Philips HUE Lights?

Kurth · Post by **Kurth** » Mon Nov 13, 2017 2:17 am

Thinking about investing in some smart lighting. It seems like Philips HUE products are one of the top choices. Anyone go down this road already and have any hints/tips/words of advice for someone just starting out?

One of the problems I think I'm going to face is that most of the starter kits I see out there all include A19 bulbs, and the vast majority of my fixtures are ceiling cans with BR30s. Not sure there's any work-around to this, but it does kind of suck. I wish Philips would put out a starter kit for BR30s, too.

The gaming/rec room in the basement is lit entirely with indirect tube fluorescent lights right now. Another thought I had was to replace these with some of the HUE LED strip lighting. Any experience with those?

Any thoughts would be much appreciated! Thanks!!

RMC · Post by **RMC** » Mon Nov 13, 2017 9:27 am

One of my staff used to work for Philips and he is 100% in love with these, only has positive things to say about all of the features. Even got one of my other team members to buy into the system at the starter pack level. I was worried it was a cult or something.

Anyway, no experience myself, but they both only have very positive things to say about it.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Mon Nov 13, 2017 9:38 am

All the starter kits I see on their site say E29 bulbs. Dont see any E19. I do see just the bulbs in BR30 but not in kits.

I do see BR30 starter kits elsewhere...

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Philips-Hue ... /205435736

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Philips-Hue- ... 8/40900633

https://www.amazon.com/Philips-Ambiance ... B00HJY2RGU

Hmm strangely if I put the amazon link first it doesn't show it and moves the other two about 20 spaces down the post. I put it last and inside URL brackets and its fine.

Lorini · Post by **Lorini** » Mon Nov 13, 2017 10:19 am

You should add a Googlehome mini to really make them shine

The Meal · Post by **The Meal** » Mon Nov 13, 2017 10:41 am

I'm deep in the Hue ecosystem. Every time folks are amazed at our setup, I give the same advice: unless you want the options for colored lighting spaces, invest in a switch-based (rather than bulb-based) system. As it turns out, I'm a big fan of the colored lighting space, but I recognize that it's not for everyone.

I can answer specific questions.

Our home has 3 bridges, 3 light strips (one third-party which is the "cost effective" way to get a 5-meter strip), 2 Hue Go's, 1 Iris, 2 Blooms, and a big mix (~40-ish) of White and Color and Ambience (1st, 2nd, and 3rd Gen) A19s and BR30s. We have 3 Dimmers, 2 Taps, and 7 Motion Detectors. I've got seven devices with voice-activated Echo Dot capabilities spread throughout the house.

My favorite third-party software is iConnectHue (on iOS), which I like so much that I've paid for all In-App purchases despite not using things like geolocation. Between iConnectHue and the Philips app, you're covered, though I've paid for about 20 total iOS apps.

I've had two lights outdoors (Denver climate) for two winters: one in an enclosed fixture, one open-air (but under eaves and with a shroud above it, so it's out of the elements). I've got two lights and a motion detector in our garage, which does get below 30 degrees during the winter. I've got lights in every type of room in the house with the exception of bathrooms and a laundry room. The most effective use of the motion detectors are for rooms where folks are passing through (such as hallways and stairs), though the set-up in the kitchen (with a longer inactivity time-out) is particularly beneficial for folks who eat in a different room (leaving the room with your hands full). The lightstrips are pure whimsy, though I do really enjoy the under-cabinet lighting in throughout our kitchen. The Hue Gos are fantastic if you want to have a battery powered lamp for a few hours (say hanging out on your deck).

We frequently entertain (poker night), and so I've played with syncing lights to music (disappointing, currently, though a new interface is coming which may be of use). I've also done things like having the lights in a room tied in with the album art of the currently playing track (while also showing the album art on our TV via an Apple TV). I've settled on simple non-music-related animations while entertaining, but am looking forward to the new software with low bridge latency. I've also experimented with behind-screen lighting synced with on-screen colors (the two Blooms are behind a 65" TV), but the latency is currently a big issue.

