I have already introduced you to the most important new releases of the summer, namely the new Wall Washer and the redesigned Smart Button. In addition to the removal of the dimmer switch from the Hue Aurelle ceiling light, there has been another small change to the Philips Hue range.
If you are interested in the technical background and cloud connectivity of Philips Hue, then this blog post from Google will certainly be of interest to you. In it, the Philips Hue manufacturer, together with Google, explains some of the background to cloud connectivity. Since 2015, Philips Hue has been using the cloud container infrastructure Kubernetes, an open-source system from Google.
Sorry, I don’t have any new hardware for you today, but at least there are two small software updates. Don’t get your hopes up too high, though, because these are just minor bug fixes. One of them is for Hue Secure Cameras, where software version 1.2.32.976160 has been released. “We have fixed a bug that prevented events from your camera from being displayed,” says the development team.
For most of us, the holiday means a relaxed start to the new week. Tonight, I’ll be covering the big WWDC keynote for our Apple blog, but I can’t resist taking a detour into the world of Hue. I have two pieces of news from Signify for you. Several years ago, the company announced its intention to eliminate plastic from its packaging.
I would like to use the weekend to thank you all once again. Of course, for stopping by here regularly. But even more so for always keeping a watchful eye and sending me tips and information. In the last few months alone, I have been able to publish two exciting reports thanks to the community.
Motion detection with Philips Hue has been possible for what feels like ages with the Hue Motion Sensor. The motion detector is available for indoor and outdoor use, and its tasks can now also be performed by a Hue Secure camera. I told you some time ago that Philips Hue is working on motion detection without additional hardware.
Almost ten years after the launch of the second-generation Hue Bridge, Philips Hue continues to work on the security of its control hub. The firmware of the Hue Bridge has now been updated once again and software version 1971060010 is now available. Among other things, this update has improved the security of the system.
Philips Hue has been offering its Hue Secure products for more than a year and a half now, including several cameras and contact sensors for windows and doors. However, one particularly important function is still missing: location-based control of the system. Until now, you have always had to manually select in the Hue app whether you are currently at home or whether the system should be armed when you are away.
In April 2019, Signify, formerly Philips Lighting, acquired the French company WiZ. Since then, it has been operating as a low-budget brand with WiFi connectivity right next to the top dog Philips Hue. Now I ask myself: could the products of the two brands WiZ and Philips Hue soon be compatible with each other?
We’re bridging the bridge between the public holiday and the weekend in Germany with two small firmware updates for Philips Hue. There is new software for the Philips Hue Bridge and the Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box 4K. However, there are no major innovations, I can already say that in advance.
Fabian