
News + Trends
The Bridge Pro lets your Hue lights recognise intruders
by Stefanie Lechthaler
You can now order some of Hue's new autumn products from us. These include the Bridge Pro and the Festavia Globe light chain. Further products will be available in a few weeks.
The biggest sensation in the new line-up from Philips Hue is the Bridge Pro. After all, this bridge, which you may also have seen as Bridge V3, is the first hardware upgrade for Hue's control centre in ten years. Not only does it offer capacity for three times the number of light points, it also has the new Motion Aware function on board, which allows you to turn your existing light sources into motion sensors.
You can find out more about the features of the new Bridge in the article by my colleague Stefanie.
Aside from this, there is a new version of the Festavia light chain and, for the first time, more affordable light sources for beginners with the Essential series. Hue has also improved the specifications of the E27 bulb - such as the four-bulb bundle of the 2700 Kelvin bulb - to better differentiate it from the Essential bulbs.
You can order the Bridge Pro individually and migrate your existing Hue devices to it. Up to 150 light points and 50 accessories can be controlled via the new hub.
If you are new to the Hue game, the Bridge Pro is also available as part of so-called starter kits. They contain the Bridge and, depending on the kit, light sources and other accessories. You can currently order two Bridge Pro starter kits from us.
Philips Hue Starter Kit Bridge Pro + LED White & Color Ambiance
GU10, 4.20 W, 400 lm, 3 x, E
One set includes the Bridge, three GU10 bulbs from the White and Colour range and a smart switch. The switch can be assigned various functions. This allows you to switch through different scenes of a light setup, for example. With their brightness of up to 400 lumens, the GU10 bulbs are best suited as grouped spotlights for targeted lighting of individual room areas.
The starter kit with two white-and-colour bulbs from the 1100 model series for the E27 socket is unfortunately not currently available from stock, but available from a third-party supplier. Unfortunately, it is not yet clear when the bundle will be available directly from us. Due to their high peak brightness of up to 1055 lumens, the included light sources are ideal for medium-sized rooms that require light, such as the hallway.
Festavia fairy lights are popular as festive decorations in the home and for atmospheric lighting in the garden or on the balcony. The series is now also available with globe bulbs instead of fairy lights LEDs.
Festavia Globe can play animations and dynamic effects and can be synchronised with music. It also supports the entire daylight spectrum from 1000 to 20,000 Kelvin.
You can choose between 7 and 14 metres in length, plus 3.7 metres of cable to the socket. The bulbs with a brightness of up to 50 lumens are mounted at intervals of 70 centimetres - and if one is defective, you can now also replace it. Hue states that the bulbs are shatterproof and the entire chain is IP65-protected against rain and accidental splashing with a water hose. It can withstand temperatures from -20 to +45 degrees Celsius.
The input voltage is 220 to 240 volts, the chain is also compatible with the low-voltage outdoor system.
Hue is not exactly known for its low prices. The new Essential range is intended to lower the financial threshold somewhat. We currently have the GU10 and E27 bulbs from the Essential series in stock. Various bundles and starter kits including the V2 bridge are initially only available through third-party providers.
Essential lamps can be dimmed down to two per cent brightness. They display white tones in the range from 2200 to 6500 Kelvin. In terms of colour gradients, precision and saturation values, the Essential products are slightly behind the normal light sources, according to Hue.
Feels just as comfortable in front of a gaming PC as she does in a hammock in the garden. Likes the Roman Empire, container ships and science fiction books. Focuses mostly on unearthing news stories about IT and smart products.
Presentations of select new products at Digitec and Galaxus. Tested, to the point, no marketing blah.
Show all