Hue's high end modular smart track lighting offers ultimate customization
The Philips Hue Perifo system is, without doubt, the most slick and grand offering from the smart light specialist. At around £500-700 for an 'average' setup; going well north of £1,000 if you've got a big space to fill, it's not exactly budget-friendly but it's as close to a pro-install setup as you're likely to see from an off the shelf lighting product. The array of shapes, configurations and lighting options is seriously impressive and installation isn't too hard, albeit with some slight snags that make things a bit more difficult. If you're looking to create a stand-out lighting system in your home, the Hue Perifo could well be the answer.
Pros
- Highest-end Hue system
- Myriad of configurations
- Superb brightness
- Multiple lamps/lights on offer
Cons
- Expensive
- Installation has some quirks
- No Matter (yet)
Click here to buy Philips Hue Perifo right now
Audio Summary
Key features
- Lighting type: Modular track lighting system for ceilings or walls.
- Connectivity: Hue Zigbee, Bluetooth.
- Ecosystems: Alexa, Apple Home, Google Home, SmartThings.
At the end of last year, smart lighting specialist Signify announced the Philips Hue Perifo track lighting system.
Sitting right at the top-end of the Hue hierarchy (with lofty pricing to match), the Perifo system is based around a track system, whereby you can choose not only the shape of your setup, but the styles of smart lights you want on show.
It’s a vast upgrade from the Hue Centris system, which come in a range of pre-set configurations, and it’s also a lot more stylish than simply using regular Hue ceiling lights or regular Hue lightstrips.
In the smart lighting space there’s not really anything that competes with Hue Perifo, at least off of the shelf; you’d have to look to pro-installs from the likes of Lutron or Control4 for anything remotely like it.
However, just because the Hue Perifo system is a DIY smart light option, that doesn’t mean it comes cheap. You’re not dealing with a regular Hue smart light bulb here.
For every system you’ll need at least a power point supply unit (£84.99), a rail (from £44.99) and at least one light (from £99.99).
So, that’s £230-ish for a system with just one light, which isn’t really the point. Realistically, you’re looking at £500+ for a decent Perifo setup.
Note that I’m only giving UK prices here; Perifo is yet to go on sale in the US.
I’ve been living with a Hue Perifo track setup for a while now, read on to find out why it may just be the perfect smart lighting system for you.
Learn more about Philips Hue
- Learn: How to connect and set up Philips Hue
- Do more: Philips Hue sync explained
- Go further: Best Philips Hue apps
Design and installation
- Design your own shape – straight, L or U
- Choose your own light styles
- Installation is straightforward
- Wall or ceiling mounted
As mentioned above, you’ll need at least a power supply, a rail and a light to complete a Perifo system. But the likelihood is you’ll need much more than this to really create that ‘wow’ moment from your smart lighting.
And it really is a wow-system; Perifo systems can be configured to your heart’s content and you can, if your budget allows, create a fantastic, high-end, lighting experience in your home.
I’d say that Perifo is best suited to dining rooms, living rooms or kitchens… or maybe even a bedroom if you want a super modern aesthetic.
Where it isn’t suited is a dusty old garage – which is, unfortunately, where I had to test my Perifo due to renovation works ongoing in my house.
My setup still looks and works brilliantly but it’s wasted away in a room that is basically used for storage. Don’t fret though, I have plans to move it as soon as I can.
My setup is a simple straight line system consisting of a power supply unit (£84.99) 1.5m rail (£79.99), a 1m rail (£59.99), a connector to join these (£16.99), a linear light bar (£169.99) and two spotlights (£99.99 each).
So that’s £611.93 for a 2.5m, 3 light, straight line system.
Additionally to the lights I have in my system you could also opt for some stylish drop cylinder pendants (£129.99) or a gradient light bar (£169.99). 90-degree joiners are £24.99 each if you want to go L or U shaped… you can see how the price could soon shoot up well north of £1,000.
There’s a helpful Perifo Wizard to help you design your system before you buy and there are over 100 configurations possible (114, in fact).
Hue Perifo is designed to work on either a wall or your ceiling and you have the option of using existing light-socket wiring or a regular plug to power your system.
For my setup, which is ceiling based, I used to existing light wiring that was in my garage. It was a simple enough process to wire them to the PSU; although you may have to extend your wires should your existing light position not be exactly where you want the PSU to sit.
On that, you do have some options as there are PSUs that sit at the end of rails, plus a two-way one that can sit between two rails, so hopefully you’ll find an option that works that doesn’t require you to re-plaster your ceiling.
Once you’ve worked out where exactly the system is to go, it’s time to start screwing in the rails. The manual (Ikea-style) walks you through all of this and it’s certainly not difficult; even a DIY novice like me managed to get the system installed within an hour or so.
However, that’s not to say it was all plain-sailing; the rails have two screws – one at either end – where I think three would work better. It was hard to get the rails to sit exactly straight and, as you can see in the photo below, my joiner isn’t completely flush (although it still connects the two and works without issue).
