How setup the Philips hue in 3 simple steps

The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.

I’m all about trying new products that enhance my home. I didn’t know much about the Philips hue when I first received the starter kit but after playing around I found it was a neat system that is pretty easy to use.

The Philips hue A19 starter kit lighting system can be setup in 3 simple steps:

1. Turn on the light switch for the new Hue lights
2. Plug in the Hue bridge and connect to your WiFi router
3. Download the Hue app and follow the instructions

Here is some more details on each step

Step 1:

With the starter kit you can screw in the new light bulbs into your light sockets and turn on the light switch. If you have a Hue Go or a Hue Lightstrip Plus all you have to do is plug them in and turn them on.

Step 2:

This step was a little confusing for me. First you have to plug in the bridge to power it up, but when the instructions say ‘connect to your WiFi router’ to me is sounds like I can connect the bridge to the router over WiFi. This is not the case. The bridge comes with an ethernet cable that you use to plug the bridge directly into the router. We also received a brand new Netgear Nighthawk DST Router. The setup is complete when all 3 lights on the bridge are on.

Step 3:

On your WiFi enabled device, download the Phillips Hue app. Once the app is installed, open it and follow the directions. The first step is for the app is to connect the bridge and the next step is to find the lights. Then you’re done. After the app is setup you are ready to go.

Hue App

The app comes with pre-programmed scenes that you can choose from. Here are some examples

Not only can you change the color of the lights but you can also change the light intensity. Looking at the picture above there is a slider just below the selected light Scene which allows you to make the light as bright or as dim as you want.

Lights

Just below the Scenes in the menu is the Lights settings. Here you can adjust each light individually.

Alarms and Timers

Another cool feature is the alarms and timers you can setup in the app. I read an article one time that said it was easier to gradually wake up in the morning rather that be jolted awake by an alarm. In the Hue App you can set an alarm for one of your lights to wake you up in the morning. As part of the the alarm setting you can set the time you want the alarm to start, the light scene and a fade time so the light gradually increases through the time period. The timer allows you set a length of time you want the lights to be on and will turn off the lights when the timer is up.

The Best Feature

By far the best feature is the Away-from-Home function. You can control your lights from anywhere; whether it’s turning on lights when you are not there to keep you house safe, or checking to see if you forgot to turn off lights on your way out the door. To enable this function in the app you have to sign up for a Hue account, once that is setup it will ask you to press the button on your bridge to locate it and that’s it.

In the picture above you can see on the right there is a little cloud icon on the top left to indicate that you are connected for remote control.

Before you log in to your Hue, you can only control your lights if you are on the same WiFi signal that your lights are on. But once you log in you have complete control over all your lights from anywhere.

Philips Hue Go

Check out some of the cool colors of the Hue Go.

The hue Go is a fun portable light. You can plug it in for use or take it with you with up to 3 hours of rechargeable batteries. The hue Go isn’t waterproof but it is able to withstand humidity.

My kids have loved the hue Go in their room. You can also use the app to control the colors of the hue Go. It’s perfect as a night light or a reading light in a bedroom. Set up timers on the Go as well so it can work with your schedule.

Between the light bulbs, the rope lights and the hue Go, you can create a colorful ambiance in your home.

What rooms do you want to light up with the Philips hue?