FabianPhilips Hue unveiled several new products in early September, and I’ll be introducing (almost) all of them to you over the coming weeks. We’ll start with the Hue Liane 360° Rope Light, which is available in three different versions in the Philips Hue online store: 3 meters, 3 meters with a weight, and 5 meters.
The Most Expensive Hue Product Ever
There’s one thing we don’t need to debate here: the new light strip is incredibly expensive. Aside from a few bundles—such as those featuring the Perifo rail system—the 5-meter Liane, at 529.99 euros, is actually the most expensive Hue product ever. And even the 3-meter-long Hue Liane 360° Rope Light, at 399.99 euros, is certainly no bargain.
I took a look around the stores and found similar designer rope lights for well over 1,000 euros, but they weren’t nearly as smart. However, there are also affordable models available at home improvement stores that can even be controlled with a small remote.
I think the initial conclusion at this point should simply be: The Hue Liane 360° Rope Light is expensive. More expensive than many other Hue products. But in the smart home world, it’s also unique in this form so far.
Here’s how to install the Hue Liane 360° Rope Light
Exactly how you mount the light strip on your ceiling is up to you. The end of the Liane is attached to the ceiling using a ceiling mount. The power supply is located at the other end. As usual, the controller is situated between two cable sections, with a bulky plug-in power adapter at the very end. The 5-meter-long version consumes 45 watts of power at full capacity. One minor drawback: Depending on the installation location, the cable has to be hidden somehow. I used a cable box for this, but it still looks pretty unsightly.
You’re free to decide what goes between the power adapter and the ceiling mount. Using the included transparent plastic brackets, you can shape the string light however you like. Waves, loops—there are no limits to your creativity here. The Hue Liane 360° Rope Light can also be wrapped around furniture or railings without attaching it to the ceiling. If you want it to hang straight down from the ceiling, the pendant version is ideal.
Now you’re probably wondering: How is the 3-meter-long Liane supposed to hang from the ceiling to the floor without touching it? After all, very few of us have rooms that high. The solution is quite simple: When setting it up in the Hue app, the segments—and thus the connection points—of the Hue Liane 360° Rope Light are color-coded. It’s a pretty clever solution, since this means there are no markings whatsoever on the designer piece.
Here’s something I noticed during installation: I let a long section of the Liane hang down, and it slipped a bit “through” the mount. I simply added a small piece of double-sided tape there to prevent it from slipping.
The OmniGlow technology is simply impressive
Last year, I already discovered that the Hue OmniGlow Lightstrip, featuring the technology of the same name, is the best light strip of its kind to date. The Hue Liane 360° Rope Light essentially contains two OmniGlow light strips, each surrounded by a thick diffuser. This means no individual LED dots are visible, and the light tube’s illumination is absolutely uniform all around. It really looks impressive.
Of course, the color gradients—which, as usual, can be set via the Hue app—also contribute to this effect. In addition to the preset scenes, you can also simply select three points on the color wheel, and the Hue app will create the corresponding color gradient for the Liane. Of course, you also have all the other options, such as the “Segmented” or “Mirrored” modes, as well as dynamic scenes and small effects like “Campfire.”
And the light strip has plenty more to offer. The color temperature can range from 1,000 to 20,000 Kelvin; the maximum brightness for the short model in standard white (2,700 Kelvin) is 1,950 lumens. For the long Hue Liane 360° Rope Light, which also has a diameter of 22 millimeters, it’s even 3,250 lumens. So we’re definitely no longer talking about just mood lighting here—the light strip can certainly be used for general illumination as well.
Here’s what you should definitely keep in mind
If you cut the Hue Liane 360° Rope Light to size, you should then secure it with the ceiling mount so that the cut end isn’t visible. You should also think carefully about how you want to route the light strip before installation, as making changes later can be very time-consuming.
I also noticed that the silicone material seems to attract dust almost magically. But you can simply wipe the Liane down with a damp cloth—it shouldn’t be a big deal.
The bottom line: Just as impressive as the price
Of course, you have to like the basic design, but that’s no different with a car, for example. I’ve already said everything there is to say about the price. If you put that aside for just a moment, the Hue Liane 360° Rope Light is the most beautiful light art that Philips Hue has brought to market so far. On the other hand, though, it’s probably never been this hard to figure out—before buying—exactly where and how you want to integrate the Liane into your home.
But once you’ve overcome the hurdles of purchasing and installation and set up the Hue Liane 360° Rope Light just the way you want it, you’re sure to be impressed.
Hue Liane 360° Rope Light
from $399.99 / €399.99
