The first extension

bernhard — Mon, 21 Mar 2022 15:21:42 +0000

With the first room was not enough, and relatively quickly added more. only with a handful of additional lamps begins to be fun. When you get used to the comfort in one room, for example in the living room, you want to quickly transfer it to other rooms, for example in the bedroom or kitchen. The Lights Strips are particularly suitable in the kitchen.

Since I kept to the Hue system for the first expansion, an integration was quickly possible in a few minutes. Setting up a new room, adding the lamps and distributing the switches was no problem. Of course, this simplicity comes at a price, which Philips also charges handsomely for.

I have not described more advanced smart functions like automations or geolocations here in the first step. Of course, when the phone detects that you are entering or leaving a certain radius around the house or apartment, you can turn the heating up or down, or turn all the lights off automatically, or send a reminder that not all the lights are off yet and much more. For me, most of these are not really use cases, so I have only implemented them in a very rudimentary way. Of course, the automatic light function is practical when you are on vacation, for example, and can be a small means against burglaries.

More exciting I find with the function to assign buttons on switches multiple times, for example, with the first press to restore the last state, the second press a brighter light, the third press a different colored light. Examples are e.g. sceneries to watch TV or to start a party mode.

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Hello world! The beginning

bernhard — Sat, 03 Jul 2021 08:00:00 +0000

Hello World! This is the term used in software development for the first successful call of a self-written program and is very often the first text displayed.

The beginning

Startersetamazon.de, Anzeige

As with many, buying a starter kit from Philips Hue, a bridge with a switch and two lamps, is the beginning into a new world. That was also my Hello World. Included are all the necessary components to get started, for example, in the rented apartment without structural changes.

Funksteckdosenamazon.de, Anzeige

Strictly speaking, the entry into the smart home was made by switchable sockets and that was certainly 20 years earlier. At that time with a radio remote control, so there can be no talk of smart. But to switch on/off several devices and lights with one push of a button already went in the desired direction and one already had a feeling of being able to “control things from everywhere” – at a small distance, of course.

The goal of the central or remote control remains the same and is still extended by automatisms, sceneries, etc.

Living for rent

“Living for rent” is a very important keyword for getting started and planning a smart home. I too would like to pull cables everywhere, drill holes, make wall breakthroughs and link everything together by cable instead of radio, e.g. via a centralized bus system. Unfortunately, this would involve a lot of effort and expense, most of which would have to be dismantled when we moved. That means it has to be a radio system for the most part.

The connection to the Internet and data privacy

One of my premises was and still is that the entire system must work without an Internet connection:

I don’t want my data to leak out, e.g., what time I get up in the morning
I want to avoid security gaps of my local network
The system must work even in case of an internet failure

That was one of the reasons why I chose Philips Hue at the time. A permanent internet connection is not mandatory and the limitations are limited:

(Security) updates are not found and installed (bridge and lamps).
The teaching of accessories sometimes requires the Internet connection
The control outside of the WLAN reception does not work
The Hue Labs functions can not be used

It should be noted that, at least in the beginning, you can’t avoid setting the connection to the Internet, even with Philips Hue. This is also necessary for occasional updates. The last three points are negligible for me.

Where to put the bridge?

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Let’s start with the bridge (“bridge”). The Bridge is the central hub for the first smart home. The bridge controls the lamps, accepts commands, e.g. from apps and links all elements, including the Internet.

I myself have positioned the bridge next to the router. The protocol behind Philips Hue is ZigBee and allows each lamp to function as a repeater of the signal.

That is, if a lamp is too far away from the bridge, another Zigbee device (lamp, some switches, etc) between them is enough to amplify the signal to the distant lamp. This repeater function can also reach more distant places, such as tubular homes or garden lamps.

Step 1: the Bridge and Mobile App

So we start by hooking the Philips Hue Bridge the directly into the home LAN or WLAN (full and updated instructions at Philips if necessary):

Connect the bridge to power and network
Download the Philips Hue mobile app (Apple iOS or Android)
Follow the steps in the app

Now the basic functionality is available one can configure the lamps.

Step 2: the lamps

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It is recommended to pair lamps individually and one after the other. This saves having to change the lamps afterwards, if you have mixed up something.

In the vicinity of the bridge, turn the lamp into a socket
Then switch on the lamp
In the mobile app “Add lamps” (top right the three dots on the first page)
Search and wait
Give a name to the found lamp
Add the lamp to a room or zone

Now the lamp or lamps can be controlled via the Mobile App.

The settings for the switch-on behavior should also be defined. This controls the behavior when the “real” light switch is confirmed or there is a power failure. By default, the light will be on at full strength. Always keep in mind that if necessary guests can use the switches out of habit or as it makes sense for emergencies.

Step 3: the dimmer switch

Hue Dimmschalteramazon.de, Anzeige

For switches, a similar path is necessary:

Auf den Reiter “Einstellungen” der Mobile App wechseln
Switch to the “Settings” tab of the mobile app
There click on “Accessories
Then click on “Add accessories”
Then select the appropriate device, in this case the “Hue Dimmer Switch”
For a new device

Now the starter set is fully assembled and can be controlled by switch or mobile app.

First Steps with Philips Hue Archive - Smart Home