The Philips Hue Go table bowl lamp is one of the most interesting products to come out of this amazing smart lighting company. Having a mobile GO light has transformed how we use light throughout our home. The best way to describe it is a soup bowl filled with light. Pros
- Extremely Portable
- Great 16 million color options
- Elegant design
- Basic on lamp controls (bridge not required but will improve many functions)
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Cons
- 3 Hour Battery life may be a little short for some people.
- Lamp made of plastic may scratch.
Philips Hue Go Lamp review
The Philips Hue Go is a personal wireless table light. It enables you to make up to 16 million different shades, colors, and brightness. This will enable you to create the environment you desire. It enables you to control light using your smartphone or tablet, with endless possibilities to help you get the best user experience to suit your mood.
- Works with voice commands for Amazon Alexa and Google Home (Hue Hub V2 bridge is required for full functions.)
- Use your smart device for extra features and up to 16 million colors and light recipes. Requires the V2 bridge to fully operate.
- Natural dynamic effects – enhance your special moment with living light
- Experience millions of colors and white light with 300-lumen output
- Smart battery for maximum runtime and portability – up to 3 hours of battery life.
Be creative and personalize your lighting to suit your and your family’s lifestyle. From setting alarms to slowly waking up with light, to make the light change color with a music beat, you can light any moment anywhere with Hue Go.
Because the Hue Go lamp is wireless with a battery you are able to take this light anywhere, from any room to outside or even a camping trip. With 3 hours of battery runtime, you will be set for any occasion. Or leave it plugged in for a permanent lighting experience through your smartphone or tablet.
These 3rd party apps can enable you to set timers and alarms, connect to a variety of other Hue lamps, and make your home come alive. You can dim the light, change colors, remotely connect from away from home, disco party, and match colors from the TV.
You can control up to 50 Hue products on a single Philips Hue bridge (compatible with ZigBee certified and Wink network products). Or add a second Hue bridge to really expand your network.
Note: This review will mainly show off the features of the ‘Hue Go’, but if you would like some more information you should check out our detailed review of the Philips Hue Bloom.
Zigbee Tip:
Zigbee lights can talk to each other like a repeater network so each globe or lamp does not need to be in the range of the Hub. Only one light needs to be in direct contact with the bridge hub.
Philips Hue Go vs Bloom
So which product should you purchase? I all comes down to your application and how you need to paint with light. If you just need a permanently fixed light source, then the Hue Bloom is the way to go. It’s slightly brighter than the ‘Go’ and has a more focused light beam. Check out our review of the Hue Bloom
On the other hand, if you would like to be able to take your lamp around the house, inside, outside, or when there is a blackout as an emergency light. Then the Hue Go is what you need.
Philips Hue Go Default Colors
Philips Hue Go has 5 default colors, these can set with the press of the button on the back of the Hue Go. These are called “natural dynamic effects.” This means you can still use this light without the bridge. The standard colors are
- Cozy Candle,
- Sunday Coffee,
- Meditation,
- Enchanted Forest, and
- Night Adventure. Each dynamic effect has its own mix of colors to set the right mood.
If you want more options of colors for the Go light you can press the button twice on the back of the lamp and then hold it in. The Hue Go lamp will then cycle through a whole range of different colors. When you find the color you like just release the button and it will be then set on that color.
How to turn off the Philips Hue go in Standby Mode
If you would like to turn the device off but leave it in standby mode, all you need to do is press the button on the back and hold it in for 2 seconds. This means the Hue Go will power down but remain in standby mode so it can still receive commands.
In standby mode and off, the Hue Go can be set up to turn on at any time of day or night. Turn on if it detects motion using the optional motion detector. Or turn on / flash at any other (ifttt) if this then that commands from a variety of Hue-compatible websites.
Some of the websites that can control your Hue lighting are:
- Ambieye.com web-based control for your Hue lighting.
- my.meethue.com Control your house lights and scenes anywhere, anytime. Discover new things from other creative hue users. Philips website
- IFTTT.com Learn how to do more with the services you love with If this then that commands.
It’s worth noting that in standby mode, your device will still use a small amount of power to keep the wireless link active. This means that if operating in battery mode you will be draining the battery slowly. Best to leave the power plug inserted if you are going to use the Hue go in standby mode for long periods.
