I've always been intrigued by the idea of network-connected smart lights. A year or so ago I tried out Belkin's WEMO system with a starter pack of two bulbs and a bridge. Unfortunately I ended up returning them after a few days because I had so many issues with them. They would lose connection with each other frequently, I would need to repair the devices with my network, and one bulb eventually refused to turn on at all. Perhaps I just received a rare defective product. Regardless, I was hesitant to try Smart Lights again. Of course, I've read lots of great reviews and feedback on the Philips Hue system, so when the light strip starter kit was on sale I figured I'd try them out. I could not believe how hassle-free setup was! Literally all I had to do was plug everything in and press a button. The system connected to the Hue app on my Android phone right away, and within minutes I was tinkering with different color schemes. Speaking of apps, the official Philips app leaves a little to be desired. Thankfully, Philips has left the system open for programmers to tinker with, and there are a number of great free and paid apps available to give you greater control. The online service If This Then That (IFTT) adds a lot of great functions to Hue as well. For example, there's a setting on IFTT that will change the color of the lights to match the cover of the album you're listening to. Adding new bulbs to the system has been a breeze. It's just been a matter of hooking the bulb up to a lamp, turning it on, and pressing a button on the bridge. If you have Amazon Echo, you can turn the lights on and off by voice. You can even rename the lights (for example, Desktop Lamp instead of Light 1) and Echo will recognize it. These light strips work great as accent lights. You won't be lighting your whole room with them, but they look great under countertops or along baseboards! The strips are lined with one long piece of tape so they will stick where you want them to. A word of warning: the Hue system is a rabbit hole. Once you get one light, you'll want to fill your home with them! This can get rather expensive!