Philips Hue bulbs are one of many best methods to provide your current lighting fixtures sensible residence capabilities, together with via Apple’s HomeKit platform. The issue with Philips Hue switches is that every time a wall gentle change is flipped off, the sensible lights turn out to be unresponsive. The Lutron Aurora dimmer is a straightforward but ingenious option to resolve this drawback.
Replace: Since I initially revealed this assessment, I’ve continued so as to add to my Lutron Aurora setup. I can even vouch for his or her long-term reliability. They now play an important function in my sensible residence implementation. I do want they labored past Philips Hue equipment, however aside from that, I’ve only a few gripes.
The best long-term answer is devoted Lutron Caséta switches, however for those who’re renting and that’s not an choice, the Lutron Aurora continues to be my go-to suggestion for consumers in america the place these flip switches are frequent.
The issue
Most of my complete home is outfitted with Philips Hue bulbs, together with lamps and fixtures. I’ve slowly been constructing out my HomeKit lighting setup through the years, and the flexibility of Philips Hue bulbs has made it simple to keep up the setup, regardless of transferring flats and finally right into a home.
Philips Hue bulbs are additionally extremely helpful for renters: They merely change “dumb” bulbs and require no wiring modifications or every other upgrades that may not be authorized by your landlord.
For me, I’ve turn out to be completely acquainted with by no means utilizing a bodily gentle change — I do know that all the pieces might be managed with ease, because of the Residence app on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, in addition to Siri. I’ve automations arrange for particular instances of day, scenes for issues like work and rest, and automations for leaving and arriving residence.
However as anybody with Philips Hue sensible bulbs has skilled, every time a wall gentle change is flipped off, the sensible lights will go unresponsive. It is because Hue bulbs require the lights to remain within the “on” place always to be managed through the Hue app or HomeKit. It’s possible not you flipping that gentle change on and off, however slightly somebody you reside with or company.
Lutron’s Aurora dimmer is designed to unravel that drawback.
The repair
The Lutron Aurora is a straightforward accent that’s designed to suit over your current toggle switches. The set up course of is extremely simple, with the round-shaped dimmer snapping over your toggle change. Then, you tighten the bottom with a screwdriver and set up the entrance cowl.
After you have the {hardware} put in, you arrange the Aurora’s integration with the Philips Hue app. The Aurora dimmer integrates with Philips Hue via the “Buddies of Hue” platform. As you possibly can see within the screenshots under, simply select the Lutron Aurora from the “Buddies of Hue” listing within the Hue app. From there, you possibly can select what occurs when the Lutron Aurora is managed.
Aspect observe: All the pieces is managed through the Hue app — not the Residence app or the Lutron app. This implies you’ll want to verify your rooms and equipment are in sync between the Residence app and the Hue app. This could be a painstaking course of, however it’s value it ultimately.
You possibly can pair the Lutron Aurora with a number of equipment, which implies one change doesn’t have to regulate one set of lights. For instance, I’ve mine set as much as management the overhead fixture in addition to the ground lamp, each of which use Philips Hue bulbs.
This additionally means you don’t essentially have to purchase a number of Lutron Aurora dimmers for every room. For instance, you probably have two fixtures or lamps, you possibly can set it up such that one Lutron Aurora controls each of them — and even the entire lights within the room.
As soon as the setup course of is full, the Lutron Aurora works largely like a traditional gentle change. The Aurora might be pushed like a button to energy equipment on and off or turned to the left or proper to extend or lower accent brightness.
Once more, the profit right here is that you just retain sensible residence management, even for those who or another person in your home by accident flips the handbook gentle change.
There are some limitations. First, the Lutron Aurora solely works with Philips Hue bulbs, so you probably have different sensible bulbs scattered all through your sensible residence setup, it is best to preserve that limitation in thoughts. Secondly, Lutron Aurora dimmers solely match over the traditional United States “flip” model switches. You probably have one other model of wall change, the Lutron Aurora received’t give you the results you want.
Different options
There are different options to giving sensible residence lighting in-wall management. As an illustration, the Lutron Caséta in-wall dimmers (assessment) change the present gentle switches in your home with related switches. Philips Hue additionally sells its personal Sensible Dimmer Swap, however this doesn’t match over your current switches.
These options supply their very own advantages, such because the Lutron Caséta switches additionally with the ability to management celling followers (assessment), however neither are as simple and renter-friendly because the Lutron Aurora.
The Lutron Aurora is accessible on Amazon for slightly below $40. In case you’re a Philips Hue person, that is a straightforward manner so as to add some further comfort to your sensible residence setup, even when it’s extra to learn different members of your family and company than you.
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