Hue vs Innr vs Trafri - Why pay more?

StormHD

Zero buzz from the Ikeas. I’ve now covered virtually every room, and just added them to the garage (GU10) as it’s really handy to have motion sensitive lighting in there.

Bl4ckGryph0n

LOL totally forgot about the garage, only today I’ve switched the light on/off ten times already. Very good point. I might make some adjustment there.

StormHD

Ok, but that may explain your dissatisfaction. Very difficult to judge the output of a single bulb when you’re in a large warehouse standing in a lighting department surrounded by a plethora of different lights and bulbs.  Plus someone could’ve screwed around with the brightness or colour tone of the light.

I’ve tried them next to Hue and an array of ‘non-smart’ bulbs whilst I’ve been going through the process of replacing them. They’re great. Quality is fantastic. Very bright. Well made. Zero issue.

Bl4ckGryph0n

They’ve got controls so you can “play” with them instore. It’s the effect they have on my eyes when I look into them. And also the type of shadows they cast. All very harsh.

Brightness I must admit isn’t at the top of the list for at home. It’s our home not a studio or place of work. Saying that our Hue ones are never at the highest setting either.

Jamie

I'd have said the same about the Innr, maybe I'm just cursed with an overly sensitive wife.

Bl4ckGryph0n

You haven’t got them on a dimmer switch have you?

Jamie

No absolutely not. The other Innr bulbs are all fine, there's one on my wifes bedside table, it just seems to be the GU10s that buzz, I've got 4 warm white and 4 white tuneable ones and they all buzz slightly so I'm told.

TBH I'm actually kind of pleased because the genuine Hue white ambience on 3 for 2 have worked out slightly cheaper and having experienced being able to change the white colour I'm happy its worthwhile

Bl4ckGryph0n

Agreed they are worth it...

I do have 2 non B14 Innr bulbs and hey don't buzz either..

JUS

Looks like a controller has been created for the Hue Motion sensor.

[BETA] Hue Motion Sensor (beta) (no hue bridge)

Sounds a great bonus to have a light sensor for those dull winter days or dark rooms

chrisgeary

I have a mix of Hue Ambiance GU10 and Ikea warm-white GU10, 4 Ikea E27s and 3 Hue colour B22s.

The 12 Ikea GU10s I bought from Reading last weekend all had the 1.2.214 firmware and I used the Java lampfinder tool to add them to the hue bridge. That went smoothly.

The 4 Ikea E27s were hit and miss. They all needed their firmware upgrading which was fine. The first two (WW only) added to the hue bridge just fine. The first spectrum E27 did as well, then the fourth E27 wouldn't add no matter what I did. However, the next day, it decided it was ok to join. Adding Ikea E27s to Hue definitely isn't as smooth as the GU10s.

Observations for the two bulb brands attached to the Hue bridge:

Hue bulbs will fade down to 1%.
Ikea bulbs only manage 10%.

Hue bulbs will fade up and down in unison.
Ikea bulbs fade up and down out of step with each other.

Hue bulbs play nicely with the slow fade routines, like sunset/sunrise.
Ikea E27 bulbs don't seem to like those at all and don't always go on/off like you'd think. (Distance may be an issue here for the bulbs in question so your experience may differ from mine). I have a Hue colour in the same room as misbehaving Ikea E27s and it works just fine.
That said, the Ikea GU10s behave flawlessly but they are in the same room as the Hue bridge.

The WW colour temperature from the Ikea bulbs is perfectly pleasing.

Ikea bulbs don't go quite as cool as Philips, they seem to have a narrower band.

Ikea bulbs remember their last colour and power setting after a power cut/switch off/on.
Hue bulbs default to warm white and maximum power. Philips fixed this in recent firmware, you now have the option of what to do after a power cut.

The most interesting observation is how the GU10 bulbs beams are formed.
The Hue GU10s LEDs are behind a diffuser whereas the Ikea GU10s are more like projector lenses.
The Hue GU10s beam is more spread
The Ikea GU10s beam is more focussed

I prefer the beam angle of the Ikea GU10s (ideal for the kitchen) but I prefer the smoother operation of the Hue GU10s for the AV room. Neither is perfect.

The Ikea GU10s come as a perfect replacement fit in warm white only (or slightly bigger white spectrum)
The Hue GU10 are perfect fit white spectrum or colour, no warm white only as far as I can see.

12 Ikea GU10s is £84
12 Hue GU10s is £160 (3for2 on Amazon)

I'm perfectly happy with the Hue GU10s for my AV room but I'd choose the Ikea GU10s for anywhere else, I just prefer the beam they produce.

For B22/E27, my choice is the Philips as the Ikea bulbs don't seem as reliable.