Is Philips Hue worth it, are they still the benchmark for smart light systems?My only experience with "smart" lights has been with YI bulbs and they were far from perfect - buggy software, server outages, bulbs dying etc. Another thing that bothered me a lot is just how dim the bulbs become when you lower the temperature from 4000 to 2700k, are the hue bulbs designed to maintain a consistent light output? I guess the other alternative I'm considering is the IKEA smart bulb system, but with discounts the Hue is actually at the same price as the IKEA.I've done the basics right in my home by layering lights, it looks great at night, but 2700k bulbs don't really work when you want to add some extra light on a cloudy day for example.
>>107238406For me the answer is yes, provided you are debt free and have an income greater than $55000/yr. I have a ~800sq ft apartment and have them everywhere. The light output is consistent and you can get them to look really close to incandescent which is why I bought into the system. Check out Costco for a Black Friday deal on them if you’re interested, but do know once you buy a few you’re probably gonna buy a lot. I have 14 lights of various shapes and sizes and a couple switches to turn them on and off. Four years of pretty good service and no regrets so far.The light strips in particular are great for putting under a desk for additional light in a big room.
>>107238533I intend to use them only in the living room, I need 5 E27 and 2 E14 bulbs.2 ceiling lights, 2 floor laps with E27 and E14, and one accent lamp behind the TV, which is incidentally the single remaining YI bulb I have that actually works.The kit in my original post is on sale for 100 EUR at the moment, comes with 3 E27 bulbs, the bridge and a dimmer remote.
I have one hue bulb, a switch for it, and the little box I set up an automated timer every day with for a wake up light.It's alright. I wish the button was better, it occasionally doesn't work and requires another press, it'd be nice if it was a fucking dimmer switch so it'd come on at a consistent brightness. I haven't used the RGB faggot lights, only the 800 and 1600 white bulbs. I think home automation is a bit of a meme, but it is nice having wireless switches. These days you can get wireless relays that are literally powered by pushing them so you could get the same experience for a few bucks, but shit like having your lights come on automatically when you get in seems retarded.
>>107238704Automation isn't really the goal, I'd like to create a few presets to choose from, but the most important part is the quality and light output of the bulbs. I want to create a nice ambience like a classy jazz bar so I can relax after work and feel like I'm not just a wage slave.
/g/, I'm asking you once again, what do I need to control traditional lights with my computer? I don't want to buy a smart light system, I want to buy some kind of controller that I can connect a traditional lamp into, and then control this from my computer. is this not possible?let's start simple by, e.g., connecting my desk lamp into something, and this something into my computer, and then I can control it in whatever programming language. what is this something that I need here?
>>107238875You could probably do it with home assistant, the FOSS project for home automation, but I don't have any experience with it.
>>107238406I don't really see the point of it.A smart bulb has a lower brightness rating in lumens for the same quantity of spent electricity. So they are not very efficient.And their selling point is that they're controllable remotely through some other device and they have customisable color and are dimmable.I realised I don't need this, I'm not that lazy to not just walk to the light switch and turn it on/off. And I frankly don't need light in variable hues. It's a gimmick. And paying extra for this. Why? You can get normal LED bulbs that are very efficient, in the warm or cold variant, and have all the lighting you need. Nobody needs to program the lights in the house remotely or have them turn on at a certain hour. That's just lazy. Get your ass off the sofa and just turn that switch on.
>>107239219It's not about laziness, it's about adding functionality and improving the quality of the room using light intelligently. If you match the temperature of the natural light coming from your windows you can get a very nice result where the room looks evenly lit with natural light. In the evening you can dim the lights and use a warmer tone to create a different ambience using multiple light sources with lower light output.
>>107238406So, I went balls deep into Hue about 7 years ago. They are pretty coolPros>Automatic light scheduling>Can use any Zigbee protocol bulbs, so you can save money with Ikea bulbs>The app isn't total shit>Sync box is cool, but a novelty. PC app is free. Apparently they have a paid TV app but fuck you for that>Switch/dimmer manufacturers now make stuff with Hue in mind>No wifi they still work and default to whatever their standard K value is>Multiple warm/cool regular light options >Seamless integration with Google Home>They make outdoor ones now>Bulb style hasn't changed, so you can always (((return))) your defective bulb by buying a new one and repacking the oldCons>No first-party light strip bridges to connect multiple single strips>Non-Hue bulbs are a PITA to connect to the bridge (you have to hold the bulb while on less than an inch away from the bridge to pair)>Expensive (ONLY BUY ON BLACK FRIDAY SALES)>t. has enough Hue lights to almost be at the bridge device limit with 4 remotes and 2 sensors
>>107239386How does the light output vary with temperature? The YI lights I got probably had 1/3 of their output when set at 2700k which makes them unusable unless you have a ton of them.
>>107238875There is a Hue app for PC that gives you the same functionality as the phone app with the added bonus of light syncing like the Sync Box or paid TV app.
