Philips - Hue A19 60W Equivalent Wireless Starter Kit - Clear

I recently purchased a Google Home and was wanting to start with some home automation. First thought was with my lighting since Philips Hue is one that it is compatible with. I thought I would start with this and see if it was something that I would like. Setup was very simple. First, put the bulbs in whatever locations you want. For me that was simple since I have a small apartment and live by myself; living room and bedroom. Easy. Second connect the hub. Power and cat5 to my router. No brainer. Last downloaded the Hue app on my phone. Follow the quick start and everything is connected. Everything works on the first go. Brilliant! Note: there are two Hue apps. The 2nd generation allows you to set up rooms and gives you scenes out of the box that are useful. There are presets for full on, dimmed and nightlight for each light. The only downside is that the routines, like Home and Away, do not work properly. Sure you can use your phone as a remote, but I wanted it to turn my lights on when I get home and off when I leave. There is an option for setting a location but it doesn't work. Just do a quick internet search and you will see that. But there is the 1st generation app. The location settings and timers work perfectly! Location awareness turns my lights on when I pull into the complex and shuts them off when I leave. Just what I was wanting. Downside, the scenes are not very good, you can't set up lights as a room (easily) and the light controls are sliders which gets annoying. Fortunately you can use both apps simultaneously. So I setup routines using 1st gen and control the lights manually using 2nd gen. Works like a charm. Now I have exactly what I was wanting. I was so thrilled that I bought another bulb and a dimmer switch. Great for my bedside lamp. I setup a routine that turns all the lights off at bedtime except the bedside lamp. For that I have the dimmer so I'm not left in the dark. I also have setup up some recipes in IFTTT to blink the lights when it's bedtime and to automatically turn my lights off at midnight. Just in case I fell asleep with them on, of course. Integration with the Google Assistant is seamless. I can just say 'Ok Google, turn on (whatever)' or 'Ok Google, dim (whatever)' and it does it. Almost like having my own Javis. I admit it, I'm hooked. The only issue I've had was when I tried putting one in the kitchen it had an issue with connecting to the hub from time to time. Can't move the hub right now so I just removed it for the time being. Once I get a place of my own I will be adding more lights, some I plan on using the color and some the white ambiance. Another note, if you really want to get the most out of the automation part you really need to use a Google Home or Amazon Echo. The app is great but it is kind of a pain to have to use it. Much better to just use voice commands. The only reason I give it 4 stars instead of 5 is because of the issues with the 2nd gen app. Once the get that resolved it will be a perfect lighting solution.

I have several floor lamps that do not have three-way or dimmer switches, so without having them retrofitted, they were able to turn on or off, with no adjusting the light level. And of course it had to be done manually, which isn't a big deal. That is, until you don't have to do it manually anymore. After spending a while talking with the Best Buy sales associate, who knew a lot about the Hue products and was able to answer all my questions, I decided to buy the least expensive starter set. This comes with the hub and two of the basic bulbs. They are considered basic because they don't offer any changes in color or color temperature. You pay a lot more to get that, and for some people, it would be worth the extra money. Installing the bridge is simple. You attach it to your WiFi router using the ethernet cable that comes with the kit, then follow the instructions on the Hue app that you download to your iOS or Android phone. The app tells you when to install the bulbs and how to control them. The Hue system is also fully controllable using Apple's iOS Home app, which I find a bit more intuitive than the native Hue app. I also have the system integrated with my Amazon Echo Dots, so I can control the lamps using voice control. It's also controllable using Siri, so you should not need an Amazon device to use voice controls. So, what's the big difference between these and regular LED bulbs? Both last a long time, consume less energy, and give off *much* less heat than standard bulbs. But the Hue bulbs go way beyond that. I have them set up with IFTTT so that they automatically turn on at sunset, whether I'm home or not. I also have them set up to automatically start dimming and then turning off later in the evening. So if I am not home, they will turn on, then off. It's like having a timer without all the hassle of having a physical timer attached to the outlet. The iOS app gives you control over the lamps wherever you are, not just in your home. If you have internet access, you can see their status and you can turn them on or off or dim them. Besides the automation options, the dimming is really great, far superior to a 3-way lamp. So I went from having two lamps that were strictly on/off, to having two lamps that offer a spectrum of light, from very low to bright. That alone has made it worth it to me, but after living with the system for a couple of weeks, I'm going to expand it. I have another lamp that I have rarely used because the switch is difficult to turn, so I'll put a Hue basic bulb in that one, and I have an overhead fixture where I'll put two bulbs. I don't really see any "cons", though the highest lighting level could be a little bit higher. Also, the bulbs are not rated for outside use, especially in extreme temperatures, so while I had planned on installing them in porch and garage light fixtures, I'm going to wait. I have read reports from other Hue users who have used them outside and have had no problems, so I'm not ruing it out, just putting it on hold for now.

