I’ve been experimenting with automating my Philips Hue lights using Dasher, and I wanted to share some tips and tricks I’ve discovered. For those who are also trying to set up similar automations, here’s a bit of what I’ve learned.
First, I wanted to create a simple on/off switch for my Hue lights. That part was straightforward using Dasher’s toggle feature. But the challenge came when I wanted to integrate a color-changing button, specifically for a ‘romance’ setting. The issue I faced was that after toggling the light off and back on, it wouldn’t revert to the default white light—it would stay on the last color used, which in this case was the ‘romance’ setting.
After some trial and error, I figured out that the key was to manage the state of the light separately from the color changes. Essentially, I needed to ensure that when the light is toggled off, it resets to a default state before turning back on. This involved creating a scene that explicitly sets the light to white before turning it on again. It was a bit of a workaround, but it solved the problem perfectly!
I also discovered that using scenes in combination with Dasher’s buttons makes for a seamless experience. For example, I set up a ‘romance’ scene that not only changes the color but also adjusts the brightness to create a cozy ambiance. Pairing this with the on/off toggle button has made controlling my lights much more intuitive.
For anyone else working with Dasher and Hue, I’d recommend exploring scenes and state management. It might take a bit of tweaking, but the results are well worth the effort. Happy automating! 