Anyone who wants smart lighting in their home probably quickly comes to Philips Hue. Not because the bulbs are affordable, but because of the quality. But why do we actually love it so much?
Despite the fact that today there are numerous providers such as WiZ and the much cheaper Tuya, an awful lot of consumers still choose Philips Hue smart lighting. Is that justified?
Philips Hue is one of the giants
The smart lighting market accounted for over eleven billion dollars in 2020. The big guys are largely responsible for that. We’re talking about players like Schneider Electric SA, Cisco Systems Inc., Honeywell Inc., Eaton and Signify Holding (i.e. Philips).
Philips Hue was launched in 2012 by Philips Lighting (now Signify) as smart lighting for the home. The system was developed in collaboration with the ZigBee Alliance and consists of wireless LED lights controlled by an app on smartphone or tablet.
Hue has since become one of the most popular smart lighting systems in the world, with millions sold and a loyal fan base of users.
One of the main reasons for Philips Hue’s success is the increasing popularity of smart devices and the Internet of Things. More and more people want to automate and remotely control their homes. Philips Hue is cleverly capitalizing on this trend.
What is Zigbee?
Zigbee is a wireless protocol for the Internet of Things (IoT) and is used for communication between devices in smart homes and other applications. The Zigbee Alliance works with more than 400 companies to improve the interoperability of Zigbee devices and drive the growth of the IoT market.
Another important factor is the quality of the product itself. Philips is a well-established brand in lighting, and Hue was developed with high-quality components and materials. The LED bulbs are energy-efficient and long-lasting. In addition, the accessories are designed for ease of use.
Connectable to everything
On top of that, this is a quality product. From our own experience (we have tested the Lightstrip and the A60-E27, among others), we know how childishly easy it is to connect everything.
In addition, Philips Hue has an extensive ecosystem of devices you can use. That’s certainly not the case with some competitors. Hue works extremely well with services such as Google Home, Amazon Alexa and Apple HomeKit.
Linking lights into automations is therefore dead easy. This is sometimes not possible or much more limited with some cheaper providers.
Not yet connectable via Matter. (Image: Signify)
The biggest criticism, by the way, is that it is simply far too expensive for many people. In the cheaper segment, there are more and more competitors that offer similar service and product.
Smart guys over there at Philips Hue
But why Hue went like an arrow was also due to damn good marketing. The company bombarded us with countless online ads and TV ads. Philips also closed many sponsorships with events and made deals with influencers. As a result, the brand very quickly became extremely well known.
So, all in all, we can say that Philips Hue is not only a brand that people trust, but also very hip. And that is also worth its weight in gold.
Do you have Philips Hue in your home, or are you considering it? Let us know in the comments.