I really can't imagine a lot of other people out there like myself who'd want the colored light spaces, but the Hue-related reddit is very active, so I don't feel alone. There are always deals going on with these products, and I've purchased many of my items used and refurbished, and I've yet to run into a single bulb or device failure.

Like I said above, I can answer questions. If you are after scheduled lighting throughout your home with capabilities for motion-activation lights, WeMo, TP-LINK, Kasa, and others have to have cheaper switch-based systems available. But Philips Hue was the first, and I doubt any of the others will ever catch up in terms of third-party software (be it mobile or desktop).

Kurth · Post by **Kurth** » Mon Nov 13, 2017 11:57 am

Thanks for all the great info, Meal. A couple of specific questions:

(1) What are the main differences between 1st, 2nd and 3rd gen Hue products, and should I care?

(2) Why do a need a dimmer or a switch with these products? I had thought that you just plugged a bridge into your router, leave the light switch on, and then control the lights via scheduling or manually using the Philips (or third party) app. Not so?

(3) How do you implement motion detectors in your system? Are those third party add-ons or something through Philips?

Thanks!!!

The Meal · Post by **The Meal** » Mon Nov 13, 2017 12:27 pm

Kurth wrote: ↑Mon Nov 13, 2017 11:57 am Thanks for all the great info, Meal. A couple of specific questions:

(1) What are the main differences between 1st, 2nd and 3rd gen Hue products, and should I care?

Colored Bulbs (A17/BR30):
1st/2nd functionally identical. Maybe some small lumen output difference.
3rd: better blue and green representation.

Personally, if the 1st/2nd were half-price of the 3rd, then I'd consider my use case for them. In areas where I expect guests for long amounts of time, I would only consider using 3rd. But for stairwells or the kitchen or places where I don't typically use crazy lighting, 1st/2nd is fine. (Actually the kitchen doesn't use colored bulbs at all, though the lightstrip is color capable.)

Bridges:
1st: Non-Alexa enabled
2nd: Current gen.

Would only consider a 2nd gen Bridge. Have a 1st gen sitting unused. At my previous job, I had brought in the first gen bridge to use with a desktop lamp in my cube. Now I work in an open office setting (see other thread), and wouldn't bother.

(2) Why do a need a dimmer or a switch with these products? I had thought that you just plugged a bridge into your router, leave the light switch on, and then control the lights via scheduling or manually using the Philips (or third party) app. Not so?

All true. Turns out digging into your pocket to access your phone is not always as convenient as a dedicated piece of hardware in the room. Alexa/Echo does not have a 100% duty cycle (works in 95% of the cases, but that's not sufficient when it comes to lighting), and does not work when you have a sleeping partner, or are in a chaotic environment.

I had expected the software solution to be sufficient. I now have 5 pieces of dedicated hardware to control various rooms. We have a Tap behind the headboard in the master bedroom with the capability to turn on/off all lights at our whim. It's the perfect end-of-evening kill-switch, or the perfect oh-shit-did-I-just-hear-a-noise-let's-walk-through-the-house-and-check on switch.

(3) How do you implement motion detectors in your system? Are those third party add-ons or something through Philips?

I only set up the motion detectors (Philips product) through the iConnectHue iOS app as it enables much more functionality compared to the Philips app. The app sets things up directly to the Bridges and all wireless interaction then occurs between the detectors on the ZigBee network (i.e., no interaction between the iOS app, the router wifi or through the internet). Same story with the dedicated Taps and Dimmers, and when setting animations. All of these things are wifi/internet/app independent once set-up. This is a big part of their advantage over voice control.

Thanks!!!

My pleasure!

~*~*~

linkdhome wrote:SOFTWARE ENHANCEMENTS

Philips has reaffirmed their commitment to ZigBee standards, advising that the Hue portfolio will be moving to the new ZigBee 3.0 starting in 2018. More interestingly though, is the announcement of a big media partnership in support of Philips Hue Entertainment. This new feature, coming via a software update in December, will enable interactive synchronization of your Hue lights to movies, games, and music content.

