This is a collection of little scripts and tools that I have developed while tinkering around with the Philips Hue smart lighting system. Many are just for fun, some are rather esoteric, and others may even be useful; your mileage may vary.
“Hue Personal Wireless Lighting” is a trademark of Philips Lighting Holding B.V. The author(s) of this software are in no way affiliated with Philips.
Currently, everything here assumes the use of white and color ambiance lamps, and may outright fail on anything else. I don’t even have anything other than the full-color lamps at the moment, so I have no ability to even test compatibility with ambiance- or white-only lights.
This project requires the phue Python library.
The package can be installed with pip. For instance, with the contents of this repo (where setup.py is located) located at <path/to/package>:
pip install <path/to/package>
Or, for a user-local installation:
pip install --user <path/to/package>
This collection includes the following:
Slowly fades selected lights through randomly-chosen color shades
usage: fading_colors [-h] [-v] [-B BRIDGE_ADDRESS] [-Bu BRIDGE_USERNAME]
[-Bc BRIDGE_CONFIG] [-l LIGHT-NUM [LIGHT-NUM ...]]
[-ln LIGHT-NAME [LIGHT-NAME ...]] [--no-restore-lights]
[-t DECISECONDS] [-gh] [-gs] [-gb] [-hr L H] [-sr L H]
[-br L H]
Produce a Philips Hue lighting random color fade effect.
optional arguments:
-h, --help show this help message and exit
-v, --verbose output extra informational messages (and debug
messages if specified more than once)
-B BRIDGE_ADDRESS, --bridge BRIDGE_ADDRESS
Hue bridge IP or hostname
-Bu BRIDGE_USERNAME, --bridge-username BRIDGE_USERNAME
Hue bridge username
-Bc BRIDGE_CONFIG, --bridge-config BRIDGE_CONFIG
path of config file for bridge connection parameters
-l LIGHT-NUM [LIGHT-NUM ...], --light-id LIGHT-NUM [LIGHT-NUM ...]
use light(s) with ID number LIGHT-NUM
-ln LIGHT-NAME [LIGHT-NAME ...], --light-name LIGHT-NAME [LIGHT-NAME ...]
use light(s) named LIGHT-NAME
--no-restore-lights do not return lights to their original state on exit
-t DECISECONDS, --cycle-time DECISECONDS
cycle time in tenths of a second (default: 100)
-gh, --group-hue match the same hue among all lights
-gs, --group-saturation
match the same saturation among all lights
-gb, --group-brightness
match the same brightness among all lights
-hr L H, --hue-range L H
restrict the generated hue range (0 to 65535) from L
to H
-sr L H, --saturation-range L H
restrict the generated saturation range (0 to 254)
from L to H
-br L H, --brightness-range L H
restrict the generated saturation range (1 to 254)
from L to H
If no lights are specified, all lights found on the bridge will be
used.
The first time this script is run on a system, it may be necessary to
press the button on the bridge before running the script so that it can
be registered to access the bridge and lighting system.
Flashes randomly-chosen colors across selected lights in a “chasing” effect
usage: chasing_colors [-h] [-v] [-B BRIDGE_ADDRESS] [-Bu BRIDGE_USERNAME]
[-Bc BRIDGE_CONFIG] [-l LIGHT-NUM [LIGHT-NUM ...]]
[-ln LIGHT-NAME [LIGHT-NAME ...]] [--no-restore-lights]
[-t DECISECONDS] [-hr L H] [-sr L H] [-br L H]
Produce a Philips Hue lighting random color chasing effect
optional arguments:
-h, --help show this help message and exit
-v, --verbose output extra informational messages (and debug
messages if specified more than once)
-B BRIDGE_ADDRESS, --bridge BRIDGE_ADDRESS
Hue bridge IP or hostname
-Bu BRIDGE_USERNAME, --bridge-username BRIDGE_USERNAME
Hue bridge username
-Bc BRIDGE_CONFIG, --bridge-config BRIDGE_CONFIG
path of config file for bridge connection parameters
-l LIGHT-NUM [LIGHT-NUM ...], --light-id LIGHT-NUM [LIGHT-NUM ...]
