Phillips Hue smartlights are one of the most popular ways to light a smart home. The ecosystem is pricey but easy to use. hueDynamic is a third-party app for Phillips Hue lights that covers the basics and also adds a plethora of features.
The app is available for $6.49 on Windows 10, Windows 10 Mobile, Xbox One, and Windows Mixed Reality.
Covering the basics
The first party apps for Philips Hue lights are very good on a number of platforms. That means that hueDynamic has a lot of bases to cover to be able to replace the default app for the lighting system. It does this well by allowing you to turn lights on and off, set scenes, program switches, and control rooms of lights.
Phillips Hue lights are rather straightforward and hueDynamic doesn't add complication. You can adjust colors of lights using a palette, view rooms and groups within the app, and control your lights without having to spend much time learning the interface. What makes hueDynamic worth it is the extras that it provides but it's nice that the app handles the little things correctly.
Better than the original
hueDynamic has a number of features that go beyond Phillip Hue's first-party app and other third-party apps. These range from being able to sync your lights with Spotify or Plex to being able to control lights from multiple groups with only one switch. For a feature list you can check out hueDynamic's website, but there are two specific features that stand out.
First is the ability to set multiple actions for Hue Dimmer switches and Hue Tap devices. These switches allow you to assign lights or groups of lights to a physical switch. They're great for when you want to use smart lights but don't want to have to use an app, motion sensor, or your voice to turn them on or off. But they are rather limited if you use Phillip's own app. hueDynamic opens these pieces of hardware to more possibilities. You can use four actions per button on a Hue Dimmer to do things like activate scenes or fade a light off over a given time. I love that hueDynamic utilizes features of hardware that aren't even advertized and enhances hardware that many users have already purchased.
Next is the ability to sync your lights to what appears on your screen. You can have multiple lights change colors to match parts of the screen and have a few options to make it work. On a PC you can either use hueDynamic's screen capture software or use a camera pointed at your screen to help your smartlights sync to your display. The screen captures software is in alpha testing so you can expect some bugs.
Bottom line
If you have Phillips Hue smart lights, get this app. It adds features that aren't available on the first party Phillips Hue app, performs basic tasks, and can enhance your viewing experience of media if you use Plex, Spotify, or hueDynamic's other features. The $6.49 you have to pay for hueDynamic is more than many apps but negligible compared to the Phillips Hue ecosystem in which just a lightbulb costs $15.
hueDynamic is a third-party app that covers the basics that you'd see in first-party equivalents and then expands the experience. One of my favorite things is that the app is so well built that it can be used to enhance hardware that you've already purchased. The developers of the app are also very active in fixing issues and adding requested features. If you look at many of the app's lower ratings in the Microsoft Store the developer has responded, often stating that they've since added a feature.
Pros
- Excellent feature set
- Enhances hardware through software
- Works well on many types of Windows devices
Cons
- Some features remain in testing for a long time