“Philips Hue Entertainment will be fast, synchronous and easy to set up. We want Philips Hue to be a natural ingredient of any gaming, movie or audio experience – delivering a new level of spatial immersion, complementing action on the screen. We like to think of it as surround sound for the eyes.”
— CHRIS WORP, BUSINESS GROUP LEADER - HOME

This feature is a streaming-optimized interface that co-exists with the ZigBee protocol. It's intended to reduce the latency for lighting commands to enable fast state changes that support real-time special effects. Philips claims the interface can support state changes up to 25 times per second without creating network congestion. The Hue app will gain the ability for the user to define the spatial layout of their lights in the room, and Hue Entertainment takes care of determining the optimal effect rendering for that specific setup.

Enough · Post by **Enough** » Mon Nov 13, 2017 4:21 pm

I've been dabbling in this area and really enjoy it as someone with a light fetish. A few comments: 1) the hue colored bulbs are a bit dim when in white light mode. It's not terrible, but if you need a bunch of light in a fixture be sure that the output of the colored hue bulbs is going to be enough (A 19 bulbs). I'm personally waiting for a color/white option with more lumens for those fixtures and will keep rocking the bright dumb dimmable LEDs I have in those fixtures. 2) If you want to play with color, I find having a min of three bulbs in a normal room is best if you can swing it. The multiple lights will really allow you to set up a mood with different light tones (I have three for our home theater and have a special recipe for movie watching that rules). 3) If you like the Hue lightstrips, know that even though they don't tell you, that if you are handy with solder you should be able to cut the strips and connect them with CAT5 cable like so.

And I will second Mealer's comment on sales. Definitely be patient and you can get some huge savings. I have not yet bought any used, but like that idea!

Edit: also, just fyi that Best Buy will have the strips on sale for $49.99 for black Friday. This is as good of price as you will see for the strips unfortunately.

gameoverman · Post by **gameoverman** » Mon Nov 13, 2017 4:46 pm

I scoffed at the idea that bias lighting makes a difference. Then one day, since I had some extra money to spend, I decided to buy that cheap Antec lighting kit for my monitor. Holy Jebus! It's awesome. It was one of those moments when you ask yourself "Why haven't I been using this all along?". So I imagine a better kit, like that Philips setup, will only increase the awesomeness.

The Meal · Post by **The Meal** » Mon Nov 13, 2017 4:50 pm

If you're after cheap Hue-enabled strips, the way to go is the Dresden Elektronik Wireless (such as the Wireless electronic ballast FLS-PP lp with Power PWM interface for RGBW and RGB lights (12/24V LED/LED stripes), ZigBee certified product) along with a LED strip and an AC power adapter. Works fantastic with all Hue software and prices cannot be beat. Does take a bit of put-it-together-yourselfness, but well worth it.

Kurth · Post by **Kurth** » Mon Nov 13, 2017 5:01 pm

In response to Meal's post above, what is "setting animations"? Sounds interesting!

The Meal · Post by **The Meal** » Mon Nov 13, 2017 5:25 pm

Animations are scripted color changes. They can be looped or one-time run-throughs. Loops could be as quick as 5 seconds long to 10-minutes long (or longer). A run-through could be something like a 30 minutes red-to-orange-to-yellow-to-white simulated sunrise set up on your nightstand next to your bed, triggered to fire off at 6am. (Or maybe you prefer hitting the snooze alarm instead?)

You can have them triggered by clock conditions, motion detectors, IFTTT triggers, etc. just like regular color scenes.

