Philips already have a couple of options that give you a physical switch that you can use with your Hue set up, these are the tap Hue Tap, and the dimmer switch. These are great however what if you want to replace your physical wall switch. At the moment there is nothing on the market that does this other than covers which will then hold the dimmer switch.

Philips Hue Lightswitches

Philips have announced new partnerships with Feller, Niko and Vimar under the ‘Friends of Hue Switch’, these are lighting management control companies that reduce light switches. They will become new ‘Friends of Hue’ partners making compatible light switches that will work seamlessly with Philips Hue.

Compatible Hue Switches

Niko dimmer switch

Vimar

Feller

RunLessWire

Lutron – Aurora smart bulb dimmer

Niki Dimmer Switch

Niko news release – “Using the Philips Hue app, you can configure the switches suiting your needs: switch your Modular lighting on/off at a touch of a button, select up to four pre-programmed scenes, dim the light to create a specific mood in your space. All these options straight from the wall switch.

Being fully wireless, the Niko switches can be freely positioned on the wall without the need for electrical wiring or installation. And since they use power harvesting (battery-free) technology, installers, building managers or consumers will never have to replace a battery or think about maintenance. The switches work wherever, whenever.”

Check it out on Amazon UK here.

RunLessWire

A smilier switch design to the Hue dimmer and tap, the Runlesswire switch is a friends of Hue product that requires no batteries or wiring, it works in the same way as the Hue tap and uses kinetic energy.

Click for Philips Hue Wireless & Battery-Free Dimmer Light Switch - White

This switch can be connected to your Hue bridge and can be used to change scenes, turn lights on and off as well as a dimmer too.This can be screw mounted or attached to the wall using sticky pads that come included.

Ensure you have the latest bridge which is more square, and not the round first generation bridge.

Lutron – Aurora smart bulb dimmer

A new switch from Lutron covers a traditional wall switch and turns it in a a smart dimmer switch that works with your Hue lights.

Lutron Z3-1BRL-WH-L0 Aurora Smart Bulb Dimmer, White

A common complaint and wish has been for something to cover or work with fixed wall light switches, people who are not familiar with your smart lights will just turn the wall switch on or off which will usually turn your hue lights off.

Named Aurora this dimmer is Lutron’s first product to work with Hue lights and costs $39.95. It connects wirelessly to a Hue system without any secondary hub needed. Setup and management of the Aurora are handled through the Hue app on an iOS or Android device.

This clever switch will cover your traditional switch taking just a couple of minutes to install and no wiring is needed to be done. As it is installed over a traditional light switch it prevents the switch from being used while acting and looking like the normal light switch.

“The Aurora smart bulb dimmer locks an existing toggle light switch in the “on/up” position. That way, no one can accidentally turn the switch—and your Hue smart bulb functionality—off. Ships with mounting base and rotary dimmer.”

The Aurora switch is available for order from MeetHue.com with shipping expected fro be in June.

Hue Smart Button

The latest button from Hue is the small smart button, a simple push button that comes with a wall mount. The button itself has a magnetic back so it can be placed on a magnetic surface such as a fridge door or stuck using the sticky back to a flat surface.

Philips Hue Smart Button for Hue Smart Lights, Smart Light Control, (Hue Hub required)

The switch can be set to turn lights on and off, and a push and hold can dim lights too. A small and simple button that allows you to have a physical switch for turning Hue lights on and off.

Adding Hue Light Switches

The Hue app has been updated with a feature that shows the add hue switches under accessories, it then shows you how to add new switches that are part of the friends of Hue.

No power Needed

These switches will work just like the Hue tap, where pressing the button on the switch generates enough power to turn your lights on. Therefore there is no need to wire your light switches to the main power or replace your current switches.

From the press release it read –

“These new Friends of Hue switches provide the perfect way to bring the benefits and features of Philips Hue to a wider audience and are an addition to the existing control options such as the Philips Hue app, wireless dimmer switch, voice control, schedules and sensors. With the flick of a switch you and your guests can use the smart wall switch to control your Philips Hue lights, without interrupting power to the system, as would be the case with a standard wall switch,” said Evert Schaeffer, Head of product management, Friends of Hue at Philips Lighting. “This is part of our ongoing commitment to grow the Philips Hue ecosystem to make connected lighting experiences more accessible for our customers in their homes.”

The Friends of Hue smart switches offered by these partners will adhere to the standards of their respective markets. The first wave of Friends of Hue switches is planned to be available from the fourth quarter of 2018.

The compatible light switches are expected to be able to turn your lights on and off, dim them and also change to your favorite scenes. By partnering with these companies a range of styles and options can be brought to market making it easier to find a solution that matches the style and decor of your home.

Hard Wires Switches?

Readers of this site are always asking for a replacement Hue switch, not that covers the switch but is hard wired. Well this new ‘Friends of Hue’ switch is a clever and unique design that will be available in the second quarter for a recommended retail price of 79.90 Euros.

The cleverly named and designed ‘The Hiding Place‘ from Germany turns your light switch into a hidden socket that then has a new Hue switch cover or a place to add a Hue tap. Sliding the button cover up reveals a plug socket which can also come with USB ports too.

This is designed to be an easy retrofit product replacing an excising light switch you have.

The patented switch has an easy to release push function which allows the switch to open up revealing the socket, and can be simply pushed back down to hide the socket. There is an integrated lock that uses a magnetic key to prevent access to the socket as a security and safety feature. This switch is part of the Friends of Hue, and works seamlessly with Hue and can be set up via the Hue app.

The switches can be set up to

Turn lights on/off

Dimming

Color changes

Setting Light scenes or routines

The model above is the hidden socket with Hue Switch, it can also be bought in a slightly more expensive version that has 2 USB ports as well as the socket and has a charging cradle attached making it ideal for charging your phone. This will retail for 109.90 Euros.

If you are a fan of the Hue tap then you can get a version that allows you to insert the Hue tap, instead of using a switch like above. The Hue tap version is 39.90 Euros, or 79.90 Euros with the USB ports and charging cradle.

View more information on their website at https://www.dieversteckdose.de/hidden-socket/