Top positive review
12 people found this helpful
High quality, amazing software. Worth the higher price tag than alternatives.
By Nathan on Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2018
I've been loving Philips Hue lights since I got my first Bulb kit - even if they are a bit pricey. But what sets these apart from the $20 alternatives you can find on Amazon is the Hue Sync program on Windows/Mac. If your setup includes a computer at all, these can be an essential part of your smart home lighting. They can sync with music, which is super fun, but they can also sync with your TV or Monitor to bring the colors of your screen into your space and really enhance your viewing or PC gaming experience. If you're a console gamer (I also have a PS4 and a Switch), there aren't any easy ways to sync the lights to consoles, but that's a software issue which I hope Philips addresses in the future. They've made huge strides in their software over the past year alone, so I'm excited to see where they take it next. I have currently have two of these strips set up on my entertainment center. One is stuck to the back-top portion of my 65" TV, and the other is stretched alongside the top of the back of the entrainment center, so I get lighting above and below the TV. It's amazing. With any HD or 4K content, I'm immediately immersed into the viewing experience. It makes my home feel like a catered, professional experience you'd get at a fancy store. Now, for the technical bits of the review. These lights get bright. All colors are clearly visible on my white walls, even in direct sunlight. But at night, my whole place fills with light and I can change it to any color I choose, either via the mobile app or the desktop Hue Sync program. Setup is pretty straightforward. If you have a Hue Bridge, then all you need to do it plug these into a power outlet, stick them where you need to with the pre-applied 3M tape, add your light in the mobile Hue app, and check for updates. Updates can take a while, so sit back and relax for a bit once that starts. I think each one took about 30-40 minutes for me to update, since these use an extremely low-powered (but efficient and effective) WiFi connection. After that, they're ready to be used with Hue Sync and everything else. Now, if this is your first Hue product, you'll need to also get the Hue Bridge so the lights can communicate with your home WiFi network. If you want a similar setup to what I have, I recommend starting your smart home lighting with the Hue Bulb kit that comes with 3 or 4 lights, plus the bridge for free. Otherwise, you gotta spend another $50 for the bridge standalone. Again, I know these things are pricey and a lot of people say they're not worth the price tag. But again, it's the software and the build quality/company that sets these apart. The software gets better and better with each update, and Philips isn't going away any time soon. Whatever generation bulb or strip you buy now will still be supported and updated 5 years down the road. Cheaper knock-offs will probably break down or be unsupported by then. I feel like Philips is a solid company that keeps innovating the smart home lighting experience and leading the way for everyone else. That's why I don't mind spending the extra bit for a quality product.
Top critical review
1,541 people found this helpful
Great product, but way over priced and not very long
By Exavior on Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2016
As someone who works a great deal with RGB and RGBW LED light strips I am quite upset with Philips at how expensive this kit is, and how short the light strip is. LED light strips are extremely cheap in long lengths. And while I understand that these are somewhat unique in that they come with an additional cool white LED and warm white LED on either side of the standard RGB LEDs on the strip, their price per foot is out of control. The extension kits, which cost roughly $30 sonly come with around 3 feet, which makes them equally overpriced. A great way to understand how horrible this is, is to know a bit more about the market. I can (still on Amazon) get over 16 feet (more than 5 times as much as the Philips extension kit) of Weatherproof RGB SMD5050 LEDs with the same 3M adhesive backing for the same price. That also includes a remote control and a power supply. Also, that type of strip is high density, meaning you get more LEDs per foot of strip. So more LEDs per foot, more tan 5 time the length, and power supply, and a remote, all for the same price point. And that's not even with shopping around. Philips is taking advantage of the ignorance of their audience and the perceived value of their brand to inflate the price on a cheap product to ridiculous levels. I find that upsetting, and has really tarnished how I view Philips. The only reason I purchased these is because they are the only product on the market that will easily work with my SmartThings home automation system. Philips just needs to get their price point somewhere within the realm of reality. I look forward to seeing this product replaced by another smart home friendly brand at a reasonable price point, or Philips somehow deciding to not be evil and make their prices more practical. To better show how overpriced this product is and how short the lengths are, it took this kit and 1 extension kit just to go up one side, across the top, and down the other side of my 70" TV (pictured attached) That's $120 just for backlighting a TV. That same $120 would get me 65.6 feet of Waterproof 3M adhesive backed RGB LEDs without shopping around. With shopping around I could likely get around 100 feet for that price. Philips, you are on notice.
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