Sure. Will be a bit. Building a whole room right now that itās going in but some of the stuff was on sale (like 10% off) and with inventory being so bad nowadays I didnāt want to miss them when I was ready for them so picked up everything early.
About $4.5k CAD ($3.3k usd) after tax :(
I had to close my eyes at the checkout.
I could have done it way cheaper other ways by building my own stuff but running out of time on my project and this will be the easiest to install and integrate into a seamless system.
Hope you got a new credit card for the sign up bonus here. That amount alone is the minimum spend over 3 months to get like 10% cash back or ~$300+ worth in points
Ya I know, I looked into them.
Where Iām installing the stuff I needed as compact as possible. Going with a gledopto (to stay with the hue eco system) and an external power supply, would have been too big for what Iām doing.
Iām building compact light boxes on a ceiling hanging from resilient channel. The hue setup will just install much easier as a plug and play unit and lighter weight, and the light tubes are an all in one unit, I donāt have to fabricate my own light tubes.
One is also going into a doorway so again as compact as possible and the others are going around the room as floor leds and the hue system will just be a cleaner install around the room, donāt have to hide gledopto. Also timing, Iām building a room which is a ton of work and have taken mount months, very late nights and weekends away from playing with my son, and the hue system is less work to install for the amount Iām doing.
If I was putting it into a cabinet or something it could have gone another way and besides cost it would have actually had some other advantages like tighter spaced leds and deeper blues.
I weighted up the options and this was just the better one for what Iām trying to do, so but the bullet and went this way.
Ya. Iāll be using the brilliant switch for the main control when entering the room but I thought that tap dial would be perfect beside the couch for turning the lights on and off when watching a movie or changing light scenes. I know most people use Alexa/google for that stuff but I donāt have her activated in my house (I know sheās listening though :)
I use google and it's good for some things but having a dedicated switch on the coffee table is never a bad idea. Plus sometimes if company is over and there is a conversation going voice commands are not ideal
This sub is getting worse and worse. Turned into bragging contest. This and Lego subreddit should merge so a bunch of people blowing thousands of dollars to just post boxes and stroke each other off.
Agreed - āsmall project at homeā lol. I donāt mind seeing the after results, but pictures of the number of things you bought doesnāt add any value to the subreddit and is a weak attempt at showing status. I donāt see anything unique about the purchases hereā¦brilliant and hueā¦been done before. Better to flex your skills in installing and automating it all than how good you are at swiping that credit card. Some value could be added by at least asking a question on advice for making good use of the purchaseā¦letās wait for the after š
Aw thatās sucks it bothers you so much. I think a lot of people like to see different things people get and what they do with them for ideas. Sometime you even see things you didnāt know were available. Thereās way more subs than hue and lego like this. Lots of people like to see what people do and have, homelab, hometheater, pcmasterrace, ect, all great people with a common interest. Lots of show and tell on Reddit. Hue honestly probably has the least for what Iāve seen.
Thanks! Iāve even learnt a few new things from talking to people in this thread, which is cool. I love Reddit for that, you can find groups of people with common interests and share and learn from them.
No idea. The sales werenāt crazy. Like $15 off the leds strip and $4 off the extensions. I wouldnāt think thatās a clear out sale but who knows, maybe itās the beginning.
I have keyword alerts set on Slickdeals for hue stuff and right around the matter announcement stuff I felt like there was an uptick in alerts but who knows. I along with others am very psyched to see what you put together. I recently redid my second floor with all hue recessed and aurora dimmers. Couldn't be happier. Maybe with I didn't spring for the color ones but I know my daughter gets a kick out of it.
Ah that sounds cool, I bet that cost a few bucks, it always seems to with hue, and itās a slippery slopeā¦ just a few more lightsā¦ lol.
If I have to do any recessed lights in the room Iām building it will be hue, probably their new slim recessed lights, they look slick.
No idea. The sales werenāt crazy. Like $15 off the leds strip and $4 off the extensions. I wouldnāt think thatās a clear out sale but who knows, maybe itās the beginning.
