Earlier this summer, Philips officially announced that it would be expanding its lineup of HomeKit-comptaible smart lights. Amongst the roster of new accessories comes the outdoor lightship, one of the company’s first forays into water-resistant lighting. Now yet another upcoming product has recently surfaced, the highly anticipated Hue Outdoor Sensor. Head below for the full scoop.
One of the most frequently reoccuring questions I see from new Phillips Hue adopters is whether or not the company’s existing motion sensor is fit for outdoor use. While it’s an achievable feat, the motion sensor lacks any formal inclusion of water-resistance and or weather-proofing.
Philips is finally setting out to silence that question, as information on the new Hue Outdoor Sensor has finally appeared. Thanks to Dave Zatz over on Twitter, we’ve gotten our first look at what the company’s latest smart home device may feature.
Since it is deemed the Hue Outdoor Sensor, weather-resistance is at the forefront of its included functionality. It sports IP54 waterproofing, giving protection against ‘water spray from any direction.’
You won’t be able to fully submerge the device, but the sensor should be more than capable in terms of standing up to the elements. The Hue Outdoor Sensor relies on ZigBee just like all of Philips’ other devices.
Philips expanding its offerings with the outdoor sensor will be huge for smart home enthusiasts. It’s an obvious companion to the upcoming outdoor lightship and Lily Outdoor Spotlights.
Another notable perk is that the Hue Outdoor Sensor will most likely come equipped with temperature and ambient light sensors. Just like the indoor version, this will open the door to a wide range of automations. Be it activating your thermostat to adjust with the outdoor temperature or turning on lights in accordance with the sun setting.
So far details are scarce, such as pricing or release information. Given that the current motion sensor sells for $40, it would be safe to say that its new outdoor counterpart will at least fetch a higher price tag. My money is on the Hue Outdoor Sensor coming in at around $50 or so.
Availability is another thing that’s currently unclear. As of now we know the previously announced batch of new Hue lights will be released sometime in October. And with a few of those being of the outdoor variety already, it isn’t too much of a stretch to think the outdoor sensor could be arriving alongside the new lightstrip.
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