use light(s) with ID number LIGHT-NUM
-ln LIGHT-NAME [LIGHT-NAME ...], --light-name LIGHT-NAME [LIGHT-NAME ...]
use light(s) named LIGHT-NAME
--no-restore-lights do not return lights to their original state on exit
-t DECISECONDS, --cycle-time DECISECONDS
cycle time in tenths of a second (default: 10)
-hr L H, --hue-range L H
restrict the generated hue range (0 to 65535) from L
to H
-sr L H, --saturation-range L H
restrict the generated saturation range (0 to 254)
from L to H
-br L H, --brightness-range L H
restrict the generated saturation range (1 to 254)
from L to H
Lights will be sequenced in the order specified.
If no lights are specified, all lights found on the bridge will be
used.
The first time this script is run on a system, it may be necessary to
press the button on the bridge before running the script so that it can
be registered to access the bridge and lighting system.
Flashes randomly-chosen colors across selected lights with random time intervals
usage: flashing_colors [-h] [-v] [-B BRIDGE_ADDRESS] [-Bu BRIDGE_USERNAME]
[-Bc BRIDGE_CONFIG] [-l LIGHT-NUM [LIGHT-NUM ...]]
[-ln LIGHT-NAME [LIGHT-NAME ...]] [--no-restore-lights]
[-hr L H] [-sr L H] [-br L H] [-na DECISECONDS]
[-ns DECISECONDS] [-fa DECISECONDS] [-fs DECISECONDS]
Flash lights on and off with different colors
optional arguments:
-h, --help show this help message and exit
-v, --verbose output extra informational messages (and debug
messages if specified more than once)
-B BRIDGE_ADDRESS, --bridge BRIDGE_ADDRESS
Hue bridge IP or hostname
-Bu BRIDGE_USERNAME, --bridge-username BRIDGE_USERNAME
Hue bridge username
-Bc BRIDGE_CONFIG, --bridge-config BRIDGE_CONFIG
path of config file for bridge connection parameters
-l LIGHT-NUM [LIGHT-NUM ...], --light-id LIGHT-NUM [LIGHT-NUM ...]
use light(s) with ID number LIGHT-NUM
-ln LIGHT-NAME [LIGHT-NAME ...], --light-name LIGHT-NAME [LIGHT-NAME ...]
use light(s) named LIGHT-NAME
--no-restore-lights do not return lights to their original state on exit
-hr L H, --hue-range L H
restrict the generated hue range (0 to 65535) from L
to H
-sr L H, --saturation-range L H
restrict the generated saturation range (0 to 254)
from L to H
-br L H, --brightness-range L H
restrict the generated saturation range (1 to 254)
from L to H
-na DECISECONDS, --on-time-avg DECISECONDS
average “on” time per flash in tenths of a second
(default: 8)
-ns DECISECONDS, --on-time-sd DECISECONDS
standard deviation of “on” time per flash in tenths of
a second (default: 3)
-fa DECISECONDS, --off-time-avg DECISECONDS
average “off” time per flash in tenths of a second
(default: 13)
-fs DECISECONDS, --off-time-sd DECISECONDS
standard deviation of “off” time per flash in tenths
of a second (default: 6)
If no lights are specified, all lights found on the bridge will be
used.
The first time this script is run on a system, it may be necessary to
press the button on the bridge before running the script so that it can
be registered to access the bridge and lighting system.
Encodes an arbitrary sequence of numeric digits as colored light flashes
usage: coded_digits [-h] [-v] [-B BRIDGE_ADDRESS] [-Bu BRIDGE_USERNAME]
[-Bc BRIDGE_CONFIG] [-l LIGHT-NUM [LIGHT-NUM ...]]
