What is Philips Hue used for?

Philips Hue is a smart lighting system of bulbs, lamps, strips and a bridge, controlled through an app and expanding into home security. It is a good fit for setting lighting scenes and daily routines, and syncing room lights to a TV or game.

How much does Philips Hue cost?

Philips Hue is a paid product with no free plan.

Is Philips Hue open source?

No. Philips Hue is proprietary (closed-source) software. Open-source alternatives to Philips Hue include Gladys Assistant, Home Assistant and Zigbee2MQTT.

What are some alternatives to Philips Hue?

Philips Hue competes with Aqara Home, Tuya Smart and SmartThings. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Philips Hue alternatives.

Philips Hue: features, pricing and alternatives

About Philips Hue

Philips Hue is a smart lighting platform made up of connected bulbs, lamps, light strips and fixtures, plus accessories that control them. It is used for everyday scenes and routines as well as entertainment lighting that syncs with a television or game.

The catalog covers indoor and outdoor lights, decorative strips and rope lights, and Play products with a screen sync box for matching room lighting to on-screen content. Home controls include the Bridge hub, switches, sensors and plugs, and the vendor has added security cameras and a home security offering. The Hue app handles setup and control, and the platform works with other smart home ecosystems.

Hue is a commercial hardware product sold through the vendor's store and retailers. It is not open source.

Key features

Smart bulbs, lamps and light strips
Indoor and outdoor lighting fixtures
Screen sync lighting for TVs and games
Bridge hub for local control
Switches, sensors and smart plugs
Security cameras for home monitoring

Good fit for

→Setting lighting scenes and daily routines
→Syncing room lights to a TV or game

Tags: smart-lighting; smart-home; led-lights; hue-bridge; home-security; iot; mobile-app

Philips Hue: questions and answers

What is Philips Hue used for?: Philips Hue is a smart lighting system of bulbs, lamps, strips and a bridge, controlled through an app and expanding into home security. It is a good fit for setting lighting scenes and daily routines, and syncing room lights to a TV or game.
How much does Philips Hue cost?: Philips Hue is a paid product with no free plan.
Is Philips Hue open source?: No. Philips Hue is proprietary (closed-source) software. Open-source alternatives to Philips Hue include Gladys Assistant, Home Assistant and Zigbee2MQTT.
What are some alternatives to Philips Hue?: Philips Hue competes with Aqara Home, Tuya Smart and SmartThings. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Philips Hue alternatives.