Control Your Philips Hue Lights by Asking

Your muse can run your Philips Hue lights through the bridge you have at home, so you can turn rooms on, dim them, change color, or call up a scene by asking in plain words.

What it does

Philips Hue lights connect to a small box called a bridge, which sits on your home network. Once connected to that bridge through the Hue cloud, it can list your lights, rooms, and zones, and read which scenes you have saved for each room. It can also list motion, temperature, and light-level sensors, and the buttons and rotary controls on your walls. Ask for a change and it can set one light, a whole room, or a zone at once: on or off, brightness from 0 to 100, a color, or a warmth setting that runs from cool daylight to candlelight. Some lights also support effects such as candle, sparkle, fire, and prism. When you name a saved scene, it recalls that scene as it is. It is normal if handing your lights to an agent sounds strange at first. Nothing changes until you ask, and you can disconnect the bridge at any time.

How to use it

1. Set the bridge up in the Hue app first. This connection does not replace that setup.
2. Connect your muse using the connect link it gives you, signing in with the Hue account your bridge is registered to.
3. Ask for a list of your lights and rooms, and check the names match what you call them at home.
4. Start small: "Turn the kitchen lights on at half brightness," and watch it happen.
5. Try a scene or an effect once single changes feel routine: "Set the living room to its evening scene."

What you need

• A muse account
• Philips Hue lights and a Hue bridge, already set up in the Hue app
• The Hue account the bridge is registered to

What to watch for

• The bridge must already be on your home network and linked to your Hue account in the Hue app. Your muse cannot do that first setup.
• Effect support varies by light. If a change only partly works, ask for a fresh list so you can see their real state before trying another change.
• This connection cannot create or edit scenes, rooms, or Hue automations. Build those in the Hue app, then ask your muse to use them.
• When several lights or rooms fit the words you used, your muse should ask which one you mean. Answer rather than letting it guess.