My new color-changing LED lights

UPDATE 2023: After a decade of fun with HUE, I’m phasing them out now because they switched their policy to require connecting to their cloud rather than allowing local-only control. Screw those guys and get something else.

My wife got me an early birthday present: Philips HUE Color-Changing LED lights! They’re incredible. Look:

Right now I’m controlling them with my tablet, which is fine for changing colors and setting light alarms. I can even control them from afar thanks to my VPN. I will soon hook them up to my nascent Raspberry Pi powered home automation system (using the open-source Home Assistant program) that will allow me to trigger them based on various events like motion, doors opening, weather changing, or whatever. The future is here!

Each bulb uses 9 Watts but makes the same amount of light as a 60W conventional bulb, so they’re very eco-friendly. Furthermore, since they’re LEDs, they should last for 15 years of normal use! They communicate with a little hub that uses the ZigBee protocol (like Bluetooth but lower power and lower speed, good for home automation stuff).

Downside: They’re pretty pricey. I expect their coolness to drive demand enough to bring supply up. Expect these bulbs for $10 in the next few years.

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