Philips Hue has quickly risen to the top of the food chain as far as iPhone smart home automation is concerned, with a range of HomeKit-compatible white and color lights that are controllable via WiFi. The company is now expanding its Hue range beyond lighting, to include related accessories …. a Motion Sensor. The new Motion Sensor goes on sale in October and allows users to automate parts of their lighting experience based on movement in rooms.
The box is powered by AAA batteries and can be mounted pretty much anywhere in your home. With the Philips app, lights can be triggered based off motion sensor movement and turn off automatically after a set duration. Other intelligent features include a setting to only enable lighting when the room is actually dark, conserving energy usage.
The sensor will go on sale in October for $39.95. A Hue bridge can connect up to 12 motion sensors. At this stage, it’s unclear if the sensor will support HomeKit triggers and interactions like the Hue light bulbs do. The company is quick to note privacy implications: the Hue Motion Sensor is not a camera, so it can’t take pictures of your home. It just detects movement (or lack thereof).
Philips has also unveiled a new generation of White and Color Ambiance bulbs, much the same as the existing set, but with enhanced color spectrum for greens and blues. It is also going to roll out its White Ambiance lighting range in a few new sizes, for better fitting in recessed sockets. All of these announcements will launch in October. The company kickstarted the HomeKit smart lighting trend at a similar time, last year.
