Customer Ratings & Reviews

As you are probably aware Philips Hue has been well know for its amazing smart lighting solutions for years as this company has been the first one to enter the market with solid solutions. I was surprised to see that they decided to enter the security market and decided to give it a try. I picked up a Wired Security camera in white color. As with mostly all Philips Hue products, you need to be aware of the fact that this camera will also require a Hue Bridge. If you have already own a few Philips Hue light bulbs, you should be set, however if you just decided to enter the Hue ecosystem, the Hue Bridge will be another expense for you. So here are some of my likes and improvements that I would like to see in the near future for this product. As with all Hue products, this camera was easy to install: scan the QR code and it is quickly added to your collection of other Philips Hue products. The video quality of the 1080p camera was great, you get all the notifications instantly and thankfully there are no delays or lag when accessing the video stream. The night vision feature is good and is in black and white (I guess you don't really need the color at night in most cases). This camera's design and build is excellent in my opinion. The looks of this camera do remind me of its close competitor, which I like. It is an IP65 rated camera, so it will survive most of the weather hurdles. I would definitely recommend a sensor or two to your Hue collection, as it will help trigger the camera to record if the door is opened, etc. your Hue lights can also be triggered to be turned on as well which will help with securing your home. A few things, I would like to mention to be considered for improvement, would be: 1. This camera is expensive in this market which has a number of competitive brands and is saturated with security cameras and below $100 price tags. 2. Subscriptions don't always work in the customer's interest, so I'd add all the premium features like AI, etc. to be available to all especially those of us who have invested a lot into the ecosystem. 3. Add local storage, I think it would only make this product more desirable. All in all, it is a good camera, works as advertised.

This wired security camera is very easy to install. I have a 50/50 love for the wired cameras comapred to a battery one. But if you setup your area of viewing you can make sure no one can come up and unplug the camera. But once it is setup you do not need to worry about going outside in the winter to replace the batteries. This brand has been a favorite of ours for a while. We really like their products as they are very easy to setup and are very user friendly. Once you turn it on and get it connected to your wifi network it is very user friendly on setting up your viewing area and if you would like an alarm to go off you can set that up as well. The day camera colors are really nice. The night vision mode is decent and gives some decent detail. It does come with a free subscription and they give you some choices on what you would like to have for storage otherwise you don't need to have a subscription to use but then you won't have any recordings just notifications that someone/something is tripping your camera live. I typically pay for the subscription so I have the recordings and can then download them if I want to save them.

My overall impression of the Philips - Hue Wired Security Camera is somewhere between ‘neutral’ and ‘unimpressed’. Once it’s set up, it does all the things you’d expect from a modern wifi-based home security camera. It offers great video quality. It works with an app that lets you view and listen to a live feed, talk thru the camera, ‘arm it’ so it sends notifications of activity, trigger a siren, and save recordings of activity. Saving clips does require a paid subscription plan, but that’s not unusual. The price for the basic, 1-camera-only plan is $40 per year and saves clips for 1 month (a comparatively good price). $100 per year will support multiple cameras and save clips for 2 months. Purchase includes a 29-day trial of the subscription plan. On the other hand … Set up was a frustrating trial for me. The included ‘instructions’ are about mounting the camera, not setting it up with the app. The QR code included on a business card-sized insert took me to the Apple HomeKit setting on my iPhone not to the Philips Hue app needed to initially set up the camera. So I went on the Philips website to try and find some step-by-step instructions with more info. There is a page that gives helpful steps - however, the first paragraph - ‘Before You Start Setup’ - tells you “Your Bridge should already be plugged in, connected to Wi-Fi, and added to your Philips Hue app. If you haven’t done that yet, first install your Bridge.” I do not have a Bridge, so I did not read further. Instead I searched to find out if I, in fact, needed to have a Bridge in order to use the camera. You do not need a Bridge to use it. After looking further on the support page I found a file labeled ‘Users Manual’, I downloaded it only to discover that it was a more detailed diagram of how to mount the camera. Ultimately, I had to manually search the App Store and make an educated guess as to which one I needed - simply called ‘Hue’ (in fairness, I probably would have been successful following the ’Setup’ page if I simply ignored the initial statement about the Bridge). At this point, things began to improve. I plugged the camera in and went through the process of adding it to the App. Although the ‘Hue’ app is a little less intuitive than I’d like, I had no problem adding the camera via bluetooth. The next step was getting the camera connected to my wifi. This took a few attempts, but was ultimately successful - I could easily see and hear the camera view and talk thru the camera. I assume the setup would go somewhat easier if you do have a Philips Hue Bridge. Perhaps my unit just happened to come without instructions? As mentioned in the beginning, once it was finally setup it performed well. A couple additional caveats would be: - The price for the Hue Security is high compared to comparable units. - After setting it up, I used the included QR code to add it to my Apple HomeKit, but was not successful. I kept being told that further setup was required. I assume that feature depends on having the Bridge. But why include a QR code to HomeKit instead of a code to the Philips ‘Hue’ app? All of this leads me to believe the primary target for this security camera is as an addition to an existing Philips Hue installation. If that’s you - then you may want to take a closer look.

