Control Through Geofencing a New Addition to Philips Hue Lighting Software

Philips unveiled the next generation of its ZigBee-based Hue LED lighting system Tuesday that’s designed to take more advantage of the control features of smartphones and tablets. Version 1.1 also adds geofencing and recurring schedule features, which the company added to the feature set based on user feedback since the Hue system launched last fall, it said. Through geofencing, Hue lights can turn on or off based on the location of a user’s mobile device, creating automatic lighting control when a user enters or leaves the home.

With the recurring schedules function, users can automate repetitive behaviors according to a calendar to repeat a lights-off function, for instance, at the same hour every night. The timer function can be set to a random mode when homeowners are away to give the home a realistic lived-in look that’s not on a daily schedule, Philips said. Hue can also work with the IFTTT (If This Then That) service, a means for users to create their own “recipes” of connected scenarios tailored to their interests, Philips said. A Philips Hue channel on IFTTT gives the Hue system access to APIs (application programming interface) on the Internet, enabling users to prompt their Hue bulbs to respond to pre-programmed triggers with prescribed actions, Philips said. A bulb could be programmed to change color if there’s a forecast of rain or to flash to signal an important email, it said.

"Recipes” could also be set up for sports scores, stock prices or social media updates, Philips said. ESPN had set up an IFTTT channel for the London Olympics, which allowed users to set up notifications of events important to them. Belkin has created an IFTTT channel for its WeMo home control devices. Currently, 62 channels are available, including devices such as Hue and WeMo, social media pages, health and wellness apps and content sites including YouTube, last.fm and Flickr, which users can link together, according to the website.

Another update to Philips’ Hue version 1.1 is a “synchronous scenes” feature that works with batches of Hue bulbs so they change scenes smoothly and immediately, the company said. Pre-set scenes are now stored in the bulbs themselves, which eliminates a wave or domino effect that occurred when creating scenes with first-generation multi-bulb Hue systems, Philips said.

To receive the new software version, current iOS Hue users will be prompted by their mobile device to accept the update, or they can get the update at www.meethue.com, Philips said. Updates for Android and Kindle devices will be available later this month, it said. Hue starter kits including three bulbs and a Smartbridge are sold at Apple stores and Amazon.com for about $200, and additional bulbs are available for $59, Philips said.

According to Ed Crawford, general manager and senior vice president of Philips Lighting Americas Professional Channel, sales in the first six months of Hue’s arrival to the market beat projections by 300 percent. “We have built a vibrant, vocal community at meethue.com and the feedback of those voices has been invaluable,” he said.