Verdict
Able to control multiple rooms , the Philips Hue Tap Dial wireless switch is a great remote , particularly for those that have more complicated setups . politic and antiphonal to utilise , the circular dimmer control is fantastical , although it could do with a few more configuration pick to make it perfect . Still , if you want the high level of overall control condition from a wireless substitution , this is the one to corrupt .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
Part of the magical spell of the Philips Hue system and why it ’s the best smart light chopine is the range of physical controls for it .
Most largely replicate traditional dimmers , with a few scene survival of the fittest choice , but the Philips Hue Tap Dial is a raw type of switch built for more advanced control , including multi - room or multi - zone control . silken and stylish , it ’s a neat accession to larger Hue installations .
Design and features
Do n’t get the Philips Hue Tap Dial blur with the older Tap switch ; the latter used energizing energy to harvest home king , with a limited set of prospect selections . The Hue Tap Dial transposition is a battery - powered gimmick that ply on a undivided CR2052 cell that should last for two years .
uncommitted in black or white , the Tap Dial substitution is a more stylish piece of outfit than many of the other official Hue switches . I found that this shift blended in better , although for the ultimate style , theRetrotouch Friends of Hue Switchcan’t be beaten .
Philips provides a go up home base with the switch , which can be chicane or stuck in place . The one I have match the standard UK socket size , but buy in a different country , such as the US , and you ’ll get a blanking plate that fit your location .
As with the other Hue switches , the Tap Dial can be magnetically removed from its mount up plate and used as a distant control . As the switch is round , there ’s a small nodule to get the right alignment .
This switch has a orbitual telephone dial on the outside , plus four single buttons , marked with dot . Configuration is through software . Up to three suite or one zone can be controlled per button .
Each of the four push can be configured individually , each providing the same choice . A press can either select a individual panorama , or it can be used to cycle through a pick of five conniption . contract and holding a release change state off the tie in rooms or zone .
This configuration stage gives a Brobdingnagian kitchen range of tractability , particularly with zona command . For example , in my kitchen , I have the spotlight gear up up as a zone over the pixy and preparation area . With the Philips Hue Tap Dial I can set one clitoris to turn these Inner Light to dressed ore , so I can see what I ’m doing while ready without mar the ambient mood of the rest of the kitchen .
Of course , such a across-the-board range of control can make it tricky to remember which clit does what , peculiarly if you ’re controlling multiple room and zones .
The dial acts as a dimmer : clockwise to make it brilliant , anti - clockwise to blur . In the software system , I could set the switch to dip to a minimum value or turn over off . When the light are off , I could set a conniption when turning the telephone dial , but I could only select from the basic Hue scene ( Bright , Dimmed , Concentrate and so on ) rather than my own scene .
The dimmer is also more or less limited as it can only be set to keep in line one room or zona or all Hue lights . While you’re able to utilize the clitoris to control scenes in different rooms , only being able to adjust the brightness in one is a lilliputian limiting .
I think that the ideal workaround would be to get the dimmer control luminosity in up to three rooms , as with the buttons , and to have an option that order the dial to do nothing if the lights are off . That agency , if a room was plough off , the dimmer would only adjust the brightness of the lights turn on .
Apple HomeKit reenforcement is there , although you ca n’t configure the rotary telephone dial , only the switches .
Performance
What ’s impressive about the Philips Hue Tap Dial is how well made it is . It ’s a firm lump of technology . When get rid of and sat on a desk , I set up the telephone dial well-to-do to turn without spin the intact remote control around ; the same is true while the switch is inserted into the blank plate .
Feedback for the telephone dial is spot on , too : I found that it clicked gently as it was rotated . Using Zigbee , the Philips Hue Tap Dial is fast , too : there ’s practically no difference in mastery speed using this compared to a physical dimmer .
Each push button is well designed , too . There ’s plenty of feedback to inform you that a clitoris has been press .
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Should you buy it?
If you need to control multiple elbow room and zones from one substitution , this is the controller for you .
If you desire a direct replacement for an existing light switch or want something simpler , then look at the other control options .
Final Thoughts
For a undivided elbow room , the received Hue Wireless Dimmer Switch may be a good option , or the Retrotouch Friends of Hue if you desire to supercede an existing light switch . Where you need slimly more complicated controls and want to control multiple rooms , the Philips Hue Tap Dial is a big increase to the family .
Trusted Score
How we test
Unlike other internet site , we essay every smart home intersection we look back thoroughly over an protracted time period of meter . We use industry stock tests to equate features properly . We ’ll always tell you what we find . We never , ever , take money to review a production .
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FAQs
It runs off a single CR2032 battery , which should last for up to two years .
Yes , although you could only configure the button not the rotary dial .
