Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsContinually getting better
Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2015
I upgraded to the second-generation Hue Bridge and second-generation Hue White and Color lights after owning the first-generation products for about two years. When I bought the first generation, the product was very nice, but several things felt like they were missing. The bulbs were nice but still a bit dim at maybe a 50 W equivalent (and even less at a slightly warmer white). There was also no way to control the lights in a "smart" way besides using the Hue app or a third-party app--no switches, etc. (Of course, you could use the regular wall switches, but then you can't turn the bulbs back on with the app.) Flash forward a couple years, and we have these bulbs (the Hue White and Color are a bit brighter than the previous "Hue" bulbs, and the Hue White is a bit brighter and has a wider beam spread than the Hue Lux) plus the Hue Tap (multi-button "switch" that allows you to change to different scenes or turn bulbs off) and as well as a dimmer, both of which allow you--or guests--to control the lights without needing to find your phone/tablet. The iOS app has also gotten a bit better thanks to some improvements in iOS itself, like the ability to change to scenes or turn lights off from Notification Center without needing to unlock your phone and launch the app.
If you're a developer (or even just dabble in it as a hobby), Hue has an easily accessible API--I wrote several scripts to automate my lights with a Griffin PowerMate before Philips came out with their own hardware to control the lights. But even if you're not, other developers have made Hue easier to use by integrating it with their products. For example, Amazon Echo can control Hue via voice, which I find is even better than the HomeKit integration the second-generation Hue Bridge provides (although that is the main reason I upgraded--and HomeKit can do scenes and colors whereas Echo can only do on/off and dimming, but that's fine because that's mostly what I use it for). SmartThings can also add Hue bulbs as devices, so you can integrate Hue with SmartThings as well.
Perhaps the only downside is that it's a bit expensive to get started, at least with this pack (though the price of both the bulbs and starter pack has come down a bit since they were introduced). If you only want warm white light, you can get a white-only starter pack (or Hue White bulbs to add to your existing bridge) for much less while still getting most of the convenience Hue provides. If you only want shades of "normal" white from very warm to daylight, the Hue White Ambience bulb can do that. They sell a starter pack of that with only two bulbs but it includes a dimmer and costs a bit less than this White and Color starter pack. That being said, this is worth it to me because I value the ability to change color on the bulbs (though I have to confess I could probably do with only a White Ambience in most places where I have White and Color). I also value the home-automation possibilities it provides me (e.g., turning off all lights from my bed if I forgot or turning on/off lights in a room automatically with a motion sensor I integrate via SmartThings, though Philips will have their on in fall 2016).
My verdict: if you're looking to get started with Hue, this is a good place to start, but you may also want the Hue White starter pack for less if you don't anticipate wanting to change color (or color temperature--Hue White does 2700K only) of your bulbs or the Hue White Ambience starter pack if you want different shades of white light. If you don't want HomeKit integration, the older Bridge is still great and you might be able to find it for cheaper at this point. If you're upgrading from the v1 Bridge just for HomeKit, I find Hue's HomeKit integration isn't quite as polished and convenient as I'd like it to be yet (as of now, I can only address one bulb at a time or all bulbs at the same time--not groups like you can with Echo, which I find much more convenient for this than Siri). However, if you want a few new bulbs and figure you might as well get the new bridge (like me), this is a good way to go since you'll save money over buying them all separately. I give the system five stars, but this owes a a lot to third-party developers (and Hue's excellent API) who really help create an incredibly convenient ecosystem with Hue products.
