Hi, I'm very new with this system. I thought this would be a nice and easy way to build my system, but how wrong I was, damn. But I would be so crateful if you could help me out, and tell me what I should to do..
My system is pretty simple, for now at least. I have two led lights in the hallway, one in the kitchen, and one outside with motion sensor. And because a winters are freezing here in Finland, it would be a super to have a controlled socket for a car heater. (Later on I would like to add more motion sensors I.e. to toilet etc.)
But, in those leds in hallway and kitchen, I would like to program the light temperature to be warm at evenings and cold at mornings. By nights they should be dimmed, and a motion sensor would be nice here at night time.
If I add a Philips Hue bulbs and sensors, would they work with out the Hue Bridge?
Yes, they will... however many of us choose to keep Hue bulbs on a Hue bridge and use the Hue integration for HE. It works really well, and keeping your bulbs on a separate bridge has advantages. On the other hand it generally works better to keep motion sensors paired directly to HE.
I assume you mean an engine block heater for your car. That's a pretty easy automation to add, though I am not familiar with the options for smart plugs available in Finland.
HE is definitely an adventure but you will get the hang of it and it's definitely worth the effort. Feel free to ask questions along the way. There are lots of folks who will gladly give advice.
In the mean time here are two really useful links for building your network. I'd suggest reading them before you get too much farther.
@brad5 is right that the combined wisdom is to keep the bulbs on the Hue bridge and accessories on the HE hub. More recent advances in the Hue platform, though early in their existence, allow for updates to Hue devices to be pushed to external systems, such as HE custom integrations, catered for by the Coco-Hue and Advanced Hue Integrations developed by @bertabcd1234 and @armand.
Along similar lines, there is also expert advice from @ogiewon re the channel selection for Wi-fi and Zigbee networks.
I may have over-complicated things.... So, given your small setup, I would personally suggest whatever is easiest at the moment, keeping in mind all that has been suggested, then adjust your setup as you encounter any issues.
So, given your small setup, I would personally suggest whatever is easiest at the moment, keeping in mind all that has been suggested, then adjust your setup as you encounter any issues.
