So far, this guide has focused on hue-compatible bulbs in the UK. However, there are many more manufacturers that offer support, mostly sold in continental Europe and the USA. I thought it was worthwhile to give them a mention here for any international readers: Osram Sylvania (formerly Lightify) Smart+ bulbs have had a bad rep in the past with many users reporting trouble connecting them to a Philips Hue bridge. However, a firmware update seems to have solved these issues so ensure you have updated them before trying to connect. Following the wizard in the app, it’s pretty easy to get the bulbs connected to the app. Once there, WiZ gets you to organise bulbs into rooms, so you can control groups of lights together. You’ll need good Wi-Fi where you want to connect your lights.

While the main benefit of smart lightning might be controlling it from an app or using your voice, there are times when it’s just easier to use a dedicated switch. The huge range of wireless switches for Hue, from the Hue Wall Switch Module to the Senic Friends of Hue Smart Switch, is what makes that system stand out. Most of the competition doesn’t provide remotes, but WiZ has a limited selection.If you have a WiZmote, you can pair this with a single room. Via the app, you can choose which sense the four shortcut buttons will trigger, plus the fade-in and fade-out times for the on/off buttons. The latter sets how long it takes lights to turn on or off, although I’m not particularly convinced how useful being able to adjust this setting really is. Calex – There are a few ZigBee GU10 bulbs on the market that work with Hue. Calex do sell bulbs in Tesco and other retailers here in the UK, but these are Wi-Fi bulbs and do not work with Hue. I then used the Wiz app to get all of the Wiz bulbs joined to my network, which is pretty much all you need it for if you intend to use the bulbs with Homebridge. There's nothing stopping you from using HomeKit and the Wiz app separately, and the Wiz app has some neat color presets you can't really replicate with the Home app, but I mainly control the bulbs using Siri voice commands and HomeKit automations. No, despite both being owned by Signify, Philips Hue and Philips Wiz cannot be used together. This is because Philips Wiz is a budget Wi-Fi-based smart lighting system whereas Philips Hue is a premium Zigbee-based system. Do LIFX Bulbs Work With Hue?

Automate the lights to fit your daily or weekly routines. Schedule your light to turn on before you arrive home and keep it off when not needed. There’s a good choice of static scenes, plus you can create your own, saving the current state of your lights so that you can recall them later. No, Sengled smart bulbs do not work with the Hue Bridge because the bulbs use Wi-Fi and connect straight to your router. They do not require any hub or bridge. Do Philips WiZ Bulbs Work With Philips Hue?

Testing with the WiZ A60 E27 Full Colour bulb, I compared its performance with the equivalent Hue bulb. Both bulbs put out similar brightness when used with standard colour temperatures (warm white to cold white), with a similar dimming range (cosy to intense). Dim your lights to your desired brightness level via your smartphone, the WiZmote or your voice. No need to install an expensive dimmer. Using a low-power RF protocol to communicate directly with a bulb, there’s a choice of the Motion Sensor to turn your lights on or off automatically, and the WiZmote remote control. Use the preset well-being features in the WiZ app to and enjoy the lighting pattern best suited for your circadian rhythm throughout the day. WiZ will provide you bright daylight when you need to get energised and focus, and transition smoothly to soft warm white to help you relax and sleep better. Just to point out that only Osram Smart+ bulbs in Europe work with Hue, if you’ve imported them from the USA then they will use a different Zigbee standard (ZHA) which doesn’t work with Hue.

In addition, WiZ also has a range of light fittings, including spotlights and ceiling lamps. The range here isn’t as good as Hue’s but there’s more choice than with other Wi-Fi brands. Philips Hue has long been the gold standard in smart lighting, but it’s an expensive system to buy into. If you’re looking for something a bit cheaper, then the WiZ smart lighting system could be for you. Developed by Signify, the company that owns Hue, WiZ has a large range of bulbs, is cheaper to buy and, as it uses Wi-Fi, doesn’t need a Bridge to get the most out of it. Scheduling is available through the app, letting you turn lights on and off at the times you select. There’s no sunrise or sunset option here, as you get with Hue, which may make some routines hard to create. For example, if you’ve got a light in a porch that you want to come on at sunset and turn off at midnight, you can’t do that easily with WiZ. WiZ also has a series of filament bulbs, available in the tuneable white series. They go from cold white to warm white, as well as dimming, which is an improvement over the Hue version, which dims only and has a set colour temperature. Most third party bulbs support power-on behaviour which allows you to determine what state bulbs return to after a power cut (see my guide to setting up power-on behaviour).

Setting up Homebridge

If you’re integrating with HomeKit, only official Philips Hue bulbs will work via the Hue and HomeKit integration (unless you have Homebridge). There’s also an LED lightstrip, available as a 2m strip, plus you can buy 1m extension cables to create a total maximum length of 10m. Control your WiZ lights wherever you are with smartphone. No need to worry if you've left your lights on before leaving home. WiZ app is available for iOS and Android. The number of times you turn it on and off will vary by manufacturer, for example, IKEA requires 6 toggles on/off whereas Innr only requires 2. Some do not need this step.

AduroSmart ERIA – This Dutch company offers some great lights that are a real contender to Philips Hue in terms of colour Most budget smart lighting brands don’t have a very wide selection of bulbs, but WiZ is different, supporting most of the common connectors including GU10, E27, E14 and B22. That’s the same type of connectors as available on Hue. In particular, it’s good to see the E14 connector, as this is typically used for smaller desktop lamps and some light fittings. Adding your third party bulbs to Hue is generally an easy process, but often requires one extra step that can vary by manufacturer. Create a cosy atmosphere with warm white light. A smart light that simply adapts to your daily activitiesThe best bulbs that work with Philips Hue available in the UK are Innr, Lidl, IKEA Trådfri, and Linkind. Below is some information about each brand. No, Nanoleaf products cannot be used with the Philips Hue bridge. The Hue bridge uses Zigbee to communicate with bulbs whereas Nanoleaf products use either Wi-Fi or the new Thread standard. Do Govee Lights Work With Hue? Mix different colour and white lights modes to create the perfect light ambience for your daily moment. Save it and call it out at any time with app, WiZmote or voice.