Philips has introduced a line of online addressable LED light bulbs dubbed Hue that users can control from any iOS or Android device, including remotely changing colors and switching on and off. A starter kit for the lighting system is being offered exclusively through Apple stores. The kit includes three Hue LED light bulbs that fit in standard light fixtures, a bridge unit that connects to a wireless router, and a downloadable app available in iOS and Android versions.

 

From the app, which can be hosted on most smartphones and tablet computers, users can remotely control home lighting, set and change timers, and select any of 16 million colors for mood lighting in each room. Hue bulbs enables tunable white light from cool to warm. According to Philips, the app supports up to 50 Hue bulbs in a home setting, and it allows numerous light settings to be saved and recalled at the touch of tablet button.

 

The Hue light bulbs have ZigBee LightLink capability for communication with each other, so the complete hue lighting system can be controlled as long as one Hue bulb can talk to the Wi-Fi router. This also allows Hue lighting networks to be integrated with other ZigBee networks, such as motion sensors and home thermostats, and enables automatic software updates for Hue bulbs via the Wi-Fi bridge.