Philips Hue - Newbie questions

ant_j

So im having an electrician visit (retired dad of a friend) later as i would like 9x downlights fitting to my living room ceiling replacing 2x pendants amunst a few other jobs (room being decorated completely)

He was asking if i or he would pick up the fittings, do i want dimmerble etc.
I explained i would eventually like to have 9x hue fitted.
He explained he is old school and has no idea about these, and to be perfectly honest neither do I

So to prep for hue
Will standard/compliant gu10 fittings suffice?
Dimmer switch or standard on/off?
Any additional works by electrician?
Given i may just have 9x standard gu10 led until i get hue

Then for Hue what do i need?
I have a Philips ambilight (9002) tv that i wish to link eventually
Thanks in advance

Lesmor

A point of concern is that a electrician old school or not should know exactly whats required to to do the job and meet the latest electrical regulations
If you start cutting holes in a ceiling you also need to comply with fire regulations or you stand the chance of making you home insurance null and void

i.e. If there is a habitable room above you need to fit a fire hood above each light fitting
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00KEUJR4Q?tag=amz-mkt-chr-uk-21&ascsubtag=1ba00-01000-org00-win10-other-nomod-uk000-pcomp-feature-scomp-wm-5&ref=aa_scomp


GU10 down lights would be fine and then just change the bulb to Hue GU10 as required
whether they are dimmable is really a personal choice but you need to buy the proper light switch, ceiling fittings and bulbs if you do go that route

ant_j

Apologies i should have been clearer.
He is fully compliant with regulations.
His old school reference was to me saying i want hue lighting; he didn't know what it was, hence for me to sort/buy the fittings

terryf

Can I suggest you have a look at Philips smart wireless dimmer on Amazon, this will turn on and off and dim if you want. It can fit anywhere in the house or if used with Samotech light switch cover it will fit over your original light switch. (If normal shape switch )

Lesmor

Ah thanks for the clarification that makes things clearer
well once you decide whether you want dimming or not so that he installs the correct hardware AFAIK you just replace the bulbs with Hue GU10   the hub
Dimmable LED | Philips Lighting

There are are alternatives for instance I have Hive heating control so I also added Hive bulbs in a few rooms and GU10 in the kitchen which can be dimmed without a dimmer switch

Philips Hue is arguably better but you pay a premium

bobert

If you are thinking of going for the Hue colour GU10's be careful with the fitting as I believe the colour bulbs are slightly larger than a normal GU10. The Hue ambiance ones are ok, I have fitted them in my bathroom using these fittings, though they are waterproof and probably overkill for a lounge

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00WRBJ4NY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

MarcoDB

Fit regular on/off light switches. Hue (and other smart light bulbs) are not compatible with dimmer switches; the smart electronics in the bulb manage dimming (and colour change) themselves.

You leave the Hue bulbs switched on the whole time and control their brightness (and colour) through the Hue Hub using an app on your smartphone / tablet or a special Hue Switch. The Hue bulbs wirelessly communicate with each other and the Hue Hub using Zigbee / Bluetooth.

How it works | Philips Hue

NOTE: I believe that Hue GU10's are slightly longer than regular GU10's, so you might want to check how they fit in your down lighter assembly before you start cutting holes in the ceiling.

Hue bulbs run on standard mains voltage, so be careful which down lighters you purchase; the ones that come with an LED lamp may have an integrated mains transformer to provide a low voltage DC supply which won't work with the Hue GU10s and probably won't physically accept a GU10 bulb.

As above, make sure that you check the wiring and fire regulations before you start.

I have a Hue setup with 5 "regular" Hue Colour Change bulbs fitted to pendant and table lamps; a Hue Hub, 2x Hue Switches and a Hue Motion Sensor for the landing / stairwell.  It is a tad pricey and takes a bit of getting used to, but I wouldn't go back to regular light bulbs again.

If you have an Apple iPhone or iPad, there is an excellent 3rd party app called IConnectHue which costs a couple of £££ that is worth a look once you've mastered the basics of what the Philips App will let you do.

mushii

It is worth noting that Hue bulbs are about to change to Hue 2, moving from Zigbee to Bluetooth and as such will not require a hub in the very near future. The price of the new bulbs will be the same as existing Ziigbee units (which for GU10's is about £10 - £12 per dimable bulb and around £45 each for colour bulbs). That will work out at either £90ish for dimmable GU10s or around £400 for colour (which are not that great TBH). Other colour bulbs in the Hue range are much better than the GU10s.

I would suggest that if your mate's dad is doing the re-wire for you, you ask him to fit you a 47mm deep back box and provide a neutral at the switch as this will open your options up to other smart lighting technologies, that are far cheaper and give you the same effect as Hue bulbs.

ant_j

Many thanks for all the hints and tips and advice. I have a living room, almost square. At one end an inglenook fireplace, the opposite wall will be tv mounted on wall. Aprox 5 m (not Inc the inglenook recess) x 4m.
Would 9 downlights be overkill, under?

Thinking 3 rows of 3.
All fittings to be the pivot type.
The 3 nearest to the inglenook to be angled to light the fireplace.
Although all 9 will be in living room can they be controlled independently. I.e. 3 in one colour and 6 in another. Or can each can be dimmed independently?

terryf

I think you will find they can be controlled independently AND in groups.