Philips Hue Functionality Question

Other Devices & Integrations Lighting & Load Control
1

Hello,

I’ve been reading some of the forum posts but thought I’d ask my own question from those who use the Hue plugin on the Vera. I currently have motion detectors working with lights to turn on when I enter the room only in the evening.

I’m wondering if the HUE with the VERA plugin can do the following:

  • do similar to above by turning on with a specific color when I enter the room

  • to take it a bit further, can I configure a group of HUE’s in one room to turn on from motion to a specific color but the color is based on the sunset time? So if I enter a room during the day it will be a bright light, but when I enter the room in the evening, it will be a soft warm light?

  • then like my scene currently running, the lights turn off after X time of inactivity on their own. I’d like the HUE lights to do the same.

Thanks!

2

The Hue plugin is flexible, you can definitely do all that.

3

The Hue plugin allows you to switch/dim the lights; in that respect they behave exactly the same as any dimmable light in Vera. You can also set the color of a Hue lamp to 1 of 6 presets. You can do this from the UI, through LUA code, or from scenes.

So with some scene trickery you can achieve all this, as long as you don’t use more than the 6 colors that’ll fit in the presets. If you need more colors, you can set the hue/sat or color temp values directly using LUA code in your scene. I can post a code snippet when I get home :wink:

4

Thanks for your input! Yes, adding a sample would be great! I found the learning curve to be quite high in order to get my lights functioning the way I wanted - and a first time VERA user. But after 2 weeks of trial and error and a few choice words, I understand the basics and it doesn’t seem so bad. However, I haven’t done anything on the LUUP page and a blank screen is very daunting. :slight_smile: Thus, I need to find out how to set everything up via forum posts like this. :wink:

5

Intveltr !! (my idol)

I am waiting all the example codes and tips you have about hue…I’m going install mine tomorrow…

thanks in advance !

6

Example Lua! (204 in these examples is the device ID, use the ID for the “color” device i.e. the one with the 6 preset buttons)

Setting Hue and Saturation:
luup.call_action (“urn:intvelt-com:serviceId:HueColors1”, “SetHueSaturation”, {newHue=40, newSaturation=100}, 204)

Setting Color temperature:
luup.call_action (“urn:intvelt-com:serviceId:HueColors1”, “SetColorTemperature”, {newColorTemperature=40}, 204)

Values for Hue, Saturation and Color Temperature are on a scale from 0 to 100

7

Hello !

thanks Intveltr, I will try.

  • but how can I activate a Set ? yesterday I set up the 6 sets…would be good simply turn on a set.

Install the plugin was very easy. Like Homewave app works fine…But in the instructions says upload 5 files…and in zip file is more. I upload all files including XML and JSON files…

this is my screen with my hue in Homewave app. Perfect… now I will try create scenes…

  • one of my lamps broke in transport. then one curiosity, it works even broke, because I think the bulb is only to finishment. I test before to put in the trash…this saved me…

see the pictures…

8

This will probably be a stupid question but on the basis that there is no such thing I’m going to anyway. I recently got some hue lights and replaced the bulbs into units that are currently controlled by on/off zwave switches and as that they are a part of various scenes.

I’m guessing now I should really remove the on off switches and just use the hue functionality via vera to turn on /off. Is that how everyone else uses it, is the hue reliable enough for that I.e when it says off it will be off (I’ve seen a few times that not the case).

As I say it seems like a stupid question as its the most obvious way to use hue and the plug I but initially I kept my zwave switches in there as zwave is always 100% and I’ve seen hue system fall over a few times. That said with the app I’ve got no the ipad controlling the via vera its added a whole new dimension to things so looking a lot more like I want to explore them further.

9

I had the same doubt and situation.

I choose set my hue lamps in vera always in 100% and still using my zwave switch to turn on and off the lamp, if I need i choose the color or diimmer direct in hue control in my homewave app.

I hope this help you to make the right thing. I thought when my hue lamp fail I can put a commom lamp and still having control over that. If i remove the zwave switch this is not possible.

10

I think I’m going to try some with zwave on off switches and some without. If hue is not robust enough I’ll put the switches back in, no big deal as the are plug socket controls anyway.

Hue just does not seem as robust as zwave but then I guess I should give it a real go and see. I do like the option of tweaking the colour output so will give this more of a go in various scenes.

11

I haven’t had any trouble with the Hue setup being unreliable, except one weird bulb that would reset if I dimmed it to 10% on a blue-ish color (Philips promptly replaced it). I have removed the Zwave switches and dimmers wherever I used Hue bulbs, and so far everything turns off and on as they are supposed to. Note that I never use the Hue app, Vera does all the work.

If you’re only using a few Hue bulbs throughout a big property, then I suppose range can be an issue

12

Hue and the plugin are very reliable for me as well.

13

Hi everyone, thanks for all your replies. I’ve been reading up and see you can also have lights turn on and off at certain times using IFTTT. Is it possible to have a motion control scene to turn on the lights but also have an IFTTT configured to turn all the lights off at say 1am?

14

Sure, there’s no reason not to let both Vera and IFTTT talk to the Hue lights. The dimmer controls in Vera corresponding to the Hue lights will be updated correctly if IFTTT changes the light levels