(Image credit: The Ambient)
There are also a few fiddly bits involving washers and plastic bits that need to click in place but, as I’ve stated, it’s still a fairly straightforward installation job.
Once you’ve got the power supply wired in and all of your rails connected it’s simply a case of popping in your chosen lights where you want them.
The lightbar simply pops in and out like a piece of lego thanks to the riveted connector on its top side:
(Image credit: The Ambient)
You simply push the light into place gently and it will power up (if you’ve got the lights switched on, of course) immediately once those gold connector points tough the metallic strip inside the rail:
(Image credit: The Ambient)
If you want to move or replace the lightbar it pops out as easily as it popped in.
The spotlights also pop in but have the added security of a little plastic lock that you simply turn with a screwdriver. Presumably this is because they are a bit heavier than the lightbar:
(Image credit: The Ambient)
The spotlights can also be adjusted to move the angle they point at, with a 350-degree rotation possible.
You can adjust and amend your system anytime you like; not only do all the lights slide up and down the rail once popped in, they can also be taken out and put into new positions and you can also buy new joiners, rails and lights and add them to your setup too.
The Perifo system is available in both black and white; you’ll find all the different modules available in both. You can, should you wish, mix and match different colors.
Features
- Needs a Bridge for full functionality
- Also works via Bluetooth
- Voice assistant controls on offer
Like all modern Hue smart lights, the Perifo system works best if you pair it to a Hue Bridge but it’s also possible to connect directly via Bluetooth and your phone; although you will miss out on some cool Hue features.
Given the price of the Perifo system, it’d be pretty lame to not get a Bridge involved to get the full experience.
Once paired with a Hue Bridge you will notice that each individual Perifo light on your rail is treated a unique entity within the Hue app.
(Image credit: The Ambient)
That means that, should you group the lights together in the same room, you can control them all together or split them apart to mix up the colors and brightness.
It also means that, should you sync your Hue system with your smart home ecosystem of choice you get full voice control of each Perifo light, or group of lights using Siri, Alexa or the Google Assistant.
These being regular, albeit pricey and somewhat irregular, Hue lights you also have the multiple array of control options on offer, from the Hue app itself to Hue’s Tap Dial, Hue Smart Button or even a third-party smart home button.
Of course, you can set scenes and routines from within the Hue app but for more advanced automations it’s always best to jump into the likes of Apple Home, SmartThings, Alexa or Google Home.
What you can’t make use of, yet, (and this is the case with all Hue lights at present) is the new Matter smart home standard.
The Hue Bridge is set to get a Matter upgrade soon though so this will bring the Perifo system onboard, provided you’ve used the Bridge method.
Performance
Each power supply unit (PSU) can handle up to 100W of lighting and so you need to do the maths when configuring your system and working out how much power you’ll need.
The spotlights and pendants only have around a 5W rating, but the lightbars and light tubes can hit just under 30W for the bigger sizes.
In terms of brightness, you can expect 510lm at 4000K and 490lm at 2700K from the spotlights and pendants and up to a whopping 2050lm at 4000K from the lightbar.
On full whack, on a white setting, you can easily blind yourself with the brightness of the Perifo bulbs.
This being Hue, colors play a big part and, while there are ambience white-only options available, there’s more fun to be had with the color variants.
Final thoughts
Without doubt, the Hue Perifo system takes DIY smart lighting to the next level. It’s easy enough to install and the configuration options are almost endless.
The style and finish of the lights will add some modern-industrial chic to any room and, this being Hue, the performance and control options are pretty much faultless.
It’s hard to get past the price, because it is just so expensive compared to other Hue products, and that’s all that really holds it back from getting an extra half a star in my review.
Click here to buy Philips Hue Perifo right now
How we test
When we publish our reviews, you can rest assured that they are the result of “living with” long term tests.
Smart lights usually live within an ecosystem, or a range of products that – supposedly – all work in harmony. Therefore, it’s impossible to use a connected light for a week and deliver a verdict.
Because we’re testing smart home kit all day, everyday, we know what matters and how a particular light compares to alternatives that you might also be considering.
Our reviews are comprehensive, objective and fair and, of course, we are never paid directly to review a device.
Read our full guide on How We Test to find out more.
FAQS
Is Hue Perifo available to buy in the US?
Not officially yet, no.
Does Hue Perifo need the Hue Bridge?
It does for the full functionality but Perifo also works using Bluetooth.
Are Hue Perifo lights treated as one light in the app?
No, they are all treated as individual bulbs for maximum control.
Philips Hue Perifo: Specs
| Type | Type and colors | |
| UK RRP | From £44.99 | |
| US RRP | From $49.99 | |
| Size | Varies | |
| Weight | Varies | |
| Release date | October 2022 | |
| Ecosystems | Alexa, Apple Home, Google Home, SmartThings | |
| Connectivity | Zigbee, Bluetooth | |
| Brightness | Up to 2050lm |