This was my first entry into the home automation market. So far, it’s been a very good experience. Setup was dead simple. I located the hub next to my Apple Time Capsule and Arlo router. Plug in the power, plug in the Ethernet, launch the app, press the button….done. Now, on to the bulbs. I unboxed them and swapped them in a lamp in my bedroom. Turn both sockets and they turn on by default. Launched the Hue app, and they were discovered immediately. So I created a room, assigned them and was adjusting the levels within about two minutes. The dimming adjustment makes a big difference. No longer do I have to blind myself by turning on a light in the middle of the night when I need just a little light to maneuver to the bathroom. Another reviewer stated that the bulbs don’t remember their previous settings. But I find the opposite to be true. When I turn them on (either with the Hue app, HomeKit, 3rd party app) they come back to their previous setting. Unless I use Siri or Google Assistant and specify what level to turn them on. Another neat part is the app. It allows for easy setup and assignments to various “rooms”. One more feature that sold me on these, was that from the Hue app I can copy all the setting over to Apple HomeKit. So now I can control them from the Hue app, my Google Home Mini or any Siri device. (iPad, iPhone, AppleTV) Yep, these are definitely keepers. When my brother-in-law asked what we could use for Christmas, our first response was more Hues! And I will likely be buying several more once I can wade through all the competing standards to decide what other home automation devices I should get. (e.g. wall outlets, switches, security monitoring, etc)

Yes, it's a starter kit. So don't expect to much unless you are going to add more on this, like multiple color LED or white ambient LED. I had thought about buying Philips Hue with multiple color LED but I decided to buy starter kit with white light. However, White light is not actually white, which means it is not like daylight or something. It's yellowish and a little bit dim for people like me who have weak sight. So be aware of that. I don't think I need Multi-color LED. I'm not a college kid who throws parties every week or flirts someone by showing off my geek tendency. I think about expending the system for Need, so it's enough for me. One thing you should know about it is if you planning multiple controlling devices like Amazon echo, iPhone, Apple TV, and/or Google Home, then you need to choose which direction you want to go for you home automation system. For now there aren't many but going to flourish real soon. I use Google Home, Echo, and iPhone. I had to figure out how I could control homeautomation system with all device I have. So I came down to Philips hue starter kit for lights system because all of my gadget can control Philips thing. But if you collect different base systems from here and there, then you are going to face to use different controllers every single time and the base system consuming your real property soon. Next step I am going to add with Philips Hue is White Ambient LED, which is unfortunate that I couldn't find on Bestbuy store in my area. I wanted to see how bright it is. And the price, I guess, is reasonable compared to other multicolor LED - but I am looking for Thanksgiving day sale for those. Reasonable but still expensive.

