Subj : I review smart lights for a living and this is the brand I'd rec To : All From : TechnologyDaily Date : Fri Jun 20 2025 19:15:08 I review smart lights for a living and this is the brand I'd recommend if you don't want to pay Philips Hue prices Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2025 18:00:00 +0000 Description: There are plenty of Philips Hue alternatives on the market these days, but this brand's offerings are so good, I just can't stop recommending them. FULL STORY ====================================================================== Philips Hue is unquestionably one of the best-known smart lighting brands, and for good reason; after all, it makes some of the best smart lights around. Its quality products and overall market presence have made it immensely popular, so its not all that surprising that its prices are at the premium end of the scale While brands like Nanoleaf may be the first to come to mind for many when considering a Philips Hue alternative, Im here to sing the praises of another low-cost manufacturer of smart lighting loveliness Govee. Founded in 2017, Govee offers a huge range of both fun and functional smart lighting products, and regularly releases exciting new products that leave me wanting to rearrange my lighting setup so that I can incorporate newer pieces without looking like my home belongs in Cyberpunk 2077 (not saying I wouldnt enjoy that, mind you). Aside from all the pretty lights, Govee produces some other great smart home essentials, including sensors, air purifiers, and fans, too. I could waffle on for hours about my favorite Govee features, but to save us all some time, Ive summarised my top three reasons why Govee makes a perfect lower-cost alternative to Philips Hue. 1. Theres something for everyone Whether you want to go big and bold with vivid and colorful displays or want practical lighting solutions that you can automate to suit your schedule, their impressive range of products means that Govee will likely have something that ticks your boxes. (Image credit: Future) One product thats equal parts fun and functional is the highly rated Govee Table Lamp 2 . This RGBICWW lamp boasts over 60 scene presets, a load of customizable settings, and is Matter compatible, too. I have two of these lamps at home, and I love how easily I can switch up the mood with this little light, moving from a brighter, cooler white light for working hours, to mood-brightening colorful scenes for the evening, before finishing the night on a warm-toned white. Even the reasonably priced Govee RGBIC LED Strip Light has a satisfying amount of customizable features. These include brightness adjustment, AI scene creation, and color palettes that can be applied across the entire strip or fine-tuned segment by segment. 2. The companion app is reliable and user-friendly Its all well and good having a fancy bit of kit capable of impressive lighting effects, but if the companion app is overly complex, clunky, or lacks features, itd quickly dull any sparkle. Fortunately, the Govee Home app isnt guilty of any of these; instead, it provides a delightfully straightforward and engaging user experience. Its simple to navigate between different features, and I really liked that I could streamline the layout by arranging the modes for easy access. Another customizable element I appreciated was the quick action button that sits at the top of the page, giving me easy access to a choice of functions, including color and effect sections, auto-play, and a timer, amongst others. (Image credit: Future) 3. Their prices are more palatable than Philips Hue I think Ive made it clear already that there are savings to be made when opting for Govee over Philips Hue, but to demonstrate my point, Im going to lay out a couple of examples of the cost difference between similar products from both brands. Say youre thinking of upgrading your ceiling lights, a two-pack of 800 lumen RGBWW smart bulbs from Govee costs around $24.99 / 18.99, whereas the same from Philips Hue could set you back around $89.99 / 84.99. The price difference is pretty vast straight off the bat, and the chasm widens further when you factor in an additional $59.99 / $49.99 for a Philips Hue Bridge, which youll need if you want to use the full suite of features, such as controlling your lights away from home, something which Govee offers for free via the Govee Home app. So, if youre keen to get started on your smart lighting setup, but have been put off by the cost of building a Philips Hue system, then Govee is well worth considering, not just because their products are more affordable, but because theyre feature-packed and efficient, too. ====================================================================== Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/home/smart-lights/i-review-smart-lights-for-a-living -and-this-is-the-brand-id-recommend-if-you-dont-want-to-pay-philips-hue-prices --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 (Linux/64) * Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100) .