Customer Ratings & Reviews

The system set up is pretty straight forward; install the hub, install the app on your phone (perform any updates) and then assign the bulb locations within the app. Our automation use is somewhat limited because we don't have something like Alexa to talk to as soon as one walks into the home to verbally turn on all the lights or only specific lights. We have used the app and Siri to verbally turn lights on and off. I would think one would want to add further home automation devices like Google Home or Alexa to fully obtain the benefit of this lighting system. The app provides "Scenes" that can be selected to Relax, Read, Concentrate, Energize, Tropical Twilight, Arctic Aurora, etc... These scenes modify the shading and coloring of the lighting to create different effects. Bottom line, Philips Hue does its intended task well and the app is user friendly and straight forward. As mentioned, the system would be of even greater benefit in a fully automated home with something like Alexa. It's nice to have the convenience to use the app when we are away at night to turn on an entry light or to modify the lighting scene to better suit our needs.

I like the smart bulbs And replaced all the fixtures

Don't try to use for real remote control - if you need to reinstall the control app on your iPhone while you're half-way around the world because, for instance, your iPhone dies or gets lost ... well, you can't. You have to go back to physically on-site to bring up your new phone. The app, as of this writing (Nov. 4th, 2018) and for the version of the Philips Hue (V3.6.0) that's current at this time, can only be set up on a new phone that's local to and in communication with the local WIFI network where the Hue hub is linked. It doesn't matter that you already have a full-capability user account set up, or that your Hue system has been fully configured and is up and running with that old phone controlling it. Ordinarily for home-automation apps you load the app on your phone, and log in, and you're up and running, from anywhere. Not for the Philips Hue system. I worked with the Philips Hue help-desk on this, and they said that there's no work-around for the requirement to be local to the hub at setup of a new phone with an existing Hue system, and that it's like this by choice to prevent a security exposure. Other vendors see it differently. After my experience with this problem, while I like the capability of the system in all other regards, this "feature" means that I will not be using the Philips Hue system for applications where "remote control" including phone restoration after a disaster needs to actually work. Nothing says "we don't care about the customer experience" more clearly than this kind of issue. Avoid!

I’ve had this system for three days and have made multiple attempts at automation. Not a single thing has worked like it should. If it goes on as scheduled, it won’t go off as scheduled. One light is supposed to go on at 7pm, then they all go on at 7pm. Packing it up and going back to the store.