What Philips Hue makes

Origins. Philips Hue came onto the market in 2012, first in Apple's stores, as a bulb whose colour you could change from a phone. The brand comes from Philips' lighting division, spun off in 2016 and called Signify since 2018. Signify makes Hue and uses the Philips name under licence; the Philips of the shavers no longer has anything to do with it.

What it stands for. Hue promises light that adapts to what you are doing: warm white to relax, cool white to work, colour for a film or a party. Signify stresses one system that keeps working: first-generation bulbs still do, and Hue works with Google, Amazon, Apple and the Matter standard.

Reputation. Hue is seen as the reference system for smart lighting: a wide range, a reliable connection and an app with few surprises. The criticism is usually about the threshold: the full system works best with the Hue Bridge, a small box connected to the router. Anyone who only wants one bulb that changes colour will find simpler systems, including Signify's own, under the name WiZ.

Ranges. White for plain dimmable white light, White Ambiance for white from warm to cool, and White and Color Ambiance for millions of colours. Beyond those, lightstrips, including Gradient with several colours at once, the Play light bars and the Sync Box for behind the television, the portable Go, outdoor lights such as Lily and Calla, and Hue Secure, with cameras and a doorbell.

Examples. Below, a few products that show how Hue works, from the first bulbs to the garden. The wider range: single bulbs for ordinary fittings, table lamps, wall lights, spotlights, and the dimmers, buttons and sensors under accessories.

Most people start with a starter kit: a Bridge, a few bulbs and often a dimmer, so everything works together from the start. More starter kits.

The Gradient lightstrip shows several colours at once along one strip, and belongs behind a television or under a cabinet. More lightstrips.

The Hue Go is a portable, battery-powered lamp for the table, the terrace or outdoors. More table lamps.

The Festavia string lights are Hue's Christmas lights, with colours and effects from the app, but they happily stay up all year. More string lights.