Philips Hue

Philips Hue is perhaps the biggest name in smart lighting. The company has been producing excellent smart lighting products for years. And although Philips Hue products are not the cheapest option, they are still very popular thanks to their high quality. However, the company is not resting on its laurels. In 2023, Philips Hue expanded its product range to include security cameras and now, in 2024, a new security product is being added. The Philips Hue Secure Floodlight is a combination floodlight and security camera designed to protect your home from the outside. Related: What is a Philips Hue Bridge and do you need one?

Philips Hue Secure Floodlight

The Philips Hue Secure Floodlight has the quality you expect from a Philips Hue product, with a bright spotlight that you can turn to any color you want. The included security camera offers good quality and features such as packet detection and activity zones are available with a subscription. However, there's currently no way to see the live feed outside of the Hue app, and no support for HomeKit Secure Video.

Pros

• Bright floodlight in any color
• Customizable gesture activation
• Decent camera

Cons

• Expensive
• No live streaming to smart displays
• No HomeKit Secure Video support

Price, Specs, and Availability

The Secure Flood Light Camera is available to purchase now from the Philips Hue website for $350.

Brand: Philips Hue

Resolution: 1080p

Connectivity: Zigbee, Wi-Fi (2.4GHz, 5GHz)

Night Vision: Yes

Power Source: Wired

Dimensions (camera): 2.9-inch diameter, 3.6-inch depth

Dimensions (floodlight): 9.84 x 7.87 x 8.66 inch

Hub: Requires Hue Bridge

Field of View: 141.2 degrees

Power Supply: 100-130V, 50-60Hz

Spotlight: 2250lm

Two-way Speaker: Yes

Motion Detection: Yes

Subscription Required? For some features

IP Rating: IP65

Design

Philips Hue products usually have a sleek and modern look, and the Philips Hue Secure Floodlight is no exception. The mounting and spotlight look stylish enough that you won't shy away from mounting them on the outside of your home. The camera is located under the spotlight and also has a sleek appearance. The only minor quibble in terms of appearance is that the power cable and camera mounting cord dangle down slightly below the camera, but this isn't a major problem.

Installation

Fairly painless if you have external power. The Philips Hue Secure Floodlight must be wired; there is no battery option available. This means you need to mount it somewhere where you have external wiring. If you don't have a suitable place, you may need the help of an electrician, especially if you're not sure how to work with electrical wires. If you do have existing wiring (for example if you are replacing an existing floodlight), installing the Philips Hue Secure Floodlight is not too difficult and takes about ten to fifteen minutes. The instructions are not the most helpful and consist only of images with no accompanying text, but they are quite easy to follow. The spotlight can be pointed in any direction and the camera is attached with a magnet, so you can point it at a 60 degree angle in any direction. Annoyingly, once the spotlight is in place, you're asked to scan QR codes which are virtually inaccessible now that you've installed the device. Fortunately, copies of those codes are also on stickers at the front of the manual, so make sure you have them on hand. Once you've installed and turned on the spotlight, you can easily add the device with the Hue app. You add the spotlight and camera separately, because the Hue app sees them as separate devices. The instructions in the app are easy to follow. To set up and operate your Philips Hue Secure Floodlight, you need a Hue Bridge. This is sold separately. However, if you already own other Hue products, you probably already have a Hue Bridge.

Performance

Solid camera and great lighting. The heart of the Philips Hue Secure Floodlight is the powerful 2,250 lumen spotlight. However, like many other Hue products, this spotlight does not only provide bright white light. You can choose from almost any color you can think of. This can be very useful. Plus, the light is more than powerful enough to illuminate a significant space outside your home. The connected camera offers 1080p recording with a 141.2-degree field of view.

Features

Highly customizable motion activation. One of the most common uses of a floodlight is to illuminate the exterior of your home when motion is detected. This is useful for helping you find your way back to your home when it is dark and is also a good deterrent to potential intruders or unwanted furry visitors. You can use the Philips Hue Secure Floodlight as a motion-activated lamp, but it does require some settings. Since the camera and light are treated as separate devices, you'll need to go into the camera settings in the Hue app and activate the Trigger Lights switch. You can then choose which light you want to turn on when motion is detected. The smart thing is that you can adjust the behavior of the light in the app.

Smart Home Integrations

Lack of video streaming. If you're hoping to add the Philips Hue Secure Floodlight to your smart home setup, there's good news and bad news. The good news is that the spotlight is compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant. It also works with HomeKit via Matter. The bad news is that the security camera is not currently compatible with Alexa, Google Assistant, or HomeKit. For example, if you were hoping to view your camera feed on your Echo Show, you're out of luck. The only way to do this is via the Hue app.

Verdict

Hue has always had a reputation for making great lights and the Philips Hue Secure Floodlight is no exception. It's a break from the norm to find a motion-activated spotlight that can shine just about any color you can imagine. This is useful if you want to create a low level of lighting at night, but you can also use the floodlight for other purposes, such as adding a pop of color to the exterior of your home during the holidays. If you only plan to use the Philips Hue Secure Floodlight as a motion-activated light for your home, then it's an impressive, if somewhat expensive, option.