Enough · Post by **Enough** » Mon Nov 13, 2017 5:34 pm

The Meal wrote: ↑Mon Nov 13, 2017 5:25 pm Animations are scripted color changes. They can be looped or one-time run-throughs. Loops could be as quick as 5 seconds long to 10-minutes long (or longer). A run-through could be something like a 30 minutes red-to-orange-to-yellow-to-white simulated sunrise set up on your nightstand next to your bed, triggered to fire off at 6am. (Or maybe you prefer hitting the snooze alarm instead?)

You can have them triggered by clock conditions, motion detectors, IFTTT triggers, etc. just like regular color scenes.

I like the routine that flashes the lights when the ISS travels overhead.

The Meal · Post by **The Meal** » Mon Nov 13, 2017 5:42 pm

I killed all my IFTTT triggers (out of spite). One thing I hate about that app is that triggers generally occur within a 5-15 minute delay. Maybe not a big deal if you want to set your living room lamp to blue if the high temperature for the day is below 50 degrees (or the ISS is flying overhead), but when I wanted a reaction to ESPN scoring updates (and then my bulbs would go off 10 minutes after the fact), I decided that app wasn't getting any of my attention.

I rather doubt it'll get updated, though its a frequent complaint on the reddit.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Tue Nov 14, 2017 12:48 am

Always wanted one for my PC monitor backing. But I wanted the type that changes to match whats on screen and not just simple color on the back. Found out the only one that does it seems to be some kickstarter thing and it was a couple hundred bucks. I gave up...for now.

Punisher · Post by **Punisher** » Tue Nov 14, 2017 1:14 am

I've been slowly converting every bulb I could to LED and have really thought bout getting these, but for me right now the buy in is too high for what I perceive as the benefits/cool factor.. Waiting for clearance stuff..

Enough · Post by **Enough** » Mon Nov 27, 2017 5:14 pm

Just in case anyone thinking about these missed it, Hue is currently on sale for Cyber Monday at pretty historically low prices on Amazon and Best Buy.

Kurth · Post by **Kurth** » Tue Nov 28, 2017 2:22 am

Unreal. I saw this about 30 mins ago (9:50 Pacific time, Monday night), logged into BestBuy, saw the 4 bulb starter kit for $134.99, put it in my cart, was about to check out . . . and my laptop crashed.

I rebooted and tried again just now, and the deal is gone. Back to $199. Ouch.

Also, where are the deals for BR30s? If I can't score 4 of those at a decent price, I may pass on this whole thing. Frustrating.

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Tue Nov 28, 2017 4:49 pm

I'm very interested in all of this technosorcery, but woefully ignorant, and there are so many options that I've almost hit a bit of a gridlock on what I should do.

Scenario: I'm wanting to do some work on the lighting in my game room. This room is down in my basement, and there are three lights in play. One is a three bulb bar lamp over my gaming table. The other two are old (and by old I mean probably from the 60's) square recessed lights. All three of these lights are controlled by 3 separate switches in the room. Two switches in a single box at the door turn on the front and the gaming lights. The back light is turned on by a separate switch at the back of the room, and that box also has an outlet in it.

My skill with electrical repair is moderate. I've replaced outlets, I've replaced lamp sockets, spliced cables, etc.

I am interested in getting better lights in that room, replacing the recessed ceiling lights with low height flush mount fixtures in the same spots. Because frankly, the existing lights suck. I finally took the covers off of the lights just to get a little more light in the room. And I want to be able to control the lights via voice or app or whatever, because I want to cover up the back switch with a shelf, and I don't want to have to leave an opening in the shelves just to reach in to turn out the lights.

Thoughts? Smart Bulbs? Switches? A hub?

Enough · Post by **Enough** » Tue Nov 28, 2017 6:24 pm

A SmartThings hub or similar with zwave switches I think would do what you want. Or you could just use the existing fixtures and Hue lights with Hue hub and control them from there. It all depends on what your overall home automation goals are. Meal knows more than me in this area but I will cop to having both a Hue and SmartThings hub in service so I can do both worlds.