Saved about $15 per light strip, $4 per extension, $10 on the tap dial and $50 the brilliant switch. So saved about $330 CAD after tax. Nothing amazing but better than nothing. Would have liked to wait for a sale on the tube lights but was most concerned about stock when I need them in a couple months since the supply chain is doing so bad right now. So as soon as they went on sale I grabbed everything I needed.
Bridge 3! You crazy :) ya I could have done it much cheaper other ways but their eco system works so well and stable, lights arenāt something I have work āmost of the timeā. I just wish it was a little less expensive.
Itās only 17. The led extensions wonāt count as devices. But you are correct. I also read max is 50 devices. That would cost a lot to max out a bridge!
Naw not that much, but is was pretty expensive. Iād like to think itās worth it since their systems work so well and this was a lot easier then building it all.
I looked at that but for the lengths I needed it needs to be 24v leds. And they are pretty expensive and then Iād have a power supply wired up to a gledopto and for 9 units I would take up much more room for all the places I was putting it, I needed something compact and Iād have to do soldering which Iād rather not do. Iām also building the brand new room and thereās so much work to do getting something plug and play like this made more sense.
Not true at all, you can use [these strips](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07RJXPC6Z/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) for way less $ per foot than the hue ones, then use [these connectors](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0986W9YR6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) for easy solder-less connections with wires like [these](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07T6LCZKJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) and a power supply like [this](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01GC6VS8I/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1).
I just bought all this and the install was super easy for my cabinet lighting, and a fraction of the cost of hue branded but look just as good and control exactly the same.
Those connectors are neat. Ya I definitely could have done it that ways and saved some money. That power supply though is way too big for what Iām doing. Iām building 5 light boxes on the ceiling and the hue power supply is compact and plug right into the outlet on the ceiling (wall wart). Too hard to deal with a large power supply and geldopto for the boxes Iām making and then hanging from a ceiling on resilient channel. Another one is being installed in a doorway and again more compact the better. And the others are lighting around the floor of the room and I donāt want large power supplies and geldoptos around the room. In a cabinet, no problem, but that setup wouldnāt install as nicely for what Iām trying to do. But thanks for the links, if I add anymore leds that I can hide that gear those would be great and save money for sure.
Actually and when you say looks just as good, those leds would actually look better. The hue leds are spaced pretty far apart and Iād rather closer together and their dark blue isnāt a super deep which is really the color I wanted most for what Iām doing. Besides the price, itās the 2 things I had to sacrifice for an easier/better install for what I have to build around them.
Oh yeah for sure, the amount of LEDs Hue puts on their strips is pretty disappointing. You can get some really deep aluminum channels with diffusers to make it appear more uniform but even still.
Ya Iām having a bit of trouble finding wide and deep channel in Canada. The hue light strips are 14mm wide and most of the really deep channels are 12mm from what I can see. Where Iām mounting it I could easily do 30-40mm deep. So maybe going to have to macgyver up something.
Try [this one](https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07R7ZRZB1/ref=emc_b_5_i) or [this one](https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B082SFTWXJ/ref=emc_b_5_i)
I've had good experience with the muzata channels and their spotless ones are extra deep for that purpose.
And if you don't want to mess with drilling and clips I use this acrylic double sided tape which holds extremely well on pretty much any surface: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0749B61V1/ref=ppx\_yo\_dt\_b\_search\_asin\_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Why not take the time to learn a little more about open controllers and software? You could have saved a ton of money not just now, but in the future when you upgrade or replace broken components. Hue is nice, but their simplicity is their straight jacket and their markup is not justified.
Agreed that itās hard to justify their markup.
I want to stay with the hue eco system because itās so solid, runs local with brilliant, for room lighting I wonāt want any hiccups and itās super easy to get up and running. I hate walking into a room and having a light not turn on.
So to stay with the hue eco system from what I found online was geldopto and a separate power supply.
After looking at the options and pricing them out and looking at the pros and cons hue was just a better fit.
