For me that's another plus for the Hue reliability. I changed it's channel a couple of times while troubleshooting zigbee issues. It's right back where it has always been on channel 25 and is rock solid. I'm guessing it's very popular in our condo complex. Or at least that channel is. That's my C8 on channel 20.
Well I've plugged it in, updated it, changed the channel from 11 to 20, added a lamp, installed the Hue integration, ran discovery and added my lamp. All fairly painless so far...
Regarding cost of Hue lamps/bulbs, are there any alternatives worth exploring that will pair directly to the Hue hub without additional hubs required (UK)? I've seen mention of the following on the web - Ikea Tradfri, innr, Lidl Livarno, Linkind and Osram Smart +.
I appreciate this might be best asked as a separate topic so feel free to move it if required...
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I can't speak for the UK but I have several INNR bulbs and plugs on my Hue. I put non hue devices on my mother-in-laws system but cannot remember the brand. I know I put in some INNR but I seem to recall adding another brand as well. Depending on what you're looking for you can get Hue bulbs for reasonable prices. Sorry, this is US but a good example. These are 75w equivalent and are cheaper than the 60w, although, this is a sale of sorts. The 60w are usually $15 each.
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I have a number of those - 75w/1100 lumens, $15, work very nicely.
One of the things I really appreciate about Hue bulbs/lamps paired with the Hue bridge is the ability to choose the behavior of the lights upon power restore. All of the non-Hue ones I've used with the bridge will default to ON.
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These are 2700 k soft white only. I use a couple of these where whiter light isn't needed.
I'm aware. I recommended them as the ambient white bulbs double the price. I only use them in the B/R.
That's good to know and something I'd not considered. My preference with lights and outlets is that they 'restore to previous' state. A power outage and restoral that occurred while we were on holiday would be a problem.
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So I'm wondering what are people using to switch the Hue lights manually at the wall? I see a few possibilities:
- Hue dimmer switch, Hue button, Hue Dial - paired to Hue hub
- Hue Smart Wall Switch behind the standard switch - paired to Hue hub (on/off only, no dimming?)
- 3rd party button - paired to Hubitat
This is my favorite. It pairs to the Hue bridge and is amazing fast in its response.
I also have some Zooz Zen77 dimmers where they are more practical, but they don’t match the responsiveness of the Aurora dimmers.
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Mine are all exclusively controlled by Picos. In a couple cases I've mounted the Picos in a wall switch and just tied the circuit together behind it so that it's always on in the Pico controls on off of the bulb.
For all the other cases we have a Pico either sitting on a tabletop or velcro'd to the side furniture unobtrusively so you can easily turn things on and off, dim, etc.
All of my Hue bulbs are in lamps, either table top or wall mounted.
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Hue Tap dials, paired to z2m and mostly managed in NR, only because I wanted to more easily do double and long presses to control shades and HE modes respectively
EDIR - I also have the hue dimners
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Lol it had to be Lutron. I believe I can get the switches in the UK but would need to add the bridge so it'll be a no go for me on that basis.
These. They're paired directly to HE, and control the bulbs using Button Controller rules. Only thing I don't like about them is that they're not the same size as a standard switch like the Zooz Zen34. But I got three of them basically for free as part of a bundle deal when I bought a bunch of Hue bulbs a few years ago.
All my other Hue lights (downlights and downlight retrofits) are paired directly to Inovelli Blue series 2-1 switches.
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I know it's a not insignificant expense to add a Lutron hub, but once you've started using Pico's you'll realize that they are the answer to everything you've ever wanted to ask about a portable button device. 
And yes it's true, I have Pico addiction issues. 
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Lutron Picos. Needs the Lutron Smart Bridge Pro as you noted. Ebay is where I have bought my Lutron Smart Bridge Pro (two of them) in the past.
Not sure if you're referring to the Aurora dial posted above. Those are Zigbee. No Lutron bridge reguired.
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Nothing available currently (in UK)
It looks like they're more designed for US toggle switches.
These are the most readily available in the UK - and about half the price of your link (£ 20) Are there benefits of adding them directly to Hubitat vs the Hue hub?
Is Z2M Zigbee to MQTT, and are there any specific requirements for that? I already have mosquito and node-red running on a Pi.
Yes. No special requirements that I am aware of. I might have one or two NR add-ons for the specific flows I have setup, but you can do that part however you choose.
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Probably not since you can always bring them into HE with the updated Hue integration (aka CoCoHue).
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Thanks. I know it's generally been recommended to pair bulbs to the Hue but I wasn't sure whether it best to do the same with remotes etc. I'm using the Hubitat built in integration.
