Philips has released a “dimming kit” that can give any location the most popular part of smart lighting: location-wide dimmable scenes that are accessible from anywhere in the location. Fans of the Philips Hue system are familiar with their “bridge”, a device that spans the gap between up to 50 Hue LED bulbs and the application that controls them. The bridge allows access through the internet, while the dimming kit is limited to “local” control via the wireless dimming switch.
Image Credit: Philips Lighting
The substantial appeal of the new Philips Hue Wireless Dimming Kit is it’s tool-free, “straight from the box” installation. Each kit will come with a single Philips Hue white light bulb and a portable battery-operated dimmer switch — which means that nearly any lighting system can be modernized without an electrician.
The Philips Hue wireless dimming kit is the lightbulb moment that will spark the natural progression into the modern, connected home. Not only does the kit show how simple it is to have clever products in your home, but like all Philips Hue products it is entirely future-proof. With the kit, anyone is able to begin enjoying the simplicity of modern dimming.
—Leonardo Avezzano, Product Marketing Director of Philips Hue
Not only does the dimming switch control its own group of up to 10 Hue bulbs within a range of 12-30 meters, but it can be installed anywhere as a normal wall switch… or take it from the base plate and use it as a remote control for convenience as it can be easily placed anywhere.
If the Philips Hue bridge is already being used to control lighting then the dimmable switch is a tremendously valuable addition to the lighting system and Hue devices can be easily added to the switch’s control group through the application and give control to anyone in the room, rather than just those with a smart device that can access the bridge. An added benefit to the bridge being used with a dimmable switch is the availability of over-the-air updates to the remote when connected to the bridge.
The Philips Hue wireless dimming kit will be available in North America next month (September 2015) for $39.95 and individual Philips Hue white bulb is $19.95.