[-ln LIGHT-NAME [LIGHT-NAME ...]] [--no-restore-lights]
[-t DECISECONDS] [-s DECISECONDS] [-fs] [-p] [-np]
[-c {bright,dim}]
digits
Blink out a series of digits encoded using colors.
positional arguments:
digits the sequence of digits to flash
optional arguments:
-h, --help show this help message and exit
-v, --verbose output extra informational messages (and debug
messages if specified more than once)
-B BRIDGE_ADDRESS, --bridge BRIDGE_ADDRESS
Hue bridge IP or hostname
-Bu BRIDGE_USERNAME, --bridge-username BRIDGE_USERNAME
Hue bridge username
-Bc BRIDGE_CONFIG, --bridge-config BRIDGE_CONFIG
path of config file for bridge connection parameters
-l LIGHT-NUM [LIGHT-NUM ...], --light-id LIGHT-NUM [LIGHT-NUM ...]
use light(s) with ID number LIGHT-NUM
-ln LIGHT-NAME [LIGHT-NAME ...], --light-name LIGHT-NAME [LIGHT-NAME ...]
use light(s) named LIGHT-NAME
--no-restore-lights do not return lights to their original state on exit
-t DECISECONDS, --cycle-time DECISECONDS
cycle time in tenths of a second (default: 10)
-s DECISECONDS, --switch-time DECISECONDS
If there are more digits to transmit than lights,
display the "blank" color on all lights for
DECISECONDS tenths of a second before each digit flash
(default: 2 . 0 makes it as short as possible; -1
disables it entirely.
-fs, --force-switch-time
always use a switch time after the digit flash, even
if there are enough lights to display all digits at
once
-p, --pad always reset all lights to the "blank" color when the
sequence finishes, instead of only when there are more
digits than lights to transmit
-np, --no-pad never reset lights to the "blank" color when the
sequence finishes
-c {bright,dim}, --scheme {bright,dim}
use the chosen color scheme
Lights will be sequenced in the order specified.
If no lights are specified, all lights found on the bridge will be
used.
The first time this script is run on a system, it may be necessary to
press the button on the bridge before running the script so that it can
be registered to access the bridge and lighting system.
Encodes the time of day as colored light flashes
usage: coded_clock [-h] [-v] [-B BRIDGE_ADDRESS] [-Bu BRIDGE_USERNAME]
[-Bc BRIDGE_CONFIG] [-l LIGHT-NUM [LIGHT-NUM ...]]
[-ln LIGHT-NAME [LIGHT-NAME ...]] [--no-restore-lights]
[-t DECISECONDS] [-s DECISECONDS] [-fs] [-p] [-np]
[-c {bright,dim}]
Blink out a series of color-coded digits representing the time of
day.
optional arguments:
-h, --help show this help message and exit
-v, --verbose output extra informational messages (and debug
messages if specified more than once)
-B BRIDGE_ADDRESS, --bridge BRIDGE_ADDRESS
Hue bridge IP or hostname
-Bu BRIDGE_USERNAME, --bridge-username BRIDGE_USERNAME
Hue bridge username
-Bc BRIDGE_CONFIG, --bridge-config BRIDGE_CONFIG
path of config file for bridge connection parameters
-l LIGHT-NUM [LIGHT-NUM ...], --light-id LIGHT-NUM [LIGHT-NUM ...]
use light(s) with ID number LIGHT-NUM
-ln LIGHT-NAME [LIGHT-NAME ...], --light-name LIGHT-NAME [LIGHT-NAME ...]
use light(s) named LIGHT-NAME
--no-restore-lights do not return lights to their original state on exit
-t DECISECONDS, --cycle-time DECISECONDS
cycle time in tenths of a second (default: 10)
-s DECISECONDS, --switch-time DECISECONDS
If there are more digits to transmit than lights,
display the "blank" color on all lights for
DECISECONDS tenths of a second before each digit flash
(default: 2 . 0 makes it as short as possible; -1
disables it entirely.
-fs, --force-switch-time
always use a switch time after the digit flash, even
if there are enough lights to display all digits at
once
-p, --pad always reset all lights to the "blank" color when the
sequence finishes, instead of only when there are more
digits than lights to transmit
-np, --no-pad never reset lights to the "blank" color when the
sequence finishes
-c {bright,dim}, --scheme {bright,dim}
use the chosen color scheme
Lights will be sequenced in the order specified.
If no lights are specified, all lights found on the bridge will be
used.
The first time this script is run on a system, it may be necessary to
press the button on the bridge before running the script so that it can
be registered to access the bridge and lighting system.