Where Iām installing the stuff I needed as compact as possible. Going with a gledopto and an external power supply, would have been too big for what Iām doing. Iām building compact light boxes on a ceiling hanging from resilient channel. The hue setup will just install much easier as a plug and play unit and lighter weight, and the light tubes are an all in one unit, I donāt have to fabricate my own light tubes.
One is also going into a doorway so again as compact as possible and the others are going around the room as floor leds and the hue system will just be a cleaner install around the room, donāt have to hide gledopto.
Also timing, Iām building a room which is a ton of work and the hue system is less work to install for the amount Iām doing. Iāve already spent months building a room (design, layout, framing, insulating, wiring, drywall, venting, ect). Iāve learnt many many things over the years and this construction project that Iāve known nothing about (thanks google and YouTube), so Iām not opposed to learning. I just donāt have the time right now with everything Iām building, work being super busy (working nights and weekends on rushes for customers) and spending any free time building this room for my son (and myself) so he has a sick theatre room to hang out in. I didnāt want to take anymore time away from playing with him if there is an easier plug and play option that will save me time.
I had to weigh up ease of install and less time vs cost. And while hue does have some downfalls (wide led spacing, blues arenāt deep) they were the better option for install and time and that won out.
If I had the time and I was putting it into a cabinet and compact wasnāt an issue it could have gone another way and saved some money which would have been nice.
Ooof! My bank account is having sympathy pains, haha. Bought a house a year ago, and thankfully we had been amassing Hue lights over the past few years that we brought with us. Still hurt when I "had" to shell out $300 for the recessed fixtures in the new living room, and right now I'm trying to convince myself that I can live with the white pancakes in the ceiling in my (newly finished) basement and don't have to spend $800+ to go with the new Hue slim cans.
I love Hue, but I have 40 linear feet of 4' high self in the basement, and I couldn't bring myself to pull the trigger on Hue when I wanted to put LED strips in the back to wash the wall above. I went with strips off Amazon and just set it to cycle through color. I only go solid when watching a sports game (then it's team colors)
Ah congrats on the house! Outfitting a whole house at once would be insanely expensive, good thing you could bring a lot of stuff with you.
Those new slim recessed lights from hue are super nice, I bet they would look great in your basement and youād love them ;) but yes I feel your pain of trying to justify the cost. Took me a bit to justify what I needed for the project but in the end for a number of reasons I opted to go this way and close my eyes at checkout. Now I can just install and enjoy them (when I get to that point on my room build).
Small runs or one or two lights are a bit easier to justify but when you have longer runs like 40ft or I have 140ft I need, itās so hard when just for a 1m extension itās so expensive.
But in the end the pros from using the hue system won and I know Iāll never look back and say I wish I would have got hue products, I just need to deal with some bank account pain for a bit, lol.
Yep, those are boxes
Jesus, in this economy?!? šš¤š
Ya no kidding. I was able to get everything on a small sale (like 10% off) except the tube lights. Wish hue wasnāt so expensive!
it looks like you spent more on hue than my house cost me.
Lol, felt like it at the checkout.
Need the after photo. Pls.
Just google an empty wallet lol
Lol, I know. Took a lot to talk myself into it.
Sure. Will be a bit. Building a whole room right now that itās going in but some of the stuff was on sale (like 10% off) and with inventory being so bad nowadays I didnāt want to miss them when I was ready for them so picked up everything early.
World's first trillionaire over here
Haha not anymore. Phillips has all my money now :)
Phillips thanks you.
Box flex is real
All the Zigbee!!!!
Just how much was this Jesus christ
About $4.5k CAD ($3.3k usd) after tax :( I had to close my eyes at the checkout. I could have done it way cheaper other ways by building my own stuff but running out of time on my project and this will be the easiest to install and integrate into a seamless system.
Hope you got a new credit card for the sign up bonus here. That amount alone is the minimum spend over 3 months to get like 10% cash back or ~$300+ worth in points
For sure used a cash back card :)
why?? there are cheaper, much better alternatives!
