Get a vintage outdoor vibe with Philips Hue’s new smart lights

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The Inara's exposed filament harkens back to Thomas Edison.
The Inara's exposed filament harkens back to Thomas Edison.
Photo: Philips Hue

In time for upcoming spring and summer evenings, smart lighting company Philips Hue offers some cool retro-lighting options for you to try when it’s warm enough to gather outside. Or anytime you want to give your house’s exterior a vintage vibe, really.

Philips Hue owner Signify said three new additions to its outdoor smart lighting line launch on March 1. In addition, two new lighting effects for indoor smart bulbs will arrive on the Hue app later this year, the company added.

Philips Hue Inara: vintage outdoor vibe

The company described the Philips Hue Inara wall light, at $99.99, as a vintage-style outdoor fixture featuring a filament bulb. Those are sometimes called “Edison bulbs” because they bring to mind the original incandescent bulb Thomas Edison invented.

You may recognized the old-school look from exposed bulbs used indoors. This may be the first one, or one of very few, for outdoor use. But you can only get this bulb inside the Inara’s black vintage-style lantern. It’s not something you can buy separately and use with other fixtures.

While the Inara lacks typical Hue options for changing colors — that’s wouldn’t be very Edisonian, would it? — you can use the Hue app to adjust the filament bulb’s brightness. And you can do so with a remote control, sold separately, or with your voice. It’s compatible with Siri, Amazon Alexa and Google voice assistants.)

Lucca: more colorful, not as retro

The Lucca light offers color variations.
The Lucca light offers color variations and a bit of an old-school motel vibe.
Photo: Philips Hue

If you want colors and a somewhat more contemporary look, the new Lucca wall light — also slated to cost $99.99 — is an outdoor wall fixture with a round shape strapped by black bands. Though modern, there’s a touch of an Art Deco look to it, like something you might find at a classic Miami hotel.

With the Lucca, you can get white or color-changing light. It’s made to be bold and bright, suitable for lighting up a doorway, balcony or patio space.

Resonate: pure atmosphere

The Resonate lights up a wall for a classic and classy look.
The Resonate lights up a wall for a classic and classy look.
Photo: Philips Hue

The third new product, priced at $159.99, is the Resonate wall light in black. The minimalist light casts white or colored light up and down a wall, for a more atmospheric lighting option. It’s good for showcasing architectural features.

The three new light fixtures above work with the Philips Hue app. They all require the Philips Hue Bridge for automations, like having the lights switch on via motion sensor or at a certain time. Hue offers an outdoor motion sensor that can pair with any of its lights for automatic activation.

Hue products work with Apple’s HomeKit smart home platform as well as Amazon Alexa, Google Home and Samsung SmartThings.

Philips Hue app update

Signify said it also plans to update the Philips Hue app in the first quarter of 2022. The update will include two new effects for the company’s indoor bulbs — candle and fireplace. Just like the names suggest, they’ll allow you set your Hue bulbs to imitate the flicker of a candle or the glow of a fireplace.

Some third-party apps started offering these features for Hue bulbs a while back. And, in fact, the Hue’s Labs section of its app includes Candlelight. But with the upcoming update it makes its way to the main app. The two new effects will work on all compatible Philips Hue lights, including the hub-based Zigbee versions and the stand-alone Bluetooth bulbs.

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