Encodes elapsed time as colored light flashes
usage: coded_stopwatch [-h] [-v] [-B BRIDGE_ADDRESS] [-Bu BRIDGE_USERNAME]
[-Bc BRIDGE_CONFIG] [-l LIGHT-NUM [LIGHT-NUM ...]]
[-ln LIGHT-NAME [LIGHT-NAME ...]] [--no-restore-lights]
[-t DECISECONDS] [-s DECISECONDS] [-fs] [-p] [-np]
[-c {bright,dim}]
Blink out a series of color-coded digits representing elapsed time.
optional arguments:
-h, --help show this help message and exit
-v, --verbose output extra informational messages (and debug
messages if specified more than once)
-B BRIDGE_ADDRESS, --bridge BRIDGE_ADDRESS
Hue bridge IP or hostname
-Bu BRIDGE_USERNAME, --bridge-username BRIDGE_USERNAME
Hue bridge username
-Bc BRIDGE_CONFIG, --bridge-config BRIDGE_CONFIG
path of config file for bridge connection parameters
-l LIGHT-NUM [LIGHT-NUM ...], --light-id LIGHT-NUM [LIGHT-NUM ...]
use light(s) with ID number LIGHT-NUM
-ln LIGHT-NAME [LIGHT-NAME ...], --light-name LIGHT-NAME [LIGHT-NAME ...]
use light(s) named LIGHT-NAME
--no-restore-lights do not return lights to their original state on exit
-t DECISECONDS, --cycle-time DECISECONDS
cycle time in tenths of a second (default: 10)
-s DECISECONDS, --switch-time DECISECONDS
If there are more digits to transmit than lights,
display the "blank" color on all lights for
DECISECONDS tenths of a second before each digit flash
(default: 2 . 0 makes it as short as possible; -1
disables it entirely.
-fs, --force-switch-time
always use a switch time after the digit flash, even
if there are enough lights to display all digits at
once
-p, --pad always reset all lights to the "blank" color when the
sequence finishes, instead of only when there are more
digits than lights to transmit
-np, --no-pad never reset lights to the "blank" color when the
sequence finishes
-c {bright,dim}, --scheme {bright,dim}
use the chosen color scheme
Lights will be sequenced in the order specified.
If no lights are specified, all lights found on the bridge will be
used.
The first time this script is run on a system, it may be necessary to
press the button on the bridge before running the script so that it can
be registered to access the bridge and lighting system.
A simple command-line tool for controlling lights
usage: lightctl [-h] [-v] [-B BRIDGE_ADDRESS] [-Bu BRIDGE_USERNAME]
[-Bc BRIDGE_CONFIG] [-l LIGHT-NUM [LIGHT-NUM ...]]
[-ln LIGHT-NAME [LIGHT-NAME ...]] [-n] [-f] [-o] [-b BRI]
[-u HUE] [-s SAT] [-x X Y] [-c MIREDS] [-k KELVIN] [-i BRI]
[-t DECISECONDS] [-w]
Command-line utility to control Hue lights
optional arguments:
-h, --help show this help message and exit
-v, --verbose output extra informational messages (and debug
messages if specified more than once)
-B BRIDGE_ADDRESS, --bridge BRIDGE_ADDRESS
Hue bridge IP or hostname
-Bu BRIDGE_USERNAME, --bridge-username BRIDGE_USERNAME
Hue bridge username
-Bc BRIDGE_CONFIG, --bridge-config BRIDGE_CONFIG
path of config file for bridge connection parameters
-l LIGHT-NUM [LIGHT-NUM ...], --light-id LIGHT-NUM [LIGHT-NUM ...]
use light(s) with ID number LIGHT-NUM
-ln LIGHT-NAME [LIGHT-NAME ...], --light-name LIGHT-NAME [LIGHT-NAME ...]
use light(s) named LIGHT-NAME
-n, --on turn lights on
-f, --off turn lights off
-o, --toggle toggle lights on or off
-b BRI, --brightness BRI
set brightness (1 to 254)
-u HUE, --hue HUE set hue (0 to 65535)
-s SAT, --saturation SAT
set saturation (0 to 254)
-x X Y, --xy X Y set X, Y color coordinates (fractional value from 0.0
to 1.0)
-c MIREDS, --ct MIREDS, --color-temp MIREDS
set color temperature in mireds/mireks
-k KELVIN, --kelvin KELVIN
set color temperature in Kelvin
-i BRI, --incandescent BRI
set brightness to BRI and set lamp color to simulate
an incandescent bulb dimmed to that brightness level
-t DECISECONDS, --transition-time DECISECONDS
use a transition time of DECISECONDS tenths of a
second
-w, --wait wait for the transition time to elapse before exiting
If no lights are specified, all lights found on the bridge will be
used.