I've owned countless security cameras at this point, and each of them has their strengths and weaknesses (or just weaknesses). Phillips Hue has a name many people know because of their smart lighting, though their steps into the security market are relatively new. Packaging: The packaging is good if not great, camera comes individually wrapped in a soft cloth bag inside the cardboard box that carries the same color scheme as other Phillips Hue devices. Setup: Setup is a little strange, going through setup it wants you to scan a QR code that is on an 'ownership card'. For me there was no card, but rather a sticker stuck to the bottom of the inside of the box after I removed all of the cardboard pieces, and worse than that, the QR code on it would not scan, so it had the option of entering the 'setup code' which is fine, but on the ownership card it doesnt designate which of the many letter and number combinations is the setup code, I only figured it out because there's a limit to the number of characters you can enter for the code. Nowhere does it say that code is also on the bottom of the camera (which it is, so if you cant find or have lost your ownership card, rest assured the code, if not the QR code, is on the bottom of the camera). This wasn't the only setup snafu though. There's some inconsistency in navigation through setup, at least on an Android device. Sometimes there are buttons that say 'next' or 'skip' or 'customize' depending on the step, but other times you have to rely on the next button on your Android keyboard to move forward. Not a huge deal, but still an oversight in my opinion as there should be a consistent feel through the setup process. There is a voice that needlessly loudly yells that the camera is set up, but prior to that says nothing at all through the setup process. Not real clear why it's again inconsistent in that regard and why it has to be so loud. It should either say all of the prompts "ready to set up" "connecting to wifi" "camera is set up" etc, or nothing at all. The voice is so loud you can tell the speaker has distortion because of it. This isn't the only camera I've run across with a similar action, I don't know why these manufacturers think everyone that is setting up these cameras is deaf. Usage: Once you muddle through the setup process it has you configure notifications and attach it to your home and all of that. It does tell you that it is capable of activity zones and 'blind zones' but doesn't take you to the part of the settings that configures those things, even though a new camera comes with 30 days of 'advanced' features which includes these functions. The free 30 days that includes the functions activates immediately so there's really no reason not to guide you through this setup. I do appreciate that this can integrate further with the Phillips Hue ecosystem to simulate and activate certain Hue features, so if you are deep in the Hue ecosystem, this would be a nice addition. Overall: It's an average camera with average-to-below-average features. The video is good, the activity zones and such are standard, and the paid features dont include constant video recording even though competitors in similar price ranges have that. Being that this is a plugged-in always-on camera, you'd think it would be an option since it does not have a battery. Bottom line is the camera is 'ok', if you already have a bunch of Hue stuff it's a nice addition, but in my opinion it is overpriced and there are better options.

This security camera is easy to set up and I like the fact that you can put it in the Hue app. If you have Hue lights or other Phillips Hue products like I do, there is an air of convenience to being able to control all your lights and cameras from one app. The camera being wired didn’t present a challenge for set-up which shocked me because usually setting up anything wired can be a hassle. But this camera was easy to set up and the whole process felt very secure, which gave me peace of mind as we all know there is an increasing risk of hackers when it comes to home security devices. One downside to this product is that you do need to have a paid subscription to fully review and store all footage captured, otherwise it will only notify you of new footage/movement or let you watch live in real time but not allow you to take a look at footage that has already been recorded, which can be a pain, especially in the event of an emergency. However it is an investment that feels like it is worth the peace of mind it provides. Overall, I like this camera and I feel it captures a wide area and does so with clear quality.

As stated in the title, I am a huge fan of the Philips line of electronic products, and this one only solidifies my opinion Yes, I use their Hue branded lighting products and love them, along with their toothbrush and a few more products. This product is of the sam quality and reliability of their entire line Unboxing is typical of products of this nature, and removal was simple. Th packaging was sufficient to cover all modes of transportation to protect from damage Instructions were simple with links to dive deeper Set-up was a breeze to my existing network and integration to existing viewing platforms was simple The camera does everything that it claims to do, with a picture quality that meets or exceeds anything else on the market If you are looking to expand your security camera coverage, have a special location that you want to have better visibility or just want to be able to watch a location in your house, this is a solid option I would recommend this product over others with the same functionality just knowing it s a brand that we can trust

Video quality is good. You are able to adequately see faces vehicle descriptions, and anything else you might need with this camera. Low light appears to be fine. If you are looking for additional lowlight capabilities, I would always recommend having an IR blaster to help enhance the already good capabilities. It does connect Wi-Fi rather easily, and appears to have a very solid Wireless capability. Set up was really easy as it just required. You to know if you had a good Wi-Fi Where you were installing it and booting it up and connecting it to the app. I absolutely love the amount in this camera in that it is magnetic and allows. You to get whatever angle is best for you. The app is really easy to use. I’ve used it on an iPhone 15 Pro Max and two iPads one was an iPad Pro and the other being an iPad Air all which is running on the latest iOS and iPadOS versions as of June 2024 if you are looking for a high-quality camera for outdoors, this is the camera You will want. It appears, although I had not tested that adding additional cameras would also be easy.