>>107239447I haven't noticed any real variation. I've had them now for a long time. Believe it or not, they actually last. I've got like 40 of them, and I've had all but a 2 or 3 for 7+ years (I replaced every bulb in the house). It's pretty fucking handy for the lights to turn on when you pull into the driveway. It has IFTTT integration if you want to do more than the app can do.
Sync Box in action. My 5 year old fucking loves it.
>>107239527It's neat, but damn is it expensive. I bought an OLED TV this year and I was considering Philips because of ambilight, but decided against it because apparently everything else about the TV was subpar.
I ordered the kit, we'll see how it goes.
Just get Wiz, and run Home Assistant to control it.
>>107239606There is an app for smart TVs now. It doesn't need to be a Phillips TV. Also Ambilight TVs are just an LG Panel with the gradient strip built in.
>>107238406Use case?
>>107238406The hub and app works better than the old (Trådfri) IKEA line. I haven't tried Dirigera. The Philips bulbs are INCREDIBLY overpriced, but generally any Zigbee bulb will work with the Hue hub, if occasionally with the odd niggle.If you don't feel like rolling your own with Home Assistant and a Zigbee dongle, get a Hue hub and IKEA bulbs.
>>107238875Yeah you could probably have an Arduino or something triggered by USB com that powers a relay outlet.
>>107240705>IKEAThey just announced a bunch of new stuff that's probably available soonish.
Fuck the lights I just bought a couple of these and m gonna put them in my walls and hope I don't burn the house down or shock myself
>>107238406What the fuck do you need colored lights for? Where do you live, a brothel? Quake 2?
I was the OP of the last lighting thread. I found the new meta bulb that I haven't seen ANYONE talk about online: Brightgreen It's a small Aussie company that's claiming 97 CRI and 100 R9 for their new "Trucolour4" bulbs. They support Zigby and are tunable from 2700k-3100k.If what they're claiming is true, that btfo's even the Sunlikelamps slav making bulbs in his basement. Only downside is that they're $150aud a bulb.
>>107243003The new IKEA bulbs are going to be available some time around April, apparently.
>>107245354>$150 a bulbMy great grand children's great grand children better still be using this bulb to to light their entire neighborhood in a mile radius
>>107238406They just work, I have 8 of them in my apartment. Got a few used off eBay. I think their life span is about 10 years,But newer models may last longer. Depends on how much you use them, how hot or cold your environment is. Do your research, these are great, but there could be better options pending your needs.
Their bulbs are good quality but I ditched the Hue bridge/hub because it requires registration now. I’m on Home Assistant now and it’s mostly as good but I haven’t bothered to find workarounds for certain things. Like when I hold the dim/bright buttons on my dimmer it won’t continuously change the bulb brightness.
>>107238847then get incandescent and save money
>>107238406>Philips Hueshit CRI, worthless
>>107250875I ordered them already anyway, so I'll use them in any case, I hope I won't have buyers remorse.>>107252676All the hardware I have is designed for LEDs (i.e. plastic sockets and light diffuses) and will probably melt if I put in incandescent bulbs. >>107252738Sure, what's better then and how much does it cost?
>>107252842>Sure, what's better then and how much does it cost?Ledvance is both cheaper and higher CRIMore annoying to set up so that they work completely locally with HA however, but any non techlet should be able to pull it off
>>107238406My answer is no. I bought in about 7 years ago or so, and when they started bugging me to make an account I opted out in favor of Home Assistant running on an OrangePi Zero 3 with one of those Sonoff Zigbee dongles. You can still use Hue bulbs with it, as well as third party bulbs that are significantly cheaper. There are minor inconveniences like extending the USB away from the orange pi since usb3.0 creates ZigBee interference, but other than that it's a much better user interface and is entirely FOSS and local. I do not recommend Hue, go Home Assistant.
>>107243003>>107247634>just bought a bunch of tradfri bulbs and controllersFUCK ME
Too expensive, my setup is just a bunch of tuya (teckin) wifi bulbs and reflashed them with esphome for local control.
>>107238406Yes they are still the best, expensive but the best. Use your own ZHA usb stick and you don't need a hub or anything internet based to control them with home assistant.
>>107238406Yes, the spots and lights are miles ahead of the rest in terms of color/temp/lifetime. Don't buy the hub though>>107255781>Use your own ZHA usb stick and you don't need a hub or anythingThis, I got the deconz stick and it served me well, some don't like this brand but it has always worked great for me. Coupled with home assistant I get all the benefits from philips and the privacy of deconz/HA
>>107254862>tradfriMore like TARDFRI lmao
cringe ahh unc tech made of diodes and plastic we rearrange atoms in a vibrating pattern with thought to extract energy and produce light in a space time point from mental concentrationol ahh plastic goofy ahh screw bulb ahh unc tech no cap
