Author Profile
David Nield
Find David on Twitter.
Article History:
- lightingMay 14, 2019
How to make your Philips Hue lights flow in time to your music
Once you've got the basics of smart lighting sorted — putting your lights on a timer, turning them on and off with your phone, and so on — you'll want to get on to the cool stuff. And, on that note, we're here to show you how to get your Philips Hue lights blinking and…
- lightingMay 10, 2019
Philips Hue tips and tricks: 18 secrets for mastering your smart lights
Got yourself a fancy Philips Hue smart lighting system? Then you probably want to know how to get the most out of it, and that's where our definitive collection of tips and tricks comes in. From having your lights flash to report the weather, to controlling a Philips Hue system with your voice, educate yourself…
- lightingApril 26, 2019
How to reset your Philips Hue bulbs and Bridge
While the Philips Hue smart lights are some of the most reliable and most intuitive we've had the pleasure of using, there might well be occasions when you need to reset them. Maybe something in the smart home chain is playing up, maybe you want to sell your Hue kit on to someone else, or…
- lightingApril 25, 2019
How to set up your Philips Hue lights without a Bridge
Philips Hue has one of the most comprehensive and versatile ranges of smart lights out there, and usually, you'd want the Philips Hue Bridge plugged into your router to control all of your installed bulbs. But what if you don't have or don't want to have a Hue Bridge? Thanks to the Hue bulbs' compatibility…
- lightingApril 21, 2019
How to connect Philips Hue to Google Home
No one really does smart lights quite like Philips Hue, and one of the reasons the Hue range is so popular is that it works with a host of other stuff – like the Google Home devices and platform. If you want to be able to control your Philips Hue lights through the Google Home…
- lightingApril 6, 2019
Hue Sync explained: How to sync Philips Hue to your movies and games
Some of the coolest tricks possible with your Philips Hue lights come courtesy of the official Hue Sync app from Philips itself: this Windows/macOS tool lets you sync your Philips Hue bulbs to your music, movies and games. It works by analysing what's on screen and adjusting your multicolour Hue bulbs accordingly — a great…
- lightingMarch 24, 2019
How to set up your Ikea Trådfri lights with a motion sensor
The Ikea Trådfri range of smart lights can be configured to work with motion sensors, so you can have someone's presence in the room trigger them instead of (or as well as) using light switches or the Trådfri app. Ikea actually sells a Trådfri sensor itself — you can use it to connect a Trådfri…
- amazonMarch 3, 2019
How to get Ikea Trådfri smart lights set up with Alexa
The Ikea Trådfri smart bulb range is quickly making its mark as a way to give lights a smart upgrade without spending too much cash; they don't come with a huge number of bells and whistles, but they do the job very affordably. One of the extras that the Trådfri bulbs do bring with them…
- lightingFebruary 22, 2019
Ikea Trådfri smart lighting review
Ikea is moving into the smart home, and that includes taking on the likes of Philips Hue and Lifx with some smart lights of its own – Trådfri. Trådfri actually covers the entirety of Ikea's smart home line, which includes smart plugs, motion sensors and more. The Swedish furniture maker launched its smart lights in…
- googleFebruary 17, 2019
How to connect your Ikea Trådfri lights to Google Home
Ikea now offers its own cheap and (reasonably) cheerful smart lights in the form of the Trådfri range, and the good news for those who let the Google Assistant power their smart homes is that these lights can be incorporated too. The process of adding Ikea Trådfri lights to Google Home isn't a complicated one,…