The dial doesn’t work in HomeKit (which is a limitation of Apple’s, not Hue’s), and you can only use a single press to trigger Automations. Like the earlier now discontinued Hue Tap, the Tap Dial can be used as a HomeKit scene controller, but right now, you shouldn’t bother. The switch is also not integrated into the Hue Labs feature of the Hue app, which lets you set up more powerful lighting scenes, and Hrank says there are no plans to do so. Kelly Hrank, head of PR at Signify, told me the feature is coming soon. The Smart Dimmer also has the option of time-based lighting - where the lights turn on at a certain brightness based on the time of day - a great feature that, oddly, is not yet offered on the Tap Dial. If you only have a few Hue bulbs, you’ll be better off with the cheaper Hue Smart Dimmer, which can do everything this device does, just with less individual room control and with a clunkier interface for dimming. (The first Tap switch was powered kinetically).
The switch uses a single CR2032 battery that should last two years. The slightly clunky workaround here is to use the second and third presses on each button to dim the lights that aren’t controlled by the dial. I’d like it to dim or brighten the lights for whichever button you just pressed. One limitation of using the Tap Dial this way is that the dial can only control either all lights or a single room or zone. I set the dial to control all the lights at once. I also added some colorful scenes for subsequent button presses (you can press each button up to 10 times to cycle through additional scenes) but didn’t find myself using them often. Button one turned on all the Hue lights in the house, button two those in the entry hall and living room, button three the upstairs lights, and button four the downstairs lights. I set up the Tap Dial in my entry hall, with each button programmed to control a different part of my house.
The dial gives more precise dimming, and a long press on any button turns the lights off. Buttons one through three adjust the light levels, and the fourth cycles through five Hue scenes. Out of the box, it’s set up to dim whichever lights, room, or zone you pair it with in the Hue app. It also worked quickly and reliably, and the dimming action was smooth and responsive, with no noticeable lag. It’s a lot like rotating a Nest Learning Thermostat, and it’s only a smidge smaller than that. The dial itself has a good solid feel as you turn it, with nice haptic feedback. But that weight is to its advantage you can turn the dial while it’s sitting on the table, and it won’t slide around.
#Philips hue go personal wireless lighting tv
The Tap Dial is hefty, weighing just over two and a half ounces (an ounce heavier than the Apple TV remote). Buy for $49.99 from Best Buy Buy for $49.99 from Philips Hue
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