Except with the -x/--xy option, numerical arguments may be prefixed
with a + or - to add or subtract the value from the light's current
setting instead of setting it directly to that value. Color temperature
will be limited to Hue's supported range of 153–500 mired or 2000–6535
Kelvin if such relative inputs are used, though setting absolute values
outside this range are allowed and will be simulated if necessary.
The first time this script is run on a system, it may be necessary to
press the button on the bridge before running the script so that it can
be registered to access the bridge and lighting system.
A simple curses-based terminal tool for controlling lights
usage: lightctl_curses [-h] [-B BRIDGE_ADDRESS] [-Bu BRIDGE_USERNAME]
[-Bc BRIDGE_CONFIG] [-l LIGHT-NUM [LIGHT-NUM ...]]
[-ln LIGHT-NAME [LIGHT-NAME ...]] [-a] [-t DECISECONDS]
A simple curses utility to control Hue lights
optional arguments:
-h, --help show this help message and exit
-B BRIDGE_ADDRESS, --bridge BRIDGE_ADDRESS
Hue bridge IP or hostname
-Bu BRIDGE_USERNAME, --bridge-username BRIDGE_USERNAME
Hue bridge username
-Bc BRIDGE_CONFIG, --bridge-config BRIDGE_CONFIG
path of config file for bridge connection parameters
-l LIGHT-NUM [LIGHT-NUM ...], --light-id LIGHT-NUM [LIGHT-NUM ...]
use light(s) with ID number LIGHT-NUM
-ln LIGHT-NAME [LIGHT-NAME ...], --light-name LIGHT-NAME [LIGHT-NAME ...]
use light(s) named LIGHT-NAME
-a, --auto-refresh-mode
start in auto-refresh mode
-t DECISECONDS, --auto-refresh-interval DECISECONDS
time in tenths of a second between auto-refresh
updates (default: 10)
If no lights are specified, all lights found on the bridge will be
used.
The first time this script is run on a system, it may be necessary to
press the button on the bridge before running the script so that it can
be registered to access the bridge and lighting system.
A monitor program that tries to restore the state of lights after they lose power
usage: power_fail_restore [-h] [-v] [-B BRIDGE_ADDRESS] [-Bu BRIDGE_USERNAME]
[-Bc BRIDGE_CONFIG] [-l LIGHT-NUM [LIGHT-NUM ...]]
[-ln LIGHT-NAME [LIGHT-NAME ...]] [-t MONITOR_TIME]
[-i]
A program that tries to keep track of light state and automatically
restore it when lights return to their default power-on state due to
power interruption
optional arguments:
-h, --help show this help message and exit
-v, --verbose output extra informational messages (and debug
messages if specified more than once)
-B BRIDGE_ADDRESS, --bridge BRIDGE_ADDRESS
Hue bridge IP or hostname
-Bu BRIDGE_USERNAME, --bridge-username BRIDGE_USERNAME
Hue bridge username
-Bc BRIDGE_CONFIG, --bridge-config BRIDGE_CONFIG
path of config file for bridge connection parameters
-l LIGHT-NUM [LIGHT-NUM ...], --light-id LIGHT-NUM [LIGHT-NUM ...]
use light(s) with ID number LIGHT-NUM
-ln LIGHT-NAME [LIGHT-NAME ...], --light-name LIGHT-NAME [LIGHT-NAME ...]
use light(s) named LIGHT-NAME
-t MONITOR_TIME, --monitor-time MONITOR_TIME
interval to poll for light state in seconds (default:
60)
-i, --individual-mode
restore lights individually when reset, rather than
restoring only all lights as a group when they all are
in initial power-up state
If no lights are specified, all lights found on the bridge will be
used.