After 2 hours of not using your Hue Go and if it’s still unplugged and on battery, it will power down its-self completely to preserve the battery life.
If you want to totally turn of the Hue Go and not be able to receive any command just hold down the power button for 10 seconds. The device will flash 2x and then power down. The battery should now not drain over time as there is no more standby power being used.
Here is the user manual for the Philips Hue Go which also has some more tips for getting the most out of your portable light lamp.
Battery Life for the Philips Hue Go
The battery of the Hue Go should last about 3 hours. This can vary from user to user depending on the color choice and brightness level. The default light brightness is dimmed to 40% when on battery. This is designed to provide better battery light but you can change this in the Hue App.
To completely recharge the battery it will take about 1.5 hours from fully flat to fully charged.
Works with Google Home and Amazon Alexa for voice control.
One of the best features of all Philips Hue products is the integration with Google Home and Amazon Alexa. Both of these home automation devices can control your Hue lamps with your voice. We have added a whole list of Google Home voice commands for you to try out.
We use Google Home at our house, as we are totally in the Google ecosystem, as all our phones and tablets are Android. To turn on the Hue lamps with Google Home you can use some of the following voice commands.
- Hey Google change the dining room lights to Blue
- Ok Google change the living room lights to Aqua
- Hey google turn on all lights
- Ok google Turn off the dining room lights
- Hey google dim dining room lights to 50%
Amazon Alexa works just as well with controlling your Hue lamps, so its best to choose a platform and stick to it.
Philips SAD Blue or White Lamp
If you have been diagnosed with Seasonal Affective Disorder also known as (SAD) Then you need to work out the most effective treatment for you. Most medical professionals will advise you on the best course of action which may include color light therapy.
Also knows as winter depression, winter blues, summer depression, and seasonal depression.
Many sufferers will usually prefer only one color. So if you will find yourself asking ‘Should I choose a Blue-light or White-light SAD treatment’ the Philips Hue Go will let you work out the best of both worlds. You don’t have to buy 2 different color lamps. Just change the color.
Blue-light SAD devices use LED’s to replicate the natural blue wavelength of light. This will trick your brain into making you feel better. A lot like how you feel great when outdoors and looking at the bright blue sky. As the Hue go can replicate of 16 million colors you will be able to find the perfect color blue light to help you when working in an office environment with no windows or waking up after shift work. Your brain will thank you for using the Hue Go blue light.
I slept with a Hue Go lamp next to my bed for a couple of weeks and I really enjoyed the alarm function when I set it on an energized scene. I seem to wake up feeling ready to take on the world. My oldest child now uses it as an alarm to wake for school. He seems to be happier in the mornings. So we will now be ordering a few more for the rest of the family.
Something else I have started to try is learning to meditate. I have started using a Muse brain monitor headband to help me get into the deep meditative place quickly. I do this to relax my mind before bed, so I’m not kept awake thinking of the stresses of life.
Full-spectrum or Whitelight SAD Lights
The traditional White-light SAD lights, usually referred to as ‘Full Spectrum’ lights typically give off a white light in every possible wavelength. This light is similar to sunlight so it more closely replicates what we experience every day. The Hue Go lamp is able to replicate all these possible shades of light from sunrise to midday to sunset to offer the user the best possible experience to combat SAD.
Philips Hue Go Specifications
Light source information | Technical information | Battery information |
---|---|---|
6W LED | 100V – 240V / 50 – 60 Hz | Rechargeable Li-ion battery |
(12W used when recharging the battery) | IP 20 | Nonuser–replaceable battery |
300 Lm @ 4000K | Class 2 | Up to 3 hours of battery light |
270 Lm @ 6500K | W: 5.9 in, H: 3.1 in, L: 5.9 in | Battery Charge time 1.5 hours |
260 Lm @ 3000K | Battery Life 20000 hours | |
240 Lm @ 2200K | 2 Year Warranty | |
80 CRI from 2000-4000K | ||
0,04% deep dimming | ||
Functional white light | ||
All shades of white, from warm to cold color temperatures | ||
16 million colors | ||
5 dynamic effects & 2 static effects | ||
IFTTT | ||
App | ||
Hue Connected |
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