I am a dabbler in home automation and thinking about starting to get into lighting. I have heard mostly good things about the Philip Hue line and wanted to see what peoples thoughts are about it.
Our main current automation are a large number of Google Smart Speaker and Arlo video doorbells. Everything is working now on the Google ecosystem which I think Philip Hue will connect with. Our house is 100 years old which means that our possibilities to automate are lower than a new home since we have very few overhead lights, power outlets are at a premium (we have lots of power strips running through the house).
We are thinking about doing smart bulbs in some lamps which we can leave on and a chandalier. I think the biggest issue will leaving things always powered on.
I recently purchased Kauf bulbs, as they’re all locally controlled, which I value. https://kaufha.com/products/
Esphome based, so the learning curve it kinda steep of you just want a simple on/off bulb BUT it will open your eyes to what’s possible. This also avoids zigbee and z-wave. The state of those Z radios is so bad that Home Assistant released their own.