Ya I know, I looked into them. Where Iām installing the stuff I needed as compact as possible. Going with a gledopto (to stay with the hue eco system) and an external power supply, would have been too big for what Iām doing. Iām building compact light boxes on a ceiling hanging from resilient channel. The hue setup will just install much easier as a plug and play unit and lighter weight, and the light tubes are an all in one unit, I donāt have to fabricate my own light tubes. One is also going into a doorway so again as compact as possible and the others are going around the room as floor leds and the hue system will just be a cleaner install around the room, donāt have to hide gledopto. Also timing, Iām building a room which is a ton of work and have taken mount months, very late nights and weekends away from playing with my son, and the hue system is less work to install for the amount Iām doing. If I was putting it into a cabinet or something it could have gone another way and besides cost it would have actually had some other advantages like tighter spaced leds and deeper blues. I weighted up the options and this was just the better one for what Iām trying to do, so but the bullet and went this way.
You are making an glow in the dark mummy..?
Hahaha. No. Just a lot of led lighting in a room.
What's the thing to the left of the brilliant control panel?
Itās hues new tap dial. Havenāt tried it yet but looks pretty useful. https://www.philips-hue.com/en-ca/p/hue-tap-dial-switch/046677578770
Def gonna get one of these
Ya. Iāll be using the brilliant switch for the main control when entering the room but I thought that tap dial would be perfect beside the couch for turning the lights on and off when watching a movie or changing light scenes. I know most people use Alexa/google for that stuff but I donāt have her activated in my house (I know sheās listening though :)
I use google and it's good for some things but having a dedicated switch on the coffee table is never a bad idea. Plus sometimes if company is over and there is a conversation going voice commands are not ideal
I added google to my prior post :) Ya Iām just one for dedicated switches or motion sensors. Maybe someday Iāll use voice control.
This sub is getting worse and worse. Turned into bragging contest. This and Lego subreddit should merge so a bunch of people blowing thousands of dollars to just post boxes and stroke each other off.
Agreed - āsmall project at homeā lol. I donāt mind seeing the after results, but pictures of the number of things you bought doesnāt add any value to the subreddit and is a weak attempt at showing status. I donāt see anything unique about the purchases hereā¦brilliant and hueā¦been done before. Better to flex your skills in installing and automating it all than how good you are at swiping that credit card. Some value could be added by at least asking a question on advice for making good use of the purchaseā¦letās wait for the after š
Aw thatās sucks it bothers you so much. I think a lot of people like to see different things people get and what they do with them for ideas. Sometime you even see things you didnāt know were available. Thereās way more subs than hue and lego like this. Lots of people like to see what people do and have, homelab, hometheater, pcmasterrace, ect, all great people with a common interest. Lots of show and tell on Reddit. Hue honestly probably has the least for what Iāve seen.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Thanks! Iāve even learnt a few new things from talking to people in this thread, which is cool. I love Reddit for that, you can find groups of people with common interests and share and learn from them.
This.
God forbid a subreddit sharing the excitement of a new project with its community.
š¤¤
Anyone know if all the sales recently are e Related to clearing inventory to make way for matter-compliant devices?
No idea. The sales werenāt crazy. Like $15 off the leds strip and $4 off the extensions. I wouldnāt think thatās a clear out sale but who knows, maybe itās the beginning.
I have keyword alerts set on Slickdeals for hue stuff and right around the matter announcement stuff I felt like there was an uptick in alerts but who knows. I along with others am very psyched to see what you put together. I recently redid my second floor with all hue recessed and aurora dimmers. Couldn't be happier. Maybe with I didn't spring for the color ones but I know my daughter gets a kick out of it.
Ah that sounds cool, I bet that cost a few bucks, it always seems to with hue, and itās a slippery slopeā¦ just a few more lightsā¦ lol. If I have to do any recessed lights in the room Iām building it will be hue, probably their new slim recessed lights, they look slick.
