Support for the Matter standard is finally added byPhilips

The Signify Update: Philips Hue and Signify Launching a Connected Electrical Distribution System for Smart Homes and Smart Home Networks

Philips Hue did announce that it is finally bringing Matter support to its bridge next month, which means the new contact sensors will work with Matter, and there’s potential for the motion sensors in the cameras to show up in any Matter-compatible platform.

The news was announced by Signify, which makes Philips Hue, during the IFA tech show in Berlin, along with a bevy of other updates, including the rollout of the Hue line’s first smart security cameras and a handful of new lights.

Smart home owners may want to deck the halls with connected lighting systems if they see the Matter update near the holiday season. To that end, Signify is releasing some new lights this fall, too, including one particularly festive set.

The second generation Festavia string lights have different lengths and capacities, with 100 LEDs on an 8- meter cord, 250 LEDs on a 20- meter cord, and 500 LEDs on a 40- meter cord. The lights are priced at $119.99, $219.99 and $359.99. Signify also announced the arrival of the Hue Perifo track lighting system in the US. Currently available in Europe, the Perifo system allows for wall and ceiling mounting and offers a range of customization options. The track lighting, which is available in white and black, ranges from $19.99 to $299.99. All will hit US stores in September.

The Philips Hue Secure Floodlight Cameras Launch Launch Price Specs Hands-on: IFA 2023 Preview at the Verge

The Verge got an in-person preview of the new devices at IFA 2023 in Berlin this week. I was impressed by the look and design of the magnetic system, but the only notable features were end-to-end security and the integration with the lighting system. They’re also very expensive. You can buy these cameras for a lot of money.

There isn’t any compatibility with the likes of Amazon ALEXA or GOOGLE Home at launch, but George Yianni said that they were working on an integration that would let people see live footage on smart displays.

He stated that the cameras will not work with Apple Home unless cameras are supported in Matter. HomeKit Secure Video won’t be supported. You will need to pay a subscription fee for each camera you use to view recorded footage.

The Philips Hue Secure floodlight camera is available in black only and is launching in early 2024 for $349.99. It’s basically the wired camera attached to Hue’s existing floodlight and needs to be hardwired to your home’s wiring. It uses both wi-fi and gisbee to connect and will be mounted on a wall.

The battery camera also comes with a small magnetic mount, and there’s the option of a ground spike camera mount ($39.99) you can stick in the shrubs or a flower pot.

Source: Philips Hue has three new smart security cameras

The New Philips Hue Secure Contact Sensor: A Basic System for Security, Automation and Smart Alerts with End-to-End Encryption

The new Philips Hue Secure contact sensor comes in black or white for $39.99 for one, or $69.99 for two. When the system is armed, they send an alert to the Zigbee network that connects to the Bridge and then set off a lighting automation when that isn’t happening. The contact sensors are basic and do not include motion-sensitive features.

While the cameras work as stand-alone devices, you need the bridge for most security features, including the contact sensor, floodlight camera, light and sound alarms, and automations. The cameras are not needed for the security system. The Security Center in the Hue app will allow you to set security automations that can flash your lights, if you have motion sensors and a Hue light.

The Security Center is where you manage the security system and set up the different ways you want it to react when you’re home or away. You can call the emergency services or use the app to light your house on fire if the sensor is activated while you are armed.

The camera’s recording state is also controlled by disarming and arming. Yanni said that when disarmed, it shuts off the Wi-Fi, so the cameras are not recording. However, they can still act as motion sensors; the wired version uses its optical sensor, and the battery version uses a PIR sensor. They then send the signal over Zigbee to the bridge.

On-device processing of smart alerts for people, packages, and vehicles, plus end-to-end encryption turned on by default, means footage should be secure and only accessible by you.

There’s no local storage, so if you want recorded video, you need to pay for a cloud plan starting at $3.99 per camera a month ($39.99 a year) or $9.99 ($99.99 a year) for up to 10 cameras. The events will be stored in the cloud for 30 to 60 days. The cameras also work with activity zones and smart alerts, but these require a paid subscription.

They look the same with the same materials and feel. However, Google Nest cameras are cheaper — $179.99 for the battery-powered one compared to $249.99 for Hue’s. But Google doesn’t offer end-to-end encryption — a feature that is not common and much sought after with security cameras.

As a security system, it feels a little underdone at launch. There is no option for professional monitoring, so you have to see and act on one of the alerts. How effective it will be to attract attention to your home with the flashing lights is not certain, but you would need a lot of expensive light bulbs in order to do that.