Philips Hue has claimed the launch of the new Gradient products all to itself. What do I mean by that? The APIs and tools necessary for developers were only released after the actual market launch. This explains why the initial integration with Hue Essentials did not necessarily turn out to be great and iConnectHue can only now come up with the corresponding update.
Secretly, quietly, Philips Hue has launched a new generation of its motion sensor. Okay, new generation might not be the right word, but in any case it is a new, improved hardware revision. The focus is on a new sensor lens that, according to my information, has a slightly higher sensitivity.
If you have been wondering in the past few weeks why the geofencing of your Hue app no longer works properly, then I can tell you today: It’s not your fault and it’s not the fault of Philips Hue that your lights no longer switch on and off reliably when you come home or leave home.
In August, the timers returned to the Philips Hue app, but one important function was missing until now: You could switch lamps on or off and activate scenes after the timer had expired, but you could not make the lamps flash. This is now possible again. To use the function, you must first create a timer – this can be done in the Automation area.
Fabian1 Comment on Without removing the light switch: Handy frame for the new dimmer switch Installation without electrical fiddling auf Deutsch lesen Installation without electrical fiddling
In the meantime, Philips Hue does offer some options to take a classic light switch out of action. And I don’t just mean the Philips Hue wall switch module, but also the fact that the mounting plates of the new dimmer switch and also the Smart Button are large enough to be mounted on a flush-mounted box.
A few days ago, Philips Hue published an interesting announcement on the official developer website for all developers working on applications around the Hue system. The second version of the Hue API, which was launched a few weeks ago, can now also be used by them. The new interface is not yet completely finished, some special functions such as dynamic scenes, the gradient technology or also the fast transmission of status changes can already be integrated in third-party apps.
I wouldn’t want to live without my Philips TV with built-in Ambilight. And Philips Hue is also high on my list of favourites, of course. But to make a common cause with these two “Philips” products is by now anything but recommendable. On no other topic have I received so many letters, comments and questions in the last week.
As already announced last week, Philips Hue has introduced an exciting innovation around the dynamic scenes with the now released update to version 4.8 of the official app. From now on, the speed of these scenes can be adjusted. The special feature here is that each dynamic scene from the Hue Light Scene Gallery comes with its own default setting, so that the speed of the colour changes matches the mood of the scene.
Personally, I still don’t really like the look of Hue Essentials (Apple/Android), but that is ultimately a matter of personal taste. What is clear is that the app offers numerous functions that are not available in the Hue app. With the update to version 1.17.0, however, a function is now added that was originally introduced with the Hue app: You can colour gradient products with colour gradients.
Philips Hue on the Apple Watch, that was a no-brainer until a few months ago. With the launch of Philips Hue 4.0, however, not only have the popular widgets disappeared, but the Apple Watch has also been dropped – and without replacement. But it seems that Philips Hue has not quite finished with the Apple Watch yet.