I am very, very excited about this product and I hope by the time you are done reading this review, you will be just as excited as me.
My ventures into home automation began with the purchase of an Amazon Echo. I think it is one of the best devices I have brought into my home. Since that purchase, I have bought 3 additional Amazon Dots to scatter around the house.
The next step was automating my lighting. I had several options before me. One option was to use my existing light bulbs and buy a TP LINK smart plug. I thought very hard about that choice and decided not to do it. I didn't want some large plug outlet device in my home. Additionally, many Amazon reviewers had stated the installation instructions were confusing and they ended up having connection issues. Finally, and most importantly, I wanted my bulbs to have the ability to "dim" on command.
I must say, I am not very happy with Philips pricing. They pretty much dominate the home automated lighting market, and as such, they charge a huge premium for their product. Two years ago I bought their hue lighting strips and I paid a small fortune for them. Fortunately, their products are highly reliable, but be prepared that once you enter this market with this brand, it's not going to come cheap.
This starter kit is pretty darn expensive. You could do cheaper with a TP LINK outlet, but once you buy this starter kit, all you need to do in order to expand your home lighting, is to just add more bulbs. The hub/bridge is capable of running up to 50 lights.
This is the version 2.0 hub, by the way, which improves upon the original hub by adding support for Siri home kit.
The hub is very easy to set up. First, it's important to know that you need to plug this into a router. It cannot be used wirelessly. The hub comes with a short ethernet plug to enable the connection. Simply plug it into an available ethernet connection on your router.
Next, download the Philips Hue app on either your iOS or Android device. The app detects the new hub/bridge in your home and guides you through the process of adding new bulbs. Essentially, the hub automatically recognizes any new bulbs it finds in your home.
To use with Amazon Echo, you will need the Echo app, which owners should already have. An additional step is required where you need to go into the Alexa App, select SETTINGS, and have it automatically detect new devices. It will find the Philips bulbs automatically. Next step is to create a new GROUP in the Alexa App. Add the bulbs and give the GROUP a name.
From therein, you simply tell Alexa, "Turn on <Group Name>," "Turn off <Group Name>," "Dim <Group Name>," and you will be delighted by the results.
Now the downside: These bulbs are only capable of illuminating up to 60 Watts. Of course, Philips offers different sized lighting, including color changing bulbs. I *believe* the larger bulbs provide higher wattage.
These are LED lights that are included, so they will run longer than average bulbs. That will certainly make up for the added expense.
What I really like about this starter kit is that it provides an entry point for my entire home automation. From here I can add more Philips lights, including their bloom, strip and other accent lighting. As I mentioned earlier, I am already using their Hue strips to accent areas of my home.
Despite other reviews I have just read here on Amazon, I can tell you without a doubt that setting this system up is very simple. There are absolutely no connection issues. The Philips app does a great job of walking you through the setup process. You can have this bridge and lighting up and working, out of box, in about 15 minutes.
To be able to walk from room to room giving commands to turn on various lamps in the home, is a rewarding experience. In fact, one thing I forgot to mention is that the lighting can be controlled remotely through the Philips app. So, before you even walk through your front door, you can have the lights illuminated, awaiting your arrival. Forgot to turn lights off? No problem, you can do it remotely.
Highly recommend this product for anyone wanting to take their home lighting into the 21st century.