Philips Hue Flux - I Can See the Potential

I've seen it on TV.

I've seen it in fancy hotel rooms.

I even saw it once at my friend's flash house.

Ambient lighting. Light that comes from a mystery source. Above cabinets. Under benchtops. Between shelves.

You know what I'm talking about; light that's there to accentuate and illuminate at just the right brightness without any actual, obvious fixture getting in the way.

I mean, if you're going to do smart lighting, you may as well make it really smart.

That's exactly what the Philips Hue Flux system lets you do - all by yourself.

The idea here - like so many good ideas - is simple; a smart lighting strip with its own adhesive backing, that can be cut to whatever length is required.

In fact, there's even a range of Hue Flux accessories to make installation even more versatile.

There are connectors that let you join two lengths of Flux lightstrip together or conversely, there are Flux flex connectors, that help you create blackout gaps between two strips (which would be ideal for sets of shelves, for example). Corner connectors are fairly self explanatory and then there are Hue Flux brackets, which come in a 10-pack.

Now, had I known this last option existed, I may have not embarked on my own Hue Flux installation with as much confidence as I display in the video below.

"What could be so difficult?" I asked myself, as I quickly measured my strip to fit under my kitchen cabinets and easily cut it to length. "I'll just peel the adhesive backing off, stick it up, plug it in, then spend a bit of time selecting the colours, themes and automations I'll be able to use, to bring some real atmosphere into my kitchen. Can't wait."

Except - as the video clearly shows - that adhesive backing simply didn't do the job.

Now, it's definitely possible the underside of the row of cupboards I was attempting to stick the Flux onto was a little greasy, given its situation directly above my stovetop. But even after I gave it a thorough clean, I simply couldn't get the Flux strip to stay up for longer than a minute or so at a time.

Frustrating, to say the least.

Like I say, if I'd had a pack or two of the Hue Flux brackets - which give you the option of adhesive tape or even screws, I may have been tempted to go with the more permanent screw-in option. Although if I'd tried that without the prior approval of the Domestic Manager, there may have been repercussions and reprisals.

There's no doubt the actual lighting part of this product is of the same high quality as any other Hue device I've reviewed in the past. The question is, are you prepared to pay the premium price Hue products demand if this particular Hue might not stay stuck where you want it to?

Philips Hue's parent company, Signify, also owns WiZ - a more entry-level range of similar smart lighting devices. You can grab a 5-metre WiZ lighting strip that essentially does the same job for just NZ$69.99 - as opposed to the NZ$229.99 Hue Flux 3-metre option.

To be fair though, that's not really comparing apples with apples.

For starters, WiZ lights connect directly to your Wi-Fi, while Hue lights connect through a Hue Bridge or the updated Hue Bridge Pro.

That means you can have control of up to 150 lights and 50 accessories through one bridge, causing significantly less clutter on your local router than if you had as many WiZ devices all clamouring for a space on your home network at the same time.

Secondly, the Hue Flux really gets extremely bright; up to 2900 lumens. That's compared to just 840 lumens on the WiZ option. No contest really. 

Yes, you can opt for subtle, cosy, dim mood lighting - even simulated flickering candle light or fireside flames if that's your groove. But at full brightness, the Hue Flux can definitely be used to illuminate any workspace, flooding every single dark corner, nook or cranny with all the lumens it can muster.

For example, work benches in sheds and mancaves are often notoriously poorly lit. Consider the difference a few strips of carefully positioned Hue Flux would make - assuming you can get them to stick, obviously.

Another ideal use-case would be a shop or business display window. The best thing about using Hue Flux here would be the ability to change the colour or animated theme to match whatever you happened to be showing off - even if you switch the display out on a regular basis.

The customisable nature of Hue Flux really means you can now bring the full force of Philips Hue colours, scenes and other high-end features like pre-programmed routines and voice control via your preferred smart home assistant, to pretty much any space in your home.

Just be prepared to come up with a Plan B if that sticky backing turns out to not be quite as sticky as you'd hoped.

    

Click here for more information and pricing on the Philips Hue Flux ultra bright strip light.