If you are looking to buy new smart lights then Philips Hue is the first choice. But is the Philips Hue range really the best option?
While Philips Hue fixtures are of great quality and are paired with a heavy duty bridge, we think there are some great competing products that are potentially more affordable.
We wanted to compare Philips Hue with some of the best competing products to give you the information you need for your next purchase.
Why choose Philips Hue?
Pros: connected ecosystem, great support, easy communication with any helpers
Cons: More expensive than competitors.
First of all, Philips Hue is arguably the most popular smart lighting product line available right now. This means that it has some benefits that other brands do not.
First, Philips has an incredible selection of products, so you can get a complete set of fixtures for your home, garage, porch or anywhere else that work within the same app or ecosystem.
Hue’s tremendous success has allowed Philips to devote more time to perfecting its products, so you have a choice of high quality lamps that will last you at least a few years before any problems arise. And if your headlights break through no fault of yours, they should be covered by a two-year warranty.
But to Philip’s judgment, all is not so good – the Hue line of smart fixtures has been criticized for being too expensive, and as the smart home industry grew, much more affordable competitors have entered the ring to offer exceptional alternatives.
Before we look at how the competition is doing, let’s take a look at some of the best products in the Philips Hue range.
What are the best Philips Hue products?
If you are looking to get started with Philips Hue for the first time, I would recommend one of their starter kits.
If you want to install smart lighting in as many rooms as possible, you can start with the Hue White E26 Starter Kit. With this you get 4 E26 bulbs (white only) and a Hue Bridge to help you control the Hue light even when the internet is disconnected.
It will set you back $ 99.99. When you consider that the Hue Bridge itself is priced at $ 59.99, that’s a very good deal – just $ 10 per bulb.
If you want any ambiance, things start to get a lot more expensive: the Hue White and color ambiance set, which includes 4 E26 color changing bulbs and a Hue Bridge, costs $ 199.99.
If you already have a Hue Bridge and a few simple bulbs, you can start expanding your collection to outdoor lighting, countertop decorative lighting and furniture with smart LED strips or a variety of home lighting fixtures.
Philips has expanded its Hue range to support many different use cases, and this is one of the reasons why Hue has become such a popular choice.
Great alternatives to Philips Hue?
Pros: You can generally find much cheaper, high quality products.
Cons: you may find yourself in multiple ecosystems
Before we look at the options, it’s important to set up a good hub. The hub will act as a central place to connect to all of your lights and let you control your home through one app.
SmartThings Hub will set you back $ 60, just like the Philips Hue Bridge. The Wink Hub costs even more at $ 69, but Belkin’s WeMo Hub only costs $ 40, allowing you to save a bit. All three options are suitable for use as a hub for smart lights.
By the time you have a hub, you will already be $ 40-60. For now, the price difference between Philips Hue and any competitor won’t be big. However, should you want to buy many more fixtures in the future, this is where savings start to accumulate.
For example, an equivalent 60W Cree Connected lamp is sold on Amazon for just $ 15. These bulbs can be controlled via Google Home and Amazon Alexa, as well as one of the above nodes.
If you’re looking for a little color in your life, Sylvania Smart RGBW lamp can bring smart lighting into your life for as little as $ 30. The Philips Hue alternative will set you back $ 50.
With just 4 colored lights and a matching bushing, you can save $ 10-40, and 10 lamps can save you over $ 200. Four white Cree bulbs and a hub will actually cost the same as the Philips Hue starter kit, or slightly more, depending on which hub you choose. But 10 lamps and a hub can save you a little.
So for basic indoor lighting, it would be about the same cost for either a Philips starter kit or a cheaper alternative with a hub. But if you need 10 or more white lights or a large number of colored LED lights, then it will be exponentially cheaper to choose an alternative.
Finally, the alternatives I’ve included here are still great products from reputable companies – Cree, SmartThings, WeMo, Belkin, and Sylvania.
If you need outdoor lighting, there are occasional alternatives, but for a complete outdoor installation, it seems like Philips is the only brand currently offering a truly reliable range of products.
For example, the Kuna Smart Light is a great option, but it includes a camera, which pushes the price up to $ 196. Another reputable product is the Ring Floodlight camera, but it costs $ 249 thanks to the optional surveillance system.
Alternatively, Philips offers excellent spotlights and spotlights for prices ranging from $ 79.99 to $ 129.99. Still quite expensive considering these are only flashlights, but they are by far the best choice for now.
Summary
Thus, there are some great alternatives for indoor lighting, but for just a few light sources, the price difference between the alternatives and the Philips Hue can be very small. In this case, it makes sense to choose a leading brand.
The real savings come when you start buying more flashlights. With our suggested alternatives, you will save between $ 5 and $ 20 on a light bulb.
If you choose an alternative, you can still have a great experience. With a good hub, you can combine all of your smart fixtures into a cohesive whole, so you don’t need to stick to Hue for that. Just make sure first that the hardware you are purchasing is compatible with the smart hub of your choice.
What do you think of Philips Hue and competing alternatives? Any questions about the mentioned smart lights? Please let me know by leaving a comment and I will reply soon.
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