One minute review
Accent lighting is a great addition to any room, and the Philips Hue Lightstrip Plus is definitely worth considering. These LED strips are easy to set up, and while Hue lights previously required a Hue bridge, you can still control the Hue Lightstrip Plus via Bluetooth or ZigBee. If you pair them with a Hue Bridge, you can of course develop their full potential, but the Bluetooth mode works perfectly for day-to-day control and setting.
They’re also incredibly bright and easy to shape in most areas, such as: B. under countertops, skirting boards or stair bends. You also have the option to choose just white lighting or a range of colors instead to easily set the mood in any room.
Do you need to adjust your size? Simply attach additional lights to easily extend the Hue Lightstrip Plus, or even cut them to the size you want. There is a good level of flexibility and its durability is second to none. A long power cord also ensures you can stow away all of the cords for a clean and pristine setup.
The Hue Lightstrip Plus may be more expensive than what’s available in the market, but there are good reasons for it – no other brand can beat the build quality, ease of setup, and Hue ecosystem. What you get here is a fantastic light strip package that can be adapted to almost any room, yet is discreet enough to tuck into behind counters, headboards, and more.
Price and availability
The Hue Lightstrip Plus is $ 79.99 / £ 69.99 / AU $ 134.95 for an 80-inch version. Additional 40-inch (1m) extensions are available for $ 24.99 / £ 19.99 / AU $ 49.95 and can be extended for a total of 10m (33 feet).
design
The Hue Lightstrip Plus looks like any other strip of light you buy and tries to be as inconspicuous as possible with its design. The strip itself consists of tiny LED lights that are grouped together in specific sections and covered by a thick transparent plastic. There’s a self-adhesive backing on the back that allows you to stick the lights to just about any flat surface.
A good trick with Hue Lightstrip Plus is that they can also be cut to a shorter length if necessary. There are specially marked areas on the strip where you can cut them. As long as you only cut on these lines, you can reattach the cut strips later using a special clip that clamps the two halves in place. Philips only includes one such clip in the box, and it’s important to note that this reattachment feature only works with newer light strips. If you need even more length, you can easily add extension strips that fit into small ports at each end.
At the other end of the Hue Lightstrip Plus there is a small connection box to which the lights are connected. This, in turn, plugs into a longer power cord that ends in a rather chunky power adapter. The junction box also has glue on the back so you can easily hide it. Hiding the wiring can be another challenge. So be careful about where you install these as you will end up with a trail of visible white wires.
Establishment and performance
Setting up the Hue Lightstrip Plus is remarkably easy – figure out where to put it, peel off the adhesive backing, and glue it firmly in place. Once installed, just turn on the lights and you’re done.
Confusion can arise with the companion app – there are two available for download. One is only used to control the lights via Bluetooth, while the other can only be used if you combine the Hue Lightstrip Plus with a Hue Bridge. We downloaded the bluetooth-only app first and it easily recognized our newly installed lights.
In terms of color and brightness, the Hue Lightstrip Plus has a color temperature range of 2,000 to 6,500 K with a maximum brightness of 1600 lumens. There are quick presets in the app that let you toggle the lighting to modes like reading or night, or just lightly illuminate an area like the floor.
Control via the app is very user-friendly and you can set up limited automation, e.g. For example, wake up the lights, which gradually increase in brightness, or set a timer when they can turn off. The lights also integrate with Google Home and Amazon Alexa, so once linked, you can control them without reaching for your phone. Apple HomeKit support is only available if you’ve connected the lights to a Hue bridge.
That brings us to an important point – while you can safely control the Hue Lightstrip Plus via Bluetooth or ZigBee devices, when combined with a giant bridge they are much, much better. The pairing process is extremely simple and the Hue app shows you exactly how to pair it and broadcast across all of your settings and light settings.
Once paired with the Hue Bridge, you can control your lights from anywhere in your house, as well as setting up more complicated routines and dividing them into groups. The lights respond quickly via both Bluetooth and the Hue Bridge, and changing colors and light temperature takes just a few taps. The only minor problem is that you can’t animate the lights in any way. So, if you want some rainbow colors to sync with your music, or just highlight certain parts of the strip of light, you will be disappointed. Choosing a specific color will change the entire strip, so the fun of these lights will be limited.
Despite its flawless performance and great looks, the $ 80 price tag is hard to ignore, especially when you start adding more light at $ 25 per pop. While the Hue ecosystem works wonderfully, budget-conscious homeowners may look elsewhere, but for those who can afford to spend on it, the Philips Hue Lightstrip Plus offers great lighting performance that has to be seen to be believed.
Should I buy the Philips Hue Lightstrip Plus?
Buy it when …
You want stylish lighting
The Hue Lightstrip Plus can be set up and hidden almost anywhere, so you spend a lot of time first deciding which corner of your house to light up.
You need something bright
Whether you’re illuminating an entire countertop or just enough light to go to the toilet at night, the Hue Lightstrip Plus shines brightly under all circumstances.
You already have Hue lights
By integrating it into a Hue Bridge, the Hue Lightstrip Plus is really opened. So if you’ve already invested in the Hue ecosystem, these lights are a breeze.
Don’t buy it if …
You are on a budget
These lights are expensive for a reason. So, if you’re not keen on the price tag or the idea of looking more for extensions, you should look for cheaper alternatives.
You want a specific lighting control
A disadvantage of the Hue Lightstrip Plus is that the entire strip changes to a certain color, so that differentiated lighting schemes are difficult to implement here.
Source link : https://www.techradar.com/reviews/philips-hue-lightstrip-plus/