The Meal · Post by **The Meal** » Tue Nov 28, 2017 7:19 pm

hentzau wrote: ↑Tue Nov 28, 2017 4:49 pm I'm very interested in all of this technosorcery, but woefully ignorant, and there are so many options that I've almost hit a bit of a gridlock on what I should do.

That's so true.

I'm deep (DEEEEP) into the Hue world, so that's what I know. The advantages here are:
* color availablity
* software and hardware maturity
* you know why you'll die penniless

Scenario: I'm wanting to do some work on the lighting in my game room. This room is down in my basement, and there are three lights in play. One is a three bulb bar lamp over my gaming table. The other two are old (and by old I mean probably from the 60's) square recessed lights.

/huecentricpov: Game room = game playing = bright lights. While our poker room is heavily populated with Hue lights, the primary source of all lighting above the play tables is traditional LED non-Hue. Why? Lumens. (Our kitchen is populated with non-Color Hue lights, but the recessed cans aren't more than 2.5' apart, so what any one bulb lacks in output is made up with quantities of bulbs. This may also be a palatable option for your game room.) Square recesses would also prove to be difficult in the Hue world.

All three of these lights are controlled by 3 separate switches in the room. Two switches in a single box at the door turn on the front and the gaming lights. The back light is turned on by a separate switch at the back of the room, and that box also has an outlet in it.

My skill with electrical repair is moderate. I've replaced outlets, I've replaced lamp sockets, spliced cables, etc.

I haven't done it, but I've heard that going down the connected switch route is akin to replacing outlets. Sounds like this is an option for you.

I am interested in getting better lights in that room, replacing the recessed ceiling lights with low height flush mount fixtures in the same spots. Because frankly, the existing lights suck. I finally took the covers off of the lights just to get a little more light in the room. And I want to be able to control the lights via voice or app or whatever, because I want to cover up the back switch with a shelf, and I don't want to have to leave an opening in the shelves just to reach in to turn out the lights.

Philips does make (expensive) light fixtures which are Hue compatible. Check out their web page for a smorgasbord of options. Do not purchase from their website.

Thoughts? Smart Bulbs? Switches? A hub?

Questions only you can answer:
Do you want colors? Do you want motion detection? Voice control is nice (much more convenient than using mobile device apps).

My general advice is for folks to go down the connected switch route (I like TP-Link's software, Kasa, for simplicity, features {scheduling and Alexa compatibility}, and robustness — but I've only used it with smart outlets) unless you know you want the flexibility Hue provides.

Enough · Post by **Enough** » Tue Nov 28, 2017 8:11 pm

Yeah, my take on this home automation stuff is that it's really slick and fun to play with but nowhere near any kind of standards or stability just yet as it continues to evolve. Thus, only get in if you are ok with the standard you pick potentially going obsolete before you want and don't mind a bit of tinkering to get things to work they way you want. For me those items are sort of more feature than bug, but ymmv.

Kurth · Post by **Kurth** » Wed Nov 29, 2017 3:33 am

Ended up finding some remaining HUE deals on Amazon. Picked up a 4 bulb color starter kit with bridge ($134) and two BR30 white ambiance packs with 2 bulbs a piece ($40 a pack).

I've also asked for a HUE motion detector and a 4 bulb plain white pack to spread around the house.

I'm eyeing some light strips for the game room, but I think I'll get my feet wet first with this stuff before moving on tho that.

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Wed Nov 29, 2017 12:45 pm

Alright. So to start out, I'd be looking at 3 smart switches...and that's it? If I just want to be able to use my Dot to turn on the lights in the room?

I'm not so interested in colors, I'm really more interested in being able to read what's on the cards in front of me. I am thinking I will need more light (haven't figured out what kind yet) once I get all of my shelves up and my games on them, the shelves will be casting some major shadows down onto the games.

You may not know the answer for this, Meal, but if I would go down the TP-Link switch route, and try and use Alexa to run it, will it be a case of saying "Alexa, turn on my game room lights", or will it be "Alexa, tell Kasa to turn on my game room lights"? Small distinction, but one that I would like to understand. (And follow up question, I guess, is there any service that works natively like that with Alexa? Where you don't have to call out an additional piece of software to do the action. Hope that makes sense.)

