Why You Can Trust CNET The Philips Hue Starter Kit Will Make Your Holidays Brighter (and Smarter)
This reliable system with three color-changing bulbs will get you or a loved one started on your smart home lighting journey.
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If you or someone on your holiday list is looking to build a smart light setup at home, you'll want to make sure you start with a system that works without a hitch. Personally, I'm a huge fan of Philips Hue. I recommend people start with the Philips Hue Starter Kit and branch off from there.
Why it's a great gift: My favorite Philips Hue starter kit includes three white and color-capable lights, a bridge that connects the system to your Wi-Fi router, and a Hue button that can cycle through various programmed lighting scenes.
Thanks to the Philips Hue app, the system is extremely intuitive and easy to use. You can create rooms and zones to organize your lights, and you can set automations for lights to turn on and off or change the hue at certain times of the day. There's even a tab entirely devoted to syncing lights with Spotify music.
The great part is that Philips Hue lights work even if you lose your internet connection. As long as your phone is still connected to the same Wi-Fi as the bridge, the app will function along with any accessories that are connected via the bridge as well.
What you'll pay: Philips Hue is one of the more expensive smart-lighting brands, but I call it the "Apple of smart lighting." It's probably the best-known and most popular brand in that category -- hence the premium price tag. The three-bulb system that I recommend costs $180 on Amazon.
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