I've been thinking about buying into the Hue line for a while but de died I could do without. After de idling it would be convenient, and cool, to remotely control my floor lamp I first bought the Hue Wireless Dimmer and once I realized how nice that worked started salivating for real deal. I got this kit & 6 additional BR30 color changing bulbs for the kitchen & now I'm thinking about how I can put them in places I don't even have lights! Setup was simple & automatic for 7 of the 8 lights, though there was 1 that was stubborn & I had to manually enter the serial number but after that it's worked flawlessly. For the uninitiated, the official Hue app does have a bit of a learning curve but with practice it comes easy. There are plenty of other apps to choose from which are both free & paid. Siri, sadly, has issues but that's more of an Apple issue with voice recognition as I have no problems with voice recognition on my Samsung Edge+ phone. I haven't had any problems setting up the hub to work on any of my devices, even my Harmony Elite remote works great with it. Of course, this starter kit just includes the hub & 2 non-color changing bulbs & I'd say that $80 just for this kit is well worth the money but I bet you'll quickly crave color changing bulbs in other lamps. As a reminder, if you plan on installing these on a circuit that has a dimmer switch that switch must be compatible with LED lights or the bulbs on that circuit won't function properly or at all. Also, all the bulbs are at least as bright as the equivalent wattage incandescent and maybe even brighter. Finally, if you're debating whether these are worth it then stop knocking yourself out--they are well worth it IMHO so just go to your local BB & get them!

This is a product that is meant to make your life easier. You can connect up to 50 lights and each light acts as an extender for the bridge. You use your smartphone to get full customization or you can use just your voice if you have either a Google Home or an Amazon echo. There is one downside however and that is you can no longer use your physical light switch to turn off the lights, because if you do so then you won't be able to turn them back on with your phone or Google Home/Amazon Echo and it kills one of the biggest points of having these lights in the first place. So you have to use your smart device to turn the lights off and make sure you leave the physical light switch always on! This downside itself has nothing to do with hue so I'm not taking any points out of them for this since you're going to run into this problem with every single smart lighting system. The only way to get rid of this problem is to replace your outlets with smart outlets or replace your light switches with smart switches. Other than the downside that is not Hue's fault at all, I would give this product 5 stars but the app itself is a little flaky and could be better designed. Controlling lights using the app while away from home also seems to be a hit or miss and I haven't found out how to schedule the lights to go on and off at certain times yet. Overall I'd give this close to 4 stars. Redesign the app, fix the bugs and make it better and simpler to use and this would get a 5 star from me! :)

I'm starting to transition to automating quite a few items around the house. I figured I would start small and begin with lights, especially since we've had to leave our lights on 24/7 while away for a week on our most recent vacation. After researching the Philips Hue, I went ahead and made the purchase. The installation instructions and process is extremely easy. Simply connect the base station, install lights, install the app, and away you go. The HUE app recognized the base station and lights very easily. There are some customizations you can do with the app, but I chose to download the IFTTT app for even more customization and integration with other products (e.g. Nest). I've been using this for well over a month now and the only issue I encountered (only once) was the outside light not being recognized. This is due to the distance of the basestation and internet router to the back of my house. No worries, as I installed a Wi-Fi extender and problem solved. Both front and back lights go on and off on schedule.

I am a full time student and work full time. As such, I wake early and stay up way too late reading and my sleep schedules get thrown off like crazy. I decided to go on a room-by-room journey of hacking my natural melatonin production through the use of lighting controls. And I'll be honest, it's turned into an addiction. I love the hue line and can't say enough good things about them. OK so this particular starter kit, I returned because I wasn't quite sure at first what I was looking for. I started with my bedroom as my first room for smart lighting. I thought at first I only wanted warm tones (and to also save some money)... but it turned out I wanted cool tones too, because it was super helpful for "energizing" me out of bed in the morning. I use the cooler range to help lull me to sleep at night. There is absolutely nothing at all wrong with the white kit, it will save a bit of money if you're just getting started. Me personally, I like the range of the ambiance kit best but it does get pricey fast... and there's some places (like closets or a bedroom) where you don't need blue toned lights. So my advice, is really think about what you are trying to accomplish and use the bulbs in this kit in a room where you want warmer tones. You can always add on later if you like.