Easy methods to use Philips Hue Safe

Philips Hue Secure is a brand new good residence safety system from the good lighting firm. The system was introduced together with some new smart security cameras in August and is now stay within the Hue app. Nevertheless, when you’re a Philips Hue consumer, you don’t want to purchase the brand new cameras to make use of the brand new security measures; you simply must replace your app to model 5.0.1. 

The system works with Hue’s present good lights, movement sensors, and new contact sensors ($39.99) that monitor doorways and home windows. When armed, if the system detects movement or different exercise, you get an alert and might select to set off all of your lights to flash and even set off a Star Trek-style crimson alert. Add in Hue’s new safety cameras, and also you get the choice of triggering their built-in siren, too.

To arrange Hue Safe, you want a Hue Bridge ($59.99), Hue lights, and at the least one sensor. This could be a Hue movement sensor (indoor or outdoor), the brand new Hue contact sensors, or any of Hue’s new security cameras (coming later this yr). As talked about, the cameras embody a siren in addition to motion-sensing capabilities. 

For those who don’t have any Hue merchandise, you’ll be able to decide up a Hue Secure starter kit that features two bulbs, a movement sensor, and three contact sensors, plus a bridge for $299.99.

There isn’t any payment to make use of Hue Safe. Nevertheless, the Hue Safe cameras, which start at $199.99, have an optional subscription plan so as to add cloud storage of recorded video and good alerts for movement, individual, animal, car, and bundle detection. This begins at $3.99 month-to-month / $39.99 yearly per digicam.

When you’ve up to date your app to the newest model, you’ll get a immediate to arrange Hue Safe the primary time you open it. (For those who don’t see this display screen or select to skip it, you’ll be able to set it up later by way of the brand new Safety tab within the app’s settings).

• Select which units you need to use to warn you when there’s exercise in your house. These will probably be any movement sensors, contact sensors, and / or cameras you have got in your Hue system.
• Select if a tool will monitor when the system is Armed: House or Armed: Away. (Tip: for Armed: House, solely select units which can be exterior sensors or on a unique flooring so that you don’t set off them by accident.)
• Activate notifications for the sensors. This can make sure you get an alert when movement is detected, when a contact sensor is triggered, or (in case you have a Safe digicam) if an individual / pet / car is detected. Establishing alerts is important, because the system won’t robotically set off an alarm — you will need to manually activate one. 
• Arrange an alarm. For those who solely have lights, you’ll be able to flash the lights white or crimson (in case you have shade bulbs). When you have cameras, additionally, you will see the choice to activate a siren. 
• When you’ve chosen an motion, choose which lights in your house will flash, and select completely different choices for once you’re residence versus once you’re away.
• Lastly, you’ll be able to select so as to add an emergency contact quantity. This can pop up alongside 911 on the Take Motion display screen when movement is detected so you’ll be able to shortly name them from that display screen.

• As soon as Hue Safe is ready up, a brand new Safety possibility seems on the homepage of the Hue app. Faucet this to arm or disarm the system. You possibly can select Arm: House or Arm: Away to activate your sensors.
• Once you faucet both one, you get a 30-second countdown (configurable in settings) till your sensors begin monitoring for movement. 
• When the system is armed, any movement detected will ship an alert to your telephone saying “movement detected” and indicating the place and when it was detected.
• Faucet on the alert to open the Take Motion display screen within the Hue app.
• You might have three choices: faucet Disarm, faucet All Secure to dismiss the alert however hold the system armed, or faucet Take Motion.
• Selecting Take Motion will carry up a second display screen from which you’ll be able to select to name 911, name your emergency contact, flip all lights to brilliant, or set off the alarm.
• You could faucet and slide the alarm set off to set off the alarm. This can make your lights flash, and any sirens sound in whichever means you configured them in settings.
• Faucet once more to cease the alarm.

The Hue app additionally now has a brand new timeline the place you’ll be able to see a historical past of security-related occasions reminiscent of movement, when the system was armed or disarmed, and clips from any cameras.

At launch, Philips Hue Safe isn’t as strong a house safety system as, say, Ring Alarm, SimpliSafe, or Arlo’s new system — particularly, there’s no possibility for skilled monitoring and no bodily keypad. Nevertheless, as a free means of including some good safety to your present merchandise, it’s a pleasant improve for Hue customers.

Screenshots by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge