A long-time staple of outdoor security lighting has now popped into the home to make smart lighting a little smarter, with Philips today introducing a motion sensing switch for its range of connected Hue bulbs.
The battery-powered Philips Hue Motion Sensor needs no wires, and can be mounted to surfaces by way of a screw or magnet. From there, the small white unit hooks up to Hue bridge, the central hub for the connected Hue bulbs that plugs into the home's Wi-Fi router.
Powered by two AAA batteries that Philips says will last two to three years at a time, the Motion Sensor uses passive infrared to detect motion up to 5 meters (16.4 ft) away, though this range can be customized. Through the Philips Hue app, the system can be configured to convert these movements into on/off switches, but it goes a bit further than simply lighting up the bathroom when you're headed for some midnight relief.
The bridge can be connected to up to 50 lights and accessories at a time, and in keeping with the Hue family's customizable colors and temperatures, the Motion Sensor can be made to set off user-defined light settings depending on the scenario and time of day.
So the hallway lamp could shine brightly in the evening, and then give off a warm, gentle glow if someone wakes up in the middle of the night. Or maybe you want to turn your living area into an impromptu disco party when the birthday guest enters the room.
The Motion Sensor also comes with an integrated daylight sensor, so it can be set up to only switch on the globes when they are actually needed and save energy throughout the day. The units measure 5.5 x 5.5 x 2 cm (2.17 x 2.17 x 0.79 in), will be priced at US$40 apiece and go on sale sometime in October.
Source: Philips