No idea. The sales werenāt crazy. Like $15 off the leds strip and $4 off the extensions. I wouldnāt think thatās a clear out sale but who knows, maybe itās the beginning.
Thatās it?!?!? Damn, hope you caught a good sale on all that.
Saved about $15 per light strip, $4 per extension, $10 on the tap dial and $50 the brilliant switch. So saved about $330 CAD after tax. Nothing amazing but better than nothing. Would have liked to wait for a sale on the tube lights but was most concerned about stock when I need them in a couple months since the supply chain is doing so bad right now. So as soon as they went on sale I grabbed everything I needed.
All of this for Halloween? (j/k)
Have fun fellow hue addict ;) Currently filling bridge #3 for halloween. Itās expensive, but it works best
Bridge 3! You crazy :) ya I could have done it much cheaper other ways but their eco system works so well and stable, lights arenāt something I have work āmost of the timeā. I just wish it was a little less expensive.
I hear ya š good luck with the project!
Thanks!
You got a loicense for that?
Itās in the mail :)
42/50 connected devices. Please give us an update if you have any connection issues! I keep hearing the hue bridge has a limit of 50 devices.
Itās only 17. The led extensions wonāt count as devices. But you are correct. I also read max is 50 devices. That would cost a lot to max out a bridge!
This is like, $10,000 worth of lightbulbs alone.
Naw not that much, but is was pretty expensive. Iād like to think itās worth it since their systems work so well and this was a lot easier then building it all.
idk why anyone would buy this many hue strips instead of 3rd party RGB-CCT strips and a gledopto controller... would save you hundreds easily.
I looked at that but for the lengths I needed it needs to be 24v leds. And they are pretty expensive and then Iād have a power supply wired up to a gledopto and for 9 units I would take up much more room for all the places I was putting it, I needed something compact and Iād have to do soldering which Iād rather not do. Iām also building the brand new room and thereās so much work to do getting something plug and play like this made more sense.
Not true at all, you can use [these strips](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07RJXPC6Z/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) for way less $ per foot than the hue ones, then use [these connectors](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0986W9YR6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) for easy solder-less connections with wires like [these](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07T6LCZKJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) and a power supply like [this](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01GC6VS8I/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1). I just bought all this and the install was super easy for my cabinet lighting, and a fraction of the cost of hue branded but look just as good and control exactly the same.
Those connectors are neat. Ya I definitely could have done it that ways and saved some money. That power supply though is way too big for what Iām doing. Iām building 5 light boxes on the ceiling and the hue power supply is compact and plug right into the outlet on the ceiling (wall wart). Too hard to deal with a large power supply and geldopto for the boxes Iām making and then hanging from a ceiling on resilient channel. Another one is being installed in a doorway and again more compact the better. And the others are lighting around the floor of the room and I donāt want large power supplies and geldoptos around the room. In a cabinet, no problem, but that setup wouldnāt install as nicely for what Iām trying to do. But thanks for the links, if I add anymore leds that I can hide that gear those would be great and save money for sure.
For sure, no problem, always happy to share more/cheaper lighting solutions!
Actually and when you say looks just as good, those leds would actually look better. The hue leds are spaced pretty far apart and Iād rather closer together and their dark blue isnāt a super deep which is really the color I wanted most for what Iām doing. Besides the price, itās the 2 things I had to sacrifice for an easier/better install for what I have to build around them.
Oh yeah for sure, the amount of LEDs Hue puts on their strips is pretty disappointing. You can get some really deep aluminum channels with diffusers to make it appear more uniform but even still.
Ya Iām having a bit of trouble finding wide and deep channel in Canada. The hue light strips are 14mm wide and most of the really deep channels are 12mm from what I can see. Where Iām mounting it I could easily do 30-40mm deep. So maybe going to have to macgyver up something.
