Philips Hue Wall Switch Module Review: Turns dumb switches smart
Verdict
A neat upgrade, the Philips Hue Wall Switch Module turns your impaired switches into smart ones. It's relatively like shooting fish in a barrel to install and gives a surprising amount of command. Having a bombardment-operated module may put some people off, but those that don't want to spoil the look of their home with plastic smart switches will find this an excellent pick.
Pros
- Keeps your existing light switch
- Three programmable scenes
- Keeps ability to your Hue bulbs
Cons
- No dimmer control
- Hard to get at battery
Availability
- UK RRP: £34.999
- U.s. RRP: $34.99
Key Features
- Control options This module keeps power to your Hue bulbs and can command lights in the room or zone of your choosing.
Introduction
If you've got a Philips Hue system, then I guarantee that you lot've suffered from this trouble: someone has turned the light switch off, cutting power to your smart bulbs. This has long been an outcome with Hue lights, but the Philips Hue Wall Switch Module is designed to fix this.
Fitting behind your light switch, the module keeps the power to your smart bulbs running permanently, while keeping your switch working the way it should. The merchandise-off is slightly imperfect control and more fiddly seedling changing, but in the right situation, this is a useful upgrade.
Design and installation
- Should fit hands into the wall box
- Bombardment-powered blueprint
- Slightly more than fiddly for lights with multiple switches
As Hue bulbs need power to piece of work, they need the light switch to be left on. That's usually alright, but visitors rarely seem to understand this, and I ever find that my lights are turned off at the switch when guests take been.
Even if the lite switch is left alone, having concrete command for your lights means that you demand to put a Hue wireless switch somewhere (such as the Hue Dimmer Switch or Senic Friends of Hue Smart Switch). Frequently, the best place to put one of these is adjacent to your existing light switch, which doesn't expect peculiarly overnice.
The Philips Hue Wall Switch Module solves both problems only needs a bit of electric know-how to get it to work, every bit y'all need to rewire your light switch, which means turning the power off.
Starting time, there'southward the push-in wire connector. This should have the live cables from your existing lite switch pushed into it, forming a permanent connection. If you have a single light switch that should exist two cables; a double switch should have three alive cables. Do not insert neutral cables or globe cables into this connector.
Once washed, your light bulbs will have permanent power when you reconnect the ability. If you're changing the seedling in the future, you'll need to turn off the mains power at the consumer unit of measurement.
Next, is the wall switch module. This is a battery-powered module that connects to your Hue Bridge via Zigbee, running off a CR2450 battery that Philips says should final around five years. Once the battery dies, y'all'll have to have the calorie-free switch off the wall to replace the bombardment. In this way, the Philips Hue Wall Switch Module is less convenient than a regular light switch.
This module comes with cables and plugs to connect up to two switches. If you have a lighting excursion with two or three switches, you'll demand additional Philips Hue Wall Switch Modules (one for each switch), plus you may demand a push button-in connector with four inputs.
To wire upward a switch, you lot plug in the cable connector and and so attach the wires to the same ports on your low-cal switch that the live wires went into. It'southward worth taking a flick of your existing setup to refer to.
Having a battery-powered switch may seem like madness, given that there's power at the switch. The main argument for using batteries and hardwiring the light is that most low-cal switches don't accept neutral cables to them. Without a neutral cable, when the switch is turned off, the connected device loses power.
Now, in that location are smart calorie-free switches that don't require a neutral cable, simply they work in a slightly unlike way. When they're gear up to 'off' they leave a small corporeality of power running through the switch (finer, like a dimmer gear up to its everyman setting). I wouldn't apply 1 of these switches with Hue bulbs, as Philips doesn't recommend using a dimmer switch.
Besides, if y'all install a 3rd-party smart switch, then when it's turned off, your Hue bulbs will also turn off and won't exist reachable by the Hue app. And, you'll have nonetheless another app to manage to remotely turn your lights on or off via the new smart switch.
Potentially, Philips could have worked effectually the problem past having a switch that keeps the ability on maximum, with a Zigbee control on the forepart. This would piece of work, but it would also mean that you'd have to alter your light switch for whatever design Philips came upwards with.
For me, I like the blackness nickel switches that I have, so the Wall Switch Module makes more than sense: it keeps my home looking prissy and I don't take to take ugly smart switches around.
Features
- Can be configured for multiple scenes
- Works when the internet or Wi-Fi is down
- Can be set for on/off action
One time everything is in place, you just tuck the module into the wall box and screw the light fitting back into place. Turn on the ability again, and the Hue bulbs connected to the switch that you modified volition plough on.
Now, you turn to the app and follow the instructions to pair the Philips Hue Wall Switch Module with a Hue Span and the app. Once the Module is connected, you just tell the app what blazon of socket yous accept (i or 2 switches) and which rooms or zones you want to control.
Note that as this is a Zigbee controller, it works with all Hue lights in a room, non just the bulb that the original switch controlled. In my house, my Wall Module turns on a Hue bulb plus two calorie-free strips.
You get ii control options. Offset, y'all can have a simple on/off toggle. When you flip your light switch, it works like a regular one, turning on with the last setting you had.
The second option lets you set three scenes. The beginning scene is accessed past turning the switch on, the second by turning it on and off, the tertiary by turning the switch on and off again.
It gives some flexibility to the module, although note that you can't become any dimming control with this device. In my living room, I apply the Philips Hue Wall Switch Module behind the prissy looking switch for on/off and basic scene selection. I've so got a Hue Dimmer Switch subconscious out of sight that I use for dimming.
Apple HomeKit back up is available, although you go less control here: you tin can only configure the Philips Hue Wall Switch Module for a single press. I wouldn't bother setting the switch upward in HomeKit.
As the Philips Hue Wall Switch Module works using Zigbee, it will still work even if your Wi-Fi goes down.
Functioning
- Works reliably
- As good as your existing light switch
I've had the Philips Hue Wall Switch Module installed for well over a week now, and I've found that it works reliably each time. It's as good every bit the other Hue switches, in fact. Fifty-fifty scene selection is easy enough, once I got used to the rhythm of turning the switch on and off.
Depending on how you command your lights, your light switch tin contrary direction. For example, if you lot beginning by pressing your switch down to turn on your lights but so utilise the Hue app to turn the lights off, y'all then have to press your calorie-free switch upwards to turn your lights on.
For anyone that likes neatness and their calorie-free switches to piece of work the same way each time, this product may badger you lot; I actually don't intendance.
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Should you buy it?
If y'all like your own light switches and have bought into the Hue ecosystem, and then this is a skilful way to control your lights.
If you've got complicated multi-switch setups, this module may exist difficult to install. Information technology also gives less control than the other Hue switches.
Final Thoughts
Information technology's not perfect, and being battery operated may put some people off the Philips Hue Wall Switch Module. That said, for anyone that wants to keep power to their Hue bulbs and provide control via their attractive original light switches, this handy upgrade lets you exercise that. Ultimately, why Hue is so brilliant is because of the range of control options, and this switch but gives you more option. For the right use and the right people (I count myself in this group), this module is brilliant.
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FAQs
Tin can the Philips Hue Wall Switch Module be used with lights that accept ii or more switches?
Yes, but you'll demand ane module per switch.
How many switches tin can each Philips Hue Wall Switch Module command?
Each module can control two switches in the same housing.
Does the Philips Hue Wall Switch Module demand batteries?
Yes, information technology runs on a coin cell battery that should last around five years.
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Source: https://www.trustedreviews.com/reviews/philips-hue-wall-switch-module
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