(FREE Indigo 7 Plugin)
NOTE: If you've upgraded to Indigo 7 from a previous version and are updating the Hue Lights plugin from a previous version as well, you must redefine all of your Hue Lights devices in Indigo to take advantage of all the new Indigo native color features. Each time the Hue Lights plugin is loaded (or reloaded) it will report an error in the Indigo log for every device not yet redefined for Indigo 7. The devices will still work, but you won't be able to use native Indigo color features until you redefine them. To redefine a device, double-click it in the Indigo device list. If the device is an Ambiance bulb (no color, just color temperature), change the "Model" menu to the new "Ambiance Lights" model. If the device is a LightStrip Plus light, it is now in the "Hue LightStrips" model list, so select that from the "Model" menu. Click the "Edit Device Settings" button. Make sure your Hue Device is selected, then click "Save" and close the Edit Device window.
Hue Lights is a plugin for Perceptive Automation's Indigo 7 (5 and 6 still supported) home control software which allows you to control your Philips Hue lights through the Indigo system. It allows you to perform basic operations like turning bulbs on and off, setting brightness, and setting the default dimming ramp rate. It also keeps the status of each bulb updated in Indigo so Indigo always knows the condition of each bulb even when the bulbs are controlled by the Hue iOS or Android apps. Additionally, Hue Lights allows for more advanced control of the Philips Hue bulbs, allowing you to set custom colors (using RGB, HSB, or color temperature), and turn on or off bulb alerts (blinking).
Hue Lights offers the following features:
- Full Indigo Integration. Use standard Turn On, Turn Off, Set Brightness, Dim By, Brighten By, and Status Request actions in Indigo Pro to control each Philips Hue light bulb.
- Start or Stop Brightening and Dimming. Use an Indigo action to start brightening or dimming a Hue bulb, then another action to stop. This can be useful if you want to press a button on a switch or remote to start dimming, then press another button to stop dimming when the light gets to the level you want.
- Set Ramp Rates. Each Hue Lights action allows you to specify how quickly the bulb should change from it's current state to the settings you're specifying in the Indigo action using a "Ramp Rate" or transition time.
- Set Colors. Use Indigo actions to set each Hue bulb to any color. There are 3 ways to set color. RGB levels (specify red, green, and blue levels similar to graphics editing software), HSB values (specify hue, saturation, and brightness similar to graphics editing software), and Color Temperature (set the white point of the bulb based on a Hue preset or your own color temperature, similar to digital camera white balance settings). Each action can have a custom ramp rate (transition time) associated with it.
- Use Virtual Dimmer Devices to Control Hue Device Settings. Use the Hue Device Attribute Controller device included with the Hue Lights plugin to control any aspect** of an existing Hue device, such as color saturation, hue, RGB level, or color temperature. These virtual dimmer devices can be especially useful when accessed from the Indigo Touch iOS app because they appear just like any other dimmer device within Indigo Touch. No need to create a control page or use the Hue app to adjust a device's hue or saturation.
- Turn On and Off Alerts. You can turn on a short or long alert (1 blink for short, 15 blinks for long) for each bulb, and turn off the alert, also using Indigo actions.
- Turn On and Off Effects. You can turn on Hue built-in special effects (currently, Hue only offers 1 effect: "color loop").
- Save and Recall Your Own Presets. So, you've got your Hue bulb over the table set to just the right color, but now you want your LightStrips and LivingColors Bloom in the room to change to the same color. Either from the Plugins menu, or from within an Indigo action, you can save the current settings of your Hue bulb to one of 10 Presets then (in a separate menu selection/action) apply those settings to any other Hue device. From the Plugins menu, you can also print out the saved settings in each Preset to the Indigo log for reference or verification.
- Extended Device Status Information. Each bulb device in Indigo also maintains all the status information provided by the Hue hub, including current hue and saturation levels, red, green, and blue levels, CIE 1931 xy chromaticity values, color temperature, color rendering mode, alert mode, effect mode, and whether the bulb is reachable by the hub. All this information can be viewed within the Mac Indigo client (version 6.0b9+) or on an Indigo control page you can create.
- Hue Bulb Attribute Controllers. Create virtual dimmer devices that can control individual Hue Bulb parameters such as saturation, hue, red level, green level, blue level, etc. Hue Bulb Attribute Controllers look like standard dimmers within the Indigo client and Indigo Touch client and can be used to quickly control any aspect of any Hue Bulb without having to create a separate Action Group or Control Page element to make the changes.
Installation
Download the Hue Lights zip file (link above) to the computer running the Indigo server. If the file is not already unzipped, double-click the .zip file to unzip it. Open the folder that is expanded from the zip file and double-click the Hue Lights.indigoPlugin file. The Indigo client will open and prompt to install the plugin. Click the option to install and enable the plugin. You'll be prompted to configure the plugin. Enter the IP address of your Hue hub. (The IP address can be obtained by most consumer routers in their administrative interface. It can also be obtained from the www.meethue.com web site if you have registered your hub with that site). Click the "Start/Finish" button in the plugin configuration window. Press the center button on your Hue hub. Click the "Start/Finish" button again in the configuration window. Your plugin should now be registered with the Hue hub and can now control Hue bulbs. Click OK to start creating devices.
Usage
You can create an Indigo device for each Hue device connected to your Hue hub.
- Create a new Indigo device (click "New..." in the Devices window). Select the "Hue LIghts" plugin as the device Type. Select "Hue Bulb" as the device type.
- A "Configure Hue Bulb" dialog will appear. Select the "Hue Bulb" you want to control. Enter a default "Ramp Rate" (transition time between brightness changes or color changes) and click "Save." If you don't see all your bulbs in the list. Click "Cancel" and go to the "Plugins" menu, select "Hue Lights," then "Rebuild Bulb List," then click the "Edit Device Settings" button in the "Edit Device" window. Select your bulb and click "Save." Done!
Use standard Indigo actions and controls to turn on and off the Hue bulb or to set the brightness. To change colors...
- Create a new trigger and select the "Actions" tab (or create a new Action Group).
- With Indigo 5, select "Plugin" for the action type, then select the "Action" from the menu beneath it. In Indigo 6, select "Device Controls" then "Hue Lights Controls," then the action that you'd like to execute from that sub-menu.
- Select the existing Hue Lights device from the "Device" menu.
- Click "Edit Action Settings." Each action settings dialog window has basic instructions on the meaning of each filed. Fill out the required information and click the "Save" button. Click "OK" on the trigger or action group to close it.
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