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Philips Introduces New Hue Motion Sensor, Updated Bulbs

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Philips today announced the newest addition to its Hue line of lights and accessories, debuting the new Philips Hue Motion Sensor. The Hue Motion Sensor is designed to allow Philips Hue users to control their lights automatically as they move through their homes.

The Motion Sensor connects to a Hue Bridge and because it's wireless and powered via battery, it can be placed anywhere in the home - a bookshelf, a side table, a wall, a ceiling, etc. Once in position, the motion detection feature can be adjusted to the ideal position and it will perform set actions like turning the lights on or off whenever activated.

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"The Philips Hue motion sensor not only provides hands-free control but also helps deliver peace of mind. You can be guided safely throughout your home at night with lighting," said Sridhar Kumaraswamy, Business Leader, Home Systems, Philips Lighting. "Plus, you no longer have to remind the kids to turn off the lights when leaving a room. The reliable detection the motion sensor provides when you exit supports this and also helps you be more energy efficient."

The Hue Motion sensor is highly customizable and supports personalized settings ranging from a soft, subdued light at night to set scenes during the day. It also has a built-in daylight sensor so it can turn lights on and off based on the time of day, and it has an instantaneous reaction time, adjusting lights within .5 seconds of being activated. Up to 12 Motion Sensors can be connected to a single bridge for a fully automated home lighting experience.

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Along with the Motion Sensor, Philips is introducing updated Hue White and Color Ambiance A19 bulbs that feature richer greens and blues, a feature Hue owners have long desired. The new bulbs offer bolder, brighter colors than existing bulbs. Two new Philips Hue White Ambiance bulb extensions are also available, including BR-30 and GU-10 variants.

Philips' new Motion Sensor is priced at $39.95 and will be available from the Philips Hue website, Amazon.com, and Best Buy starting in October of 2016. The new Hue White and Color Ambiance A19 bulbs and the new BR-30 and GU-10 bulb variants will also be available in October.

Top Rated Comments

mdelvecchio Avatar
124 months ago
Another advertisement disguised as an article. Great job, Macrumors.
what utter nonsense. i have the Hue system, and i enjoyed seeing articles about updates to it since it's how i find out about updates.

you could make the same silly complaint about any product MR posts about, including apple gear. just because its not relevant *to you* doesnt mean its not relevant to *anyone else*. you are not everyone.

but you're not alone -- lack of empathy is a problem for many techies.
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I wouldn't recommend these unless they first fix their app and bridge. The problem is that setting routines and on and off times doesn't pay enough attention to the time of day and the last state of the bulbs, or what they ought to turn on to. For example, I set a bedtime routine through their app. This is supposed to fade the lights through warm light to eventual darkness (off). Last night, before it kicked in, I was watching a movie and had the lights dark blue, almost off (~5% brightness). When the bedtime routine kicked in, the lights suddenly went to what I guess was 75% brightness at a slightly golden white color. This was jarring. On top of that, the lights never fade in this routine to dark orange or red, instead staying at a slightly warm white. The bulbs can't go very dark at this color, so right at your scheduled bedtime, they just go dark. App needs work before we add more gadgets to it.
hopefully you've used the app to contact them and submit the issue.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
zen Avatar
124 months ago
Another advertisement disguised as an article. Great job, Macrumors.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
124 months ago
And nothing mentioned about HomeKit ? Is the sensor HomeKite enabled or not
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
124 months ago
And nothing mentioned about HomeKit ? Is the sensor HomeKite enabled or not
The Hue hub is HomeKit enabled so logic would say this should be too as it connects to said hub.

Whether the hue app lets you do anything more interesting with it I'm sure third party apps will be able to.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
124 months ago
These are cool and all, but please fix your darn app.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
japanime Avatar
124 months ago
I can't wait to see the updated lights. I love my current Hue setup, but the pale greens do leave much to be desired.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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