I'll continue to research on my own, but your answers have been very helpful in steering me in the right direction.

(EDIT: Found a video using a smart things hub and an Echo that did exactly what I'm hoping to do...just say Alexa, turn on the basement lights. Technosorcery, I tell you!)

The Meal · Post by **The Meal** » Wed Nov 29, 2017 2:15 pm

In our house the TP-Link triggers:

Echo, turn on Christmas Tree
Echo, turn on Liquor Cabinet (I have repurposed some off-brand LED strip lighting to show our booze), and
Echo, turn on Electric Blanket (we have a blanket on MHS's side of the couch in the TV room. I've got a 10:30pm scheduled "off" 7 nights a week, just in case it gets left on.).

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Thu Nov 30, 2017 5:57 pm

Yep I set up my TP-Link to control the Christmas tree as well. Blew my kids' MINDS when I showed them that.

I mean technically the Clapper was doing this stuff 40 years ago, but I still get a little thrill every time it works.

The Meal · Post by **The Meal** » Tue Dec 05, 2017 12:12 am

If you're not totally freaked out by kickstarter hardware campaigns (I am so very very leery in general), then kleverness looks like it hits a lot of the checkboxes.

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Tue Dec 05, 2017 9:02 am

hentzau wrote:Alright. So to start out, I'd be looking at 3 smart switches...and that's it? If I just want to be able to use my Dot to turn on the lights in the room?

You don’t need smart switches or even a hub if that’s all you want to do. Another alternative is to just buy $30 smart bulbs if you only have a few lights (obviously this makes less or more financial sense than a switch depending on how many bulbs you want to control)

You can group them together even without a hub.

I have three lamps in my living room with this set up. Cost at the time I researched it ($90 for three bulbs) was significantly less than going with a hub/switch route. As fast as this tech is developing though, the math could be different now.

Kurth · Post by **Kurth** » Wed Dec 06, 2017 2:00 am

Ok, probably a dumb question, but can I mix and match HUE products with other smart bulbs like these Segled Element BR-30s?

Seems a much more affordable deal than buying the HUE BR30s.

Thoughts?

(Edited to fix link)

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Wed Dec 06, 2017 2:11 am

kurth Im not seeing any links in your post. Might need to use the url tags.

The Meal · Post by **The Meal** » Wed Dec 06, 2017 7:35 am

Kurth wrote: ↑Wed Dec 06, 2017 2:00 am Ok, probably a dumb question, but can I mix and match HUE products with other smart bulbs like these Segled Element BR-30s?

Seems a much more affordable deal than buying the HUE BR30s.

Thoughts?

(Edited to fix link)

You may be able to — I'm not sure. The only 3rd party bulbs that I know work with Hue bridges are the IKEA Trådfri, and folks who have managed to make those work begin their Reddit posts with phrases like: "Ridiculous sense of accomplishment right now."

I'm guessing you wouldn't be able to make those bulbs work (a simple google search would turn up an infinite number of people happy to have found a workable cheaper alternative to the Hue bulbs), and if they do somehow work, they will utterly defeat any positive experience you may have had when it comes to software control. But I don't know.

Kurth · Post by **Kurth** » Wed Dec 06, 2017 11:44 am

Thanks, Meal. That's kind of what I figured. I'm not looking to embark on a major compatibility project, so I'll stick with Hue. I just wish Philips would put out some packs of the BR30s. There's really not much out there (and the ones I bought on Amazon are backordered and may not make if for Christmas now). May just suck it up and spend the extra $20 and get them at Home Depot. Ugh.

