Philips Hue’s next big thing might be smart lamps with motion sensing

The technology, which could debut at CES 2024, has been in development for years

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Summary

• Philips Hue may be developing motion-sensing technology for its smart lamps, potentially debuting at CES 2024.
• Signify, Philips Hue's sister brand, has already debuted similar motion-sensing technology with its SpaceSense function.
• The use of Zigbee connectivity and limitations regarding compatibility and multiple products in the vicinity may be factors to consider before adopting motion-sensing smart lamps.

Philips Hue is commonly associated with its automated smart lights, which give you the ability to manage the lighting throughout your home. Now, rumors are swirling that the company wants to take the versatility of its products one step further. Motion sensors are not uncommon in smart home devices, and Philips Hue could be looking into integrating such technology into its lamps.

According to Hue Blog, Philips Hue could debut motion-sensing technology as a part of its smart lamps in the near future. The company has supposedly been working on a motion-sensing function for years, but its progress is unknown. That being said, Philips Hue could be poised to debut products that feature motion sensing at CES 2024 within the next two months.

Source: Philips Hue

It's worth noting that Philips Hue’s sister brand, Signify, has already started exploring this type of technology. For example, it launched a function called SpaceSense, which allows compatible smart lights to detect movements. Users can adjust settings to only monitor motion in specific areas or monitor during a set period of time. The function works by leveraging Wi-Fi signals — the sensors can detect interferences in Wi-Fi signals by a person blocking their path, for instance. However, there are some caveats to using SpaceSense, such as the need for at least two compatible lights in the same area.

Many Philips Hue lights rely on Zigbee — a connectivity standard for smart home products — rather than Wi-Fi like SmartSense. If it intends to integrate a new motion-sensing function with its smart lamps, it would likely use Zigbee to do so, but nothing has been confirmed. Signify’s SmartSense is noticeably more refined than similar functions seen in other smart devices. For instance, it’s smart enough to know the difference between the movement of humans and animals, meaning pets don’t pose an issue. It’s unknown if such a feature from Philips Hue would be able to do the same. Additionally, smart lamps with these capabilities could come with their own caveats, such as the need for more than one product in the vicinity.

Although we’ve come a long way in terms of what we can automate in our abodes, there’s still room for improvement when it comes to smart home devices. It may seem convenient to have a motion-sensing lamp, but if it’s flawed and constantly triggered, it can quickly become an annoyance. This wipes out the benefits of smart home automation while creating an entirely different problem. Before changing out all of your light bulbs for the hottest smart lamps on the market, it may be worth considering these potential issues.