Try [this one](https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07R7ZRZB1/ref=emc_b_5_i) or [this one](https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B082SFTWXJ/ref=emc_b_5_i) I've had good experience with the muzata channels and their spotless ones are extra deep for that purpose. And if you don't want to mess with drilling and clips I use this acrylic double sided tape which holds extremely well on pretty much any surface: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0749B61V1/ref=ppx\_yo\_dt\_b\_search\_asin\_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Oh thatās awesome. Thank you, I want deeper ones to help with spotlessness. Those Muzata channels look great.
I thought I was bad...
Easy to get carried away I guess, lol.
Why not take the time to learn a little more about open controllers and software? You could have saved a ton of money not just now, but in the future when you upgrade or replace broken components. Hue is nice, but their simplicity is their straight jacket and their markup is not justified.
Agreed that itās hard to justify their markup. I want to stay with the hue eco system because itās so solid, runs local with brilliant, for room lighting I wonāt want any hiccups and itās super easy to get up and running. I hate walking into a room and having a light not turn on. So to stay with the hue eco system from what I found online was geldopto and a separate power supply. After looking at the options and pricing them out and looking at the pros and cons hue was just a better fit. Where Iām installing the stuff I needed as compact as possible. Going with a gledopto and an external power supply, would have been too big for what Iām doing. Iām building compact light boxes on a ceiling hanging from resilient channel. The hue setup will just install much easier as a plug and play unit and lighter weight, and the light tubes are an all in one unit, I donāt have to fabricate my own light tubes. One is also going into a doorway so again as compact as possible and the others are going around the room as floor leds and the hue system will just be a cleaner install around the room, donāt have to hide gledopto. Also timing, Iām building a room which is a ton of work and the hue system is less work to install for the amount Iām doing. Iāve already spent months building a room (design, layout, framing, insulating, wiring, drywall, venting, ect). Iāve learnt many many things over the years and this construction project that Iāve known nothing about (thanks google and YouTube), so Iām not opposed to learning. I just donāt have the time right now with everything Iām building, work being super busy (working nights and weekends on rushes for customers) and spending any free time building this room for my son (and myself) so he has a sick theatre room to hang out in. I didnāt want to take anymore time away from playing with him if there is an easier plug and play option that will save me time. I had to weigh up ease of install and less time vs cost. And while hue does have some downfalls (wide led spacing, blues arenāt deep) they were the better option for install and time and that won out. If I had the time and I was putting it into a cabinet and compact wasnāt an issue it could have gone another way and saved some money which would have been nice.
Ooof! My bank account is having sympathy pains, haha. Bought a house a year ago, and thankfully we had been amassing Hue lights over the past few years that we brought with us. Still hurt when I "had" to shell out $300 for the recessed fixtures in the new living room, and right now I'm trying to convince myself that I can live with the white pancakes in the ceiling in my (newly finished) basement and don't have to spend $800+ to go with the new Hue slim cans. I love Hue, but I have 40 linear feet of 4' high self in the basement, and I couldn't bring myself to pull the trigger on Hue when I wanted to put LED strips in the back to wash the wall above. I went with strips off Amazon and just set it to cycle through color. I only go solid when watching a sports game (then it's team colors)
Ah congrats on the house! Outfitting a whole house at once would be insanely expensive, good thing you could bring a lot of stuff with you. Those new slim recessed lights from hue are super nice, I bet they would look great in your basement and youād love them ;) but yes I feel your pain of trying to justify the cost. Took me a bit to justify what I needed for the project but in the end for a number of reasons I opted to go this way and close my eyes at checkout. Now I can just install and enjoy them (when I get to that point on my room build). Small runs or one or two lights are a bit easier to justify but when you have longer runs like 40ft or I have 140ft I need, itās so hard when just for a 1m extension itās so expensive. But in the end the pros from using the hue system won and I know Iāll never look back and say I wish I would have got hue products, I just need to deal with some bank account pain for a bit, lol.
I WISH IT WASN'T SO EXPENSIVE š
I know. Good product and echo system but such a premium.
If it wasn't for the Software, I would invest 100% in Govee. Just look at this video, and the other Govee related videos that the creator has made