I am a dabbler in home automation and thinking about starting to get into lighting. I have heard mostly good things about the Philip Hue line and wanted to see what peoples thoughts are about it.
Our main current automation are a large number of Google Smart Speaker and Arlo video doorbells. Everything is working now on the Google ecosystem which I think Philip Hue will connect with. Our house is 100 years old which means that our possibilities to automate are lower than a new home since we have very few overhead lights, power outlets are at a premium (we have lots of power strips running through the house).
We are thinking about doing smart bulbs in some lamps which we can leave on and a chandalier. I think the biggest issue will leaving things always powered on.
I had a few issues with pairing. Besides that, Phillips has made some controversial changes in the past that were anti-consumer.
But bypassing their hub and therefore the app and online account by using a ZigBee hub avoided those concerns for me.
Connecting and setting up a ZigBee hub was very simple. But I’m also using Home assistant so can’t vouch for the process with Google.