Philips today unveiled its first HomeKit-compatible product, the Hue Bridge 2.0. The successor to the original Hue Bridge allows Philips Hue lights to work with HomeKit, which means that iOS 9 users will be able to control them directly through Siri by using commands like “Siri, turn off the bedroom lamp” or “turn the lights red”.
It is also possible to use commands to lower the brightness levels by specifying the percentage or simply tell Siri to set the lighting to a relaxing mode.
“Lighting is the most accessible aspect of the connected home, and as the lighting expert for the Internet of Things we are taking connected lighting to the next phase,” said Eric Rondolat, Chief Executive Officer at Philips Lighting. “By integrating Philips Hue with Apple HomeKit, we are broadening people’s experience of light beyond what has been previously possible, providing seamless interoperability with other connected home devices.”
It is also possible to use the Hue app for iOS to create custom lighting scenes that can be accessed by other HomeKit-compatible apps as well. The square shaped bridge now also supports up to 50 Hue lights at once.
In addition to Hue Bridge 2.0, Philips unveiled new Hue bulbs that are capable of reaching brightness levels of up to 800 lumens. Philips has priced the Hue Bridge 2.0 at $60, but is offering a $20 discount to existing Hue Bridge customers. The updated Hue Bridge will go on sale from October 6 through Apple’s Store, Best Buy, and Amazon.
The company also says that while it will not be updating the original Hue Bridge with HomeKit compatibility, it will still provide regular software updates for it.