Philips Hue Sensible Wall Change Module Overview

The Philips Hue wall change module was launched a few years in the past and is designed to show your previous dumb mild change into a sensible change.

The principle promoting level of that is that it avoids anybody switching the sunshine socket off utterly whereas permitting you to retain your current mild change {hardware} for a cleaner look.

Whereas you will get a totally built-in sensible change, these are almost all plastic and low-cost wanting. Compared, conventional mild switches can be found in a a lot wider vary of enticing designs, supplies and colors.

Different Philips Hue Evaluations:

How does the Philips Hue Sensible Wall Change Module work?

I must admit that I did not look into this product an excessive amount of earlier than getting it into evaluate. I simply assumed it was like most sensible change modules.

Nevertheless, it really works a bit in a different way than others, and it will restrict the attraction considerably.

The module itself isn’t hooked up to your own home lights wirings in any respect. You terminate the wires, after which the module is hooked up to your mild becoming and powered by a CR 2450 battery.

Resulting from this design, the sunshine socket is left completely on, and the module then integrates along with your Hue set-up. It will solely work with Philips Hue lights.

Subsequently, there are some things to contemplate when shopping for this:

• All lights linked to the change must be Philips Hue
• The battery has a few 5-year life
• You have to to be comfy with putting in issues onto your own home wiring

Unfavourable Evaluations

I’ve seen one scathing evaluate by Hibbert House Tech of this module because of the above. He’s not completely incorrect in his evaluation; the above elements will restrict the attraction of the module, and there are different merchandise on the market which might be arguably higher relying in your wants and set-up.

I think he has made the evaluate extremely vital for the elevated views, and I believe the module will work for lots of people completely nicely.

It could have been good if Hue had launched a correct mild change that built-in with the system. Different choices energy themselves by means of the button presses, avoiding the necessity for a battery.

Nevertheless, the module design means you get to maintain your personal {hardware}, and when you have invested cash into nice-looking mild switches, you’ll in all probability not need to change them with plastic white switches.

Using a battery is sort of annoying, however you might be solely changing it as soon as each 5 years. The modules is not linked to your own home wiring. You in all probability ought to change your lights off through the RCD when changing the battery as a precaution, however the substitute ought to solely take a minute.

The change does have restricted performance, however I personally assume it would not have all the things I would like. With wall switches, I simply need to change the sunshine on/off, and with this module, I keep away from anybody by accident switching the sunshine socket itself off.  

Assuming the sunshine change is linked to solely Philips Hue mild switches, I believe it does all the things I would like, however I admire everybody’s wants are totally different.

Set up

I had an electrician set up this as I used to be having my upstairs lights rewired. Nevertheless, after I eliminated the change to take a look at the way it was put in, it seemed extraordinarily simple.

You principally terminate the present wire with the Wago connector, then join the module as much as the sunshine change with the included cables. It is without doubt one of the best sensible change installations I’ve seen.

One factor that struck me about this module is how small it was. As a part of my rewire, I requested new deep again containers for sensible switches, however I believe I might have put in this within the current shallower again containers I had. It’s a lot smaller than different modules I’ve checked out earlier than.

Prior to now, I had purchased a Fibaro Z-Wave module, however this was a lot tougher to put in, and it was too giant to suit into my previous again containers, which meant I by no means put in it.

Philips Hue App & Set Up

With all of the Hue sensors and switches, you want a Philips Hue Bridge. I coated the performance of the Bridge compared to the Bluetooth management of Hue the opposite day. For my part, it’s a vital buy for any Hue lighting system.

Including a module to the Hue app is kind of like the opposite switches. The one distinction with that is that you have to toggle the sunshine change a few instances, and it will enable the Bridge to establish it and add it.

When you will have added the module to your system, you’ll need to assign it to the room you might be utilizing it in.

In Use

The general performance of this module is sort of fundamental. As you’ll be able to inform from the set up, the change is now not hooked up to your own home wiring and the sunshine socket is completely wired to be on.

Subsequently any lights linked to the change must be Philips Hue, or they are going to be completely switched on.

In my workplace, I’ve a easy pendant ceiling mild with a Hue white and color atmosphere bulb, then two laps with the identical bulbs. With the module mapped to my workplace, the sunshine change now controls each the ceiling mild and the 2 lamps.

The module lets you map totally different scenes to the variety of change presses. So after I enter the workplace, switching the sunshine on places it into brilliant, then if I toggle it on/off rapidly, the subsequent scene is energised, and the third is dimmed.

It’s not so good as utilizing the dimmer or the faucet dial change, but it surely works completely nicely.

Personally, I solely use the change to change my lights on/off. In my workplace, I take advantage of the identical scene all day, however within the dwelling space, I’ll change the scene relying on what I’m doing.

So if I’m watching a film, I’ll select one thing darker and extra comforting somewhat than brilliant, however I’m not going to rise up from my chair and toggle a light-weight change. I’ll do that from my cellphone, or extra lately, I positioned the faucet dial change close to the place I sit for simpler scene modifications.

Value and Different Choices

The Philips Hue Sensible Wall Change Module has an RRP of £40 and is obtainable on Amazon for round £37.

It’s not the prettiest resolution, however you will get Hue wall change covers which let you mount both the dimmer or sensible button. These usually price lower than £10, and a dimmer change is about £20, and also you obtain the identical factor, stopping individuals from switching off the sunshine and providing you with management of the Hue bulbs. It’s considerably simpler to put in too.

There are a number of third-party choices which might be classed as Buddies of Hue/Works with Hue:

• Senic Buddies of Hue Change – £60 – This will match on a again field, and also you’d have to wire the sunshine change completely utilizing an identical Wago lever connection terminal to the one which’s included with the Hue module.
• Retrotouch Buddies of Hue Sensible Change – £54 – That is successfully the identical because the Senic, only a totally different design.

Different Choices:

• Sonoff has a ZigBee Mini Sensible Change module for simply £14, and that is wired into your electrics, so would not want a battery, they usually declare it really works with Hue.
• Aqara Sensible Wall Change H1 – £39 – I personally have a number of of those Aqara switches round my house, they’re nice for making dumb lights sensible. Should you use House Assistant or a sensible hub corresponding to Homey, you’ll be able to then use these switches to regulate your Philips Hue bulbs. You possibly can arrange the change so the buttons now not change on/off the bulb and as a substitute perform automation (corresponding to setting a scene).

General

I personally just like the Philips Hue sensible wall change module. Within the one room I’ve it put in, it does precisely what I would like, permitting me to change my Hue lights on/off with out powering them down utterly and avoiding the ugliness of faceplates to cowl my change.

The necessity for a battery is a bit annoying, however I can admire why it’s there, and I do not assume will probably be an enormous annoyance in a couple of years when it wants changing.

There are alternatives out which might be superior in case you are completely satisfied to exchange your whole mild change, however I believe Hue launched a module as a result of there have been already full mild change merchandise. This module lets you hold your current {hardware} which can be necessary to some patrons.

General, this can be a little bit of a distinct segment product, interesting to a subset of Philips Hue customers. If you’re one of many goal clients, then this can be a unbelievable product.

I’m a UK tech blogger and have been within the trade for over 10 years now, operating Mighty Gadget and its sister websites and contributing to different websites across the internet. I’m captivated with all tech, together with cellular, wearables, and residential automation. I’m additionally a health fanatic, so I cowl as a lot health tech as attainable.

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