The Meal · Post by **The Meal** » Wed Dec 06, 2017 3:11 pm

When they do arrive, and assuming you're on iOS, do yourself a favor and download the app called iConnectHue. It's beyond the bees knees for setting up devices (dimmer or tap switches, motion detectors), animations, scenes, schedules, etc. Provides additional capabilities beyond the official Philips app. Nice GUI. Frequently updated. Well worth the cost (I paid for all in-app purchases, even though there is at least one I don't use). There are other specialized apps for things like synchronization with music (I've tried a multitude, including native apps for macOS and Windows, without any meaningful joy) or coordinated whole house animations (Thorlight is pretty fun, actually), but those sorts of things are beyond the scope of iConnectHue. Finally, there's the "Entertainment Update" (API released this week for devs, consumer release claimed to be by the end of 2017), which will make lights more responsive to stimuli (such as matching colors output from your TV screen, or... matching music beats). That's the next big Hue thing.

The Meal · Post by **The Meal** » Fri Dec 08, 2017 10:57 am

Starter kit is $60 off right now at $139.99. Make sure you're logged into OO's link.

Kurth · Post by **Kurth** » Sun Dec 10, 2017 1:49 pm

Alright, looks like we're jumping in with both feet. My son decided a HUE setup is what he wants for the holidays, and I'm joining him. So, between the two of us, we anticipate getting:

1 hub
4 HUE color A19s
8 HUE white ambiance BR30s
8 HUE white A19s
1 HUE motion sensor
1 Amazon Echo dot
1 Amazon Echo Spot

This should be fun!

The Meal · Post by **The Meal** » Mon Dec 11, 2017 4:50 pm

Kurth wrote: ↑Sun Dec 10, 2017 1:49 pm Alright, looks like we're jumping in with both feet. My son decided a HUE setup is what he wants for the holidays, and I'm joining him. So, between the two of us, we anticipate getting:

1 hub
4 HUE color A19s
8 HUE white ambiance BR30s
8 HUE white A19s
1 HUE motion sensor
1 Amazon Echo dot
1 Amazon Echo Spot

This should be fun!

Fun indeed! Which rooms are getting the treatment? Overhead lights (obviously recessed lighting for the BR30s) or lamps? Where's the motion sensor going? Will be interesting to see how long before you want a dimmer switch as well.

Kurth · Post by **Kurth** » Tue Dec 12, 2017 1:19 am

Plan so far is:

- White ambiance BR30s in 4 overhead cans in my son's room along with one color A19 in his bed side lamp and the Echo spot.
- White ambiance BR30s in 4 overhead cans in kitchen with Echo dot.
- 2 color A19s in overhead 2 bulb fixture in rec/gaming room in basement along with Echo dot.
- 2 white A19s in garage and outside light fixture with motion detector
- 2 white A19s in younger son's room in overhead 2 bulb fixture.
- 2 color A19s in daughter's room in overhead 2 bulb fixture (I need to get another color A19 to make this work)

Then I figure I'll figure out where the other 4 white A19s.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Thu Dec 14, 2017 11:35 am

Ended up getting a Google home mini for the kid's room to isolate her lights from Echo and the rest of the house's lighting. Her "turn off lights" kept turning off everything.

Turns out that The Home mini is really nice.

Kurth · Post by **Kurth** » Thu Dec 14, 2017 11:49 am

LawBeefaroni wrote: ↑Thu Dec 14, 2017 11:35 am Ended up getting a Google home mini for the kid's room to isolate her lights from Echo and the rest of the house's lighting. Her "turn off lights" kept turning off everything.

Turns out that The Home mini is really nice.

I saw that Costco was selling a two pack of Google Home devices for $139 this weekend. I spent a couple minutes playing around with the demo. It does seem like a pretty solid device.

The Meal · Post by **The Meal** » Thu Dec 14, 2017 12:05 pm

LawBeefaroni wrote: ↑Thu Dec 14, 2017 11:35 am Turns out that The Home mini is really nice.

At poker last week I asked fellow players to compare and contrast functionality with Echo. Seems it comes down to which music path you're on, and whether or not you want verbal google results.