No longer just ambient lighting: Philips Hue brings security cameras

The Digitec and Galaxus editorial team will be reporting on site from IFA 2023 in Berlin. You can find all the news and background information published so far in our overview

First there were just smart LED bulbs, then more and more luminaires and lights were added. Philips Hue now has a huge portfolio ranging from Christmas tree lighting to designer lamps. And everything can be combined with each other.

With a bang, the Dutch manufacturer is now expanding its portfolio in a completely different direction: at the IFA tech fair in Berlin, Philips Hue is presenting various security cameras and sensors to monitor the home.

Security cameras interact with the lamps

The highlight: the cams can be integrated into the lighting system with an app and bridge. This is of course particularly interesting for existing customers, who can easily add Hue Secure. The existing app is being expanded for this purpose, but in future you will only be able to use it with a login - even if you only want to control lamps and lights.

Not everyone will like this. After all, if you don't use any security products, the app won't become any more complicated or confusing. The additional functions only appear when you install a camera, for example.

In the first demos at the presentation of the new products, the integration into the Hue system seemed successful, especially because it is reciprocal. If you trigger an alarm, not only is there sound from the cameras, but all Hue lights can also flash red or white, which reinforces the alarm effect.

Actions can also be defined. For example, a light switches on when a camera detects movement. There is also a combination of cam and floodlight, which is intended for outdoor use.

If the alarm is switched off, the cameras also stop transmitting images

As soon as you switch off the alarm system, for example when you are at home, the cameras are also switched off. They no longer transmit images. Instead, they are used as sensors to switch on a light or trigger another action in the event of movement, for example. This way, you can also replace conventional sensors.

Also important for the manufacturer: The cameras do not record videos when you are at home or if you have defined zones that should not be recorded. Processing takes place directly in the camera. And you can only access a live view via the app when the alarm has been set.

Philips guarantees that the signals are encrypted. You can also specify exactly which devices can access the security videos and which can only access the light control. Incidentally, you can still only use lamps and lights - or just the cameras.

You pay a plan for additional functions and storage

Without an additional plan, you will receive notifications as soon as the cameras detect motion. You can then access the live view and start an action: from a call to the police to communication with loudspeakers and microphones in the cams to an alarm with sound and light. An up to 60-second clip of the action is also recorded.

But not all functions are free. If you want cloud storage to record the footage for one or up to ten cameras, there are two plans to choose from, ranging from 5 to just under 13 francs (or 4 to 10 euros) per month. The plans also allow you to use additional features: intelligent object recognition of people, animals or vehicles or manual definition of areas that should not be monitored. For example, if a camera also has a neighbouring property or a busy street in view.

Philips is not reinventing the wheel here. However, the manufacturer is taking advantage of being able to integrate Hue Secure into a tried-and-tested system that is already used in many households. The integration is quite clever, for example, the outdoor cameras can also be connected directly to the low-voltage power supply of the outdoor lights.

However, the new products, which will be available from autumn 2023, are not entirely inexpensive. The wired camera, for example, costs 250 francs or 200 euros, while the battery-powered camera costs 312 francs or 250 euros. The contact sensors are available for 50 francs or 40 euros, and the camera with floodlight for 437 francs or 350 euros.