The Philips Hue Wired Security Camera White is an offering from the well-known company. While the design is slick and different from other security cameras, it does have some drawbacks. For starters since it is a wired camera it includes a power supply and cord, this is not simply a USB powered device, it has a switched power supply, the power adapter is large and may not fit in some weather protected outlets. Also, the wire is attached to the camera on the bottom so you really can’t set it down, it has to be attached to something. Luckily an adjustable magnetic swivel mount provides some level of adjustment. The decent 140-degree field offers the adjustment less of a factor. However, if you are looking for mounting flexibility and placement, look at a battery powered security cam. The 1080p video produced by the camera is sharp, however it did seem to be less refined than other security cams, having a bit of a contrast issue where the sky was oversaturated. Other than some basic functions such as motion detection, there is not really anything the stands out with the Philips Hue Wired Security Camera. The iOS app is relatively bare in functionality or configurability including with settings related to your camera. I found this to be very frustrating, as if I was “missing” something. If you are already in the Philips Hue ecosystem, then maybe this makes this camera appealing. But as a first-time user of Philps Hue products, however I came away thinking there are so many options security cameras and is this really the best choice for me? This one just didn’t really appeal to me. >>> Pros >> clear picture >> detection zones <<< Cons << power adapter size, mobile app/controls << less than flexible design. p.

The Philips Hue Wired Security Camera offers decent performance, what you would expect from a quality security, but it falls short in a few critical areas. I found the high cost to be a significant drawback. In all honesty, you could get a full system or at least more than one camera for the same cost as this one camera. The Hue camera is priced considerably higher than many comparable models, so unless you already have a Hue smart home, there are better options if you’re a bit more budget-conscious. While it does deliver clear video quality and integrates well with the Philips Hue system, I’m not seeing what makes this camera worth so much more than many others on the market. As eluded to above, a major issue is the lack of compatibility with other smart home systems and apps outside of Philips Hue. For users who have already invested in a different smart home setup, this camera can be frustratingly limited. Through basic setup, it doesn’t work with the most common smart home apps and devices like Google Home or Amazon Alexa. This lack of flexibility detracts from its overall usability. While the camera itself is a quality product (not taking away from that at all) it with good video quality and some nice features (siren, etc.), the hefty price tag and lack of compatibility with other smart home systems make it way less attractive. I understand that companies want to stand out and have you buy only their products, but that’s not the world we live in. People buy products from all different companies and unless they’re direct competitors like Amazon versus Google, we expect them to work pretty well together. Offering a camera that you can’t connect to your existing Google or Amazon Smart home seems like a bad business move. If you already have Hue, then this is a great camera, albeit with a high price.

Phillips is great at making lightbulbs, but maybe not so much at making security cameras. From the beginning, downloading the Phillips Hue app, it is clearly an app designed for lights and bulbs. I think it would be better if there was a separate app simply for security cameras. This has been my experience with other companies that have an app for the robot vacuum cleaner and the security cameras. It took me longer than I wanted to create an account and then accepting a trial and then navigating the app to find a way to install the cameras. All of the lights and bulbs appear right away, but the cameras takes a bit of exploring the app. Not ideal in my opinion. The box itself has the camera well secured, however, the lack of instructions and the lack of a manual is a problem. Having never installed a Phillips camera, the magnetic piece that connects to the camera somehow is supposed to be attached to the wall, but there is not much direction on how to go about this. In addition, the camera does not come with a type of stand to be able to simply leave in place without having to mount it. Unfortunately, due to it’s shape you will have to buy a Phillips stand just to be able to place this in a counter or a table. Not happy about this because it should as lease come with it knowing that it’s shape and where the cable is connected. It seems to me like this was more of a business decision than a decision to help a customer. Further, the fact that you have to pay a monthly subscription to fully use the cameras with all it’s security features. Again a business decision and not a customer friendly decision. Personally, I would look elsewhere for security cameras. Phillips is great with bulbs and lighting needs, but I am not impressed with it’s attempt in security. From the app, the camera design, to what is included in the box, it did not deliver to my expectation. The only good thing I see is the quality built. These seem well built but too bad that everything else is just not for me.