if the Internet is down?  Fortunately, no.  To manually control your light, just use the light switch. If the light is off, and you want to turn it on, just flick the switch twice. The light will come on. You may also use the lamp switch to turn the light off. However, if you switch the light OFF manually, you will not be able to switch it back ON via voice control or app. You will need to manually switch the light back on to be able to control it remotely again.  The converse is not true, however.  If you turn the light on manually, you may still turn it off via voice or app.

If a particular light does NOT come on via voice, try turning it on manually before assuming the light is broken or burned out. Chances are, it was switched off manually. You WILL find yourself "spacing," and turning on a light by hand, especially when your Smart Lights are new. You will also forget you did this, and be surprised when that lamp does not respond to commands. (The second step in troubleshooting should be re-running "Discovery," and the third would be rebooting your router and hub.)

Power Outages

My power went out recently, due to a Tropical Storm. The sun came back out before power was restored. I was alerted to power restoration by my Hue Lights all coming on. I am not sure if this is a documented "feature" or not. I also did not have any timers or routines associated with any of the bulbs. At this point, anecdotal evidence shows the lights all come on when the hub reboots.  (This does NOT seem to be true if one only reboots the router; it seems like the hub's power supply must be interrupted and restored for all of the lights to come on.)

Other Hue Functions

We have just touched the surface of what the Philips Hue System can do.  There are additional automation features that we will cover later in our Smart Home Series.  Using the Hue App and/or Alexa, you can schedule your lights, as well as have them react to certain stimuli.  You can also use Alexa to automate devices from several manufacturers with one command. We will cover all of this as we get into the more advanced features of Alexa and compatible Smart Devices.

But for now, you have learned how to perform the basics. You should have your lights set up, paired with both the Hue App and Alexa, and controllable by voice or by app. You should be able to operate, (and check on) your Hue Lights from inside or outside your home.

Summary

This article introduced the Philips Hue Smart Lighting System. We talked about the various components of the system, as well as the different types of bulbs and fixtures available. We also learned how to set up the Philips Hue Lighting System and how to add new lights. We learned about naming lights and placing them into room groupings. We paired our lights with Alexa. We learned how to turn them on and off or dim them via app or voice control.  We introduced "Scenes" and brushed on some advanced Hue features we'll cover in greater depth in a later article. We also learned the Hue system was compatible with third-party apps, including IFTTT.  And we introduced a better Hue App for use with a Fire Tablet.

This is Part 6 of our course in Smart Home devices and using Alexa. We have barely scratched the surface of all that Alexa can do.  And new skills are being released before we have finished discussing the existing ones. Just this week, Amazon extended Alexa control to the Fire TV Stick.  So of course, we are playing with this new feature, and we will be covering it in a future installment.

Again, we'd love to hear your thoughts, both on today's article and on this series thus far. Do you have a Hue Hub? Are you thinking of getting one? How do you think it compares to the WeMo Outlet? Are you intrigued with the idea of Smart Lighting, or do you think it's a solution reserved for the lazy? Let us know, either in the Comments section here, or on Facebook or Twitter. And follow us to be notified when future installments in the series are published.

As always, thanks for reading. We hope you've learned a lot from the series so far, and that you'll stay with us for the rest of this journey.