The first time this script is run on a system, it may be necessary to
press the button on the bridge before running the script so that it can
be registered to access the bridge and lighting system.
A program that fades lights up or down with a tungsten-like appearance, simulating the color shift of a dimmed incandescent bulb
usage: incandescent_fade [-h] [-v] [-B BRIDGE_ADDRESS] [-Bu BRIDGE_USERNAME]
[-Bc BRIDGE_CONFIG] [-l LIGHT-NUM [LIGHT-NUM ...]]
[-ln LIGHT-NAME [LIGHT-NAME ...]] [--restore-lights]
start_brightness final_brightness fade_time
Simulate an incandescent dimmer fade
positional arguments:
start_brightness the starting brightness level (1–254); 0 is off
final_brightness the ending brightness level (1–254); 0 is off
fade_time number of seconds to perform the fade
optional arguments:
-h, --help show this help message and exit
-v, --verbose output extra informational messages (and debug
messages if specified more than once)
-B BRIDGE_ADDRESS, --bridge BRIDGE_ADDRESS
Hue bridge IP or hostname
-Bu BRIDGE_USERNAME, --bridge-username BRIDGE_USERNAME
Hue bridge username
-Bc BRIDGE_CONFIG, --bridge-config BRIDGE_CONFIG
path of config file for bridge connection parameters
-l LIGHT-NUM [LIGHT-NUM ...], --light-id LIGHT-NUM [LIGHT-NUM ...]
use light(s) with ID number LIGHT-NUM
-ln LIGHT-NAME [LIGHT-NAME ...], --light-name LIGHT-NAME [LIGHT-NAME ...]
use light(s) named LIGHT-NAME
--restore-lights return lights to their original state on exit
If no lights are specified, all lights found on the bridge will be
used.
The first time this script is run on a system, it may be necessary to
press the button on the bridge before running the script so that it can
be registered to access the bridge and lighting system.
Roughly simulates the power-on behavior of certain non-LED lights.
usage: alt_lamp_simulation [-h] [-v] [-B BRIDGE_ADDRESS] [-Bu BRIDGE_USERNAME]
[-Bc BRIDGE_CONFIG] [-l LIGHT-NUM [LIGHT-NUM ...]]
[-ln LIGHT-NAME [LIGHT-NAME ...]]
[--restore-lights] [-m {cfl_2700k,cfl_3500k,sbm}]
[-w {deep,shallow,random}] [-t TIME_RATE]
Simulate certain types of non-LED lamps with their power-on warm-up
behaviors
optional arguments:
-h, --help show this help message and exit
-v, --verbose output extra informational messages (and debug
messages if specified more than once)
-B BRIDGE_ADDRESS, --bridge BRIDGE_ADDRESS
Hue bridge IP or hostname
-Bu BRIDGE_USERNAME, --bridge-username BRIDGE_USERNAME
Hue bridge username
-Bc BRIDGE_CONFIG, --bridge-config BRIDGE_CONFIG
path of config file for bridge connection parameters
-l LIGHT-NUM [LIGHT-NUM ...], --light-id LIGHT-NUM [LIGHT-NUM ...]
use light(s) with ID number LIGHT-NUM
-ln LIGHT-NAME [LIGHT-NAME ...], --light-name LIGHT-NAME [LIGHT-NAME ...]
use light(s) named LIGHT-NAME
--restore-lights return lights to their original state on exit
-m {cfl_2700k,cfl_3500k,sbm}, --model {cfl_2700k,cfl_3500k,sbm}
light model to simulate; if specified multiple times,
a randomly-chosen model out of the ones specified will
be selected for each light
-w {deep,shallow,random}, --warmup-type {deep,shallow,random}
variation of warmup to simulate; only applies to CFL
simulation models (default: random)
-t TIME_RATE, --time-rate TIME_RATE
time rate of simulation (e.g., 2 = double speed, 0.5 =
half speed) (default: 1.0)
If no lights are specified, all lights found on the bridge will be
used.
The first time this script is run on a system, it may be necessary to
press the button on the bridge before running the script so that it can
be registered to access the bridge and lighting system.