The smart home segment continues to grow, affecting various engineering systems. For example, smart radiator thermostats can even save money. But most often, buyers are interested in smart lighting. Philips was one of the first companies to enter this segment with its Hue lamps. They have been selling successfully on the market for many years, and the product range continues to expand. We decided to install the innovative Philips Hue Perifo lighting system, introduced in the summer of 2022, and tried it out.
Hue Perifo allows you to mount various Hue lamps on the ceiling or wall using guides. The project requires lamps, a power supply (ceiling or wall outlet), and guides. They are available in black or white, with guide lengths of 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 m. The rails can be connected to each other using connectors, not only in parallel but also at a 90° angle, allowing you to install such a system in different places in the room.
The lights are easily inserted into the guides using snap-on fasteners. You can choose directional lights (Spotlight), pendant lights (Pendant light), linear LED strips (Linear Light Bar), and gradient strips (Gradient Light Tubes).
Philips offers customers various kits to make their choice easier, but the company’s website also features a configurator that allows you to put together your own kit. For example, a black ceiling kit with an L-shaped bend, two directional lights, and a gradient strip will cost €820. Additional directional lights cost €120, strips cost €200, and pendant lamps cost €150. Therefore, the Philips Hue Perifo system is not cheap, especially since you need to buy a Hue Bridge to control it. The kit can be supplemented with smart buttons, such as the Hue Tap Dial, which allow you to control multiple scenes.
The Hue Bridge remains the main interface for Hue lamps. Compared to guides and lamps, it is very easy to install: just connect the network cable, download the app, and then start setting it up. Tap Dial Switch buttons are also fairly quick to integrate. Each lamp has a QR code and a small code, which we recommend photographing before installation. In this case, the lamps can be integrated into the system even if the automatic detection fails.
You should think in advance about how the guides will be installed. They can only be purchased in 50 cm increments, so you will have to make some compromises in terms of alignment. Thanks to the cover for ceiling power outlets, the guides can be shifted slightly. During installation, everything should be carefully measured and checked, especially when turning 90°, it is better to use a laser level for marking and drilling holes. Otherwise, distortions may appear that will complicate the installation of longitudinal luminaires. The power supply unit is mounted to its bracket, which is secured with two screws. During installation, the correct order of connecting the guides (side A, side B) must be observed, as shown in the manual.
The lamp mounts with connectors simply snap onto the guides. Where there are no lamps or connectors, plastic plugs can be installed – they are cut to the required length.
Conclusion and recommendations
If you have experience with Philips Hue lamps, you probably want to create accent lighting throughout the room. Hue lamps allow you to create background lighting, atmospheric lighting behind the TV, and much more, and thanks to convenient control via the Hue Bridge and mobile app or built-in buttons, Philips Hue is easy and comfortable to use. We would like to see such well-thought-out smart home integration from other manufacturers as well.
