The Philips Hue home lighting system promises to give you an unprecedented level of control over your home’s lighting from your phone.
This system runs through a mobile app and is an advanced sort of mood lighting method which allows the homeowner to control the colour and brightness of every bulb in the property if they wish to do so.
It works by hooking up Wi-Fi connected light bulbs to an iOS app which can be used to control them and a gateway which slots into a wireless router. The whole thing can be run from an iPhone, an iPod or an iPad, while the energy-efficient bulbs consume 80% less than conventional ones.
A Whole Lot of Options
The system comes with 17 preset configurations but there is also scope to change anything in the setup manually. In total, a maximum of 50 light bulbs can be controlled in this way and can be quickly reset to a neutral tone if you accidentally set it to a mood killing combination during a party or a romantic evening.
By signing up to a Hue account the user can also share the custom settings they create with others. It isn’t cheap to get started though, with the UK release price being £180 for the starter pack (with 3 bulbs) and around £50 for each additional bulb. It is certainly a fun set up with lots of possibilities but for the moment it may be a bit too pricy for people who are happy enough with an old-fashioned light switch.
