If you are like me, you have a massive phobia of drilling massive holes in the wall to add more light switches. With the Philips Hue Smart Lighting ecosystem, you can add an accessory that will resolve this worry.
Philips Hue has a fairly cheap light switch that requires no screws, no difficult setup. Simply get it out of the packaging, take a few bits of packaging off and stick it to the wall.
This also gives you a remote, so if you come into your room and pick up the remote as you watch TV, you can simply just dim the lights from the remote!
Step 1: Find the ideal location for your Dimmer Switch
To avoid confusion, I just keep my Philips Hue Dimmer switch next to my original light switch, this is because it’s out of habit that I will change the lights at that location.
It’s worth noting, the Philips Hue can be placed ANYWHERE, it’s just a remote dock, you can pick up 1 remote and place it in another dock elsewhere if you really wanted to.
The actual Switch is made of only two components, the base plate (Which uses magnets to keep the remote on it) and the remote itself. I suggest placing these next to entries/exits to your rooms.
Step 2: Mount with the adhesive backplate
While you can screw in the base, there is absolutely no need, the adhesive is amazing.
While the packaging doesn’t come with screws, it is something you can just do yourself without issue. Got any spares lying around?
Screw the backplate in (The front panel comes off the back panel with some force).
I don’t like to force the plastic as it feels flimsy.
As the remote is magnetic, you can actually put it on your fridge! Perfect for those of you who use double-sided magnets for your remotes and have a collection!
Note: When using the adhesive backing it can take up to 24 hours to set, so plan ahead as it’s incredibly difficult to maneuver after.
Step 3: Remove the plastic remote strip
The remote control dimmer actually has batteries in it, so you just need to remove the plastic strip in the back, no need to unscrew the back panel, just rip it out!
You’ll notice that in the top left of the FRONT of the remote, there is a flashing orange LED. This means your Dimmer is ready to be set up.
Step 4: Pair your Dimmer switch with your Philips Hue lights
There are two different methods for setting up your Dimmer Switch, these are:
With a Hue Bridge
Open the Hue app on your phone and select “Settings > Accessory setup”. Once you’re there, simply tap “Add accessory”.
Without a Hue Bridge
If you have Philips Hue lights that don’t connect to a Bridge (Bluetooth for example), follow these steps:
Keep the remote 6 inches away from your remote, press, and hold “ON” for 3 seconds under the light on the remote blinks green.
Congratulations! your Philips Hue remote is now synchronized.
You can do this for up to 10 bulbs with a single result, if you wish to remove a Philips Hue bulb from the Dimmer Switch, you need to hold the OFF Button for 10 seconds instead of the On for 3 seconds.
In Summary
The Philips Hue Switch is a great way to control your home lighting. It’s easy to install and it doesn’t require any wiring or complicated setup process. You can also use the switch with other smart lights, so you don’t have to pay for multiple switches if you want more than one light in your house that connects to your wifi network.
