The Hueblog readership also experienced the problem that I had to report on at the beginning of the week: dimmed Philips Hue lamps can suddenly light up with 100 per cent brightness. Signify, the manufacturer of Philips Hue, had pointed out an error in the communication with the smart home standard Matter.
Last week, I already received the first letters on the subject, but was not yet able to understand the whole thing. A report from The Verge now gives us more information. But what is it all about? Apparently, in some cases Philips Hue lamps suddenly switch to full brightness, even when they are dimmed.
What is Signify, the manufacturer of Philips Hue, actually doing with all our money? We keep asking ourselves this (not entirely serious) question when it comes to prices. Today I have the answer for you: you become a sponsor of a Formula 1 team. Okay, it wasn’t enough to become the main sponsor, but such a co-operation won’t be completely free either.
With the update to version 5.19 of its app, Philips Hue has introduced several new functions, including the ability to combine several motion sensors into a group. For another new feature, however, I had to do some more research: “Start a ‘Go to sleep’ automation not only in the app, but also by pressing a button on a Hue switch or an iOS widget.”
Unfortunately, there was no news about Hue Secure at today’s product launch, at least as far as the hardware is concerned. No new devices were presented for the security system, which was launched last autumn. However, the manufacturer today presented a number of new functions relating to the software behind Hue Secure, which are to be made available in the second half of 2024.
Yesterday evening, Apple gave a preview of the upcoming updates for its operating systems at its own developer conference WWDC. This naturally included iOS 18 for the iPhone and iPadOS 18 for Apple tablets. Some of the innovations presented could also be interesting for Philips Hue. For example, there is a major update for the Control Center.
The Philips Hue app for iOS and Android has been updated and comes with new functions. One new feature is the ability to reorganise the Hue Secure cameras in the security area. You can drag and drop the cameras into the order that suits you best. At the same time, the Philips Hue app makes it easier to change the switch-on behaviour of lamps in a room or zone.
The Philips Hue Bridge is the centrepiece of the system and is updated with new software at regular intervals. The new firmware version 1964061010 has been available to install for a few days now; the previous number was 1963171020. The update includes the following new features: Resolved an issue where, in rare cases, specific non-Hue lights would fail to connect to the Bridge Updated time zones and Daylight Saving Time settings Improved performance and reliability of the system
Back in February, I was able to make a pleasant discovery on the Hue website: Philips Hue is planning support for multiple Hue Brigdes linked to one account later this year. So far, Philips Hue has only issued a rather brief statement: Have more than one Bridge? Later this year, you’ll be able to add multiple Bridges to one account and sort them into Homes to keep your system organized.
Synchronising the light to match the content on the TV. Philips pursued this idea several years ago with Ambilight and Philips Hue has had its HDMI Play Sync Box at the start for some time now, and I’m expecting the successor with HDMI 2.1 this year. But why additional hardware, couldn’t it be simpler?
Fabian
Frederick