You’ve got to admit that it’s going to be pretty cool to command Siri to turn down the lights, at least for the first few times you have fun with this. Philips was one of the first companies to confirm support for Apple’s HomeKit framework for its Hue smart bulb products and now the company has released a new Hub bridge which adds support for said platform. The platform enables Siri to communicate with smart connected objects throughout the home.
Philips Hue 2.0 bridge is required if you want the smart bulbs to respond to commands you’ve given to Siri, existing bulbs will not work with the system unless the old hub is replaced with this new one. If you already have a Philips Hue setup in your home you just need to replace the hub.
With the Hub 2.0 up and running you can ask Siri commands such as “Hey Siri, turn all lights blue” and “Hey Siri, set the living room lamp to 50 percent.” The rest will happen on its own.
Philips is selling new Hue Bridge 2.0 for $60, those who already own a Hue bridge receive a $20 discount from the company, Philips will start selling the new hub as a standalone product starting tomorrow. Updated Hue light bulbs will also come bundled with the new Hub, the new bulbs are slightly brighter at 800 lumens instead of 600 lumens.
Filed in . Read more about Connected Objects, Philips and Philips Hue.