I was excited. My Hue Outdoor Sensor had finally arrived and I couldn’t wait to implement a few new routines.
Adding the sensor to the ecosystem was super easy… all I had to do was press the button on the back of the sensor and pair it with the Hue app (settings > Accessory setup). The setup was quick and I had a test light bulb triggering on movement within minutes. Now it was time to expand it to other devices in my house utilizing IFTTT. This is when it all went downhill.
Unlike Hue lights, the sensor does not have an open API and will not work with ANY other devices or protocols – it works within the Hue app and for Hue lights only. I am very unhappy.
The Philips Hue website doesn’t mention that the Outdoor Sensor should work with IFTTT or SmartThings. It also doesn’t say it shouldn’t. So, before I bought it, I reached out to Hue on Twitter for support. I got a little pissy… see why:
Hey, @tweethue .. does your new outdoor motion sensor have support for IFTTT, smartthings, etc? Trying to understand if the sensor only triggers lights on/off with no other trigger action possibilities. Thanks
— Smart Home Gear (@SmartHomeGear) March 30, 2019
Their response:
Hi there, the Outdoor Sensor does work with Friends of Hue partners like IFTTT, but you can also explore Hue labs to download various formulas that expand the use of the sensor.
— Philips Hue (@tweethue) March 30, 2019
This is why I went ahead and bought the Hue Sensor. I am a fan of Hue, so this seemed like a no-brainer. Well, I’m still a Hue fan, but:
hey, hue. You specifially said that the sensor works with IFTT and friends. well, SmartThings is a friend and ST doesn’t pick up your sensor as a motion sensor when adding device. Also, there is not an IFTTT trigger for Hue motion. Not sure why you told me all of this :(
— Smart Home Gear (@SmartHomeGear) April 5, 2019
The rest of my rant with Hue’s reply went like this:
IF? I was misinformed by your team. The info provided by your team was 100% wrong. Please focus on educating anyone who interacts with customers. I have a device that is useless for me now. Ugh. pic.twitter.com/iu0650XX0X
— Smart Home Gear (@SmartHomeGear) April 5, 2019
OK. OK. I got a little abrasive, but I was not – and am not – please with this experience. But, now you know – as of today, the Hue Outdoor Sensor doesn’t work with anything besides the lights within the same app. You’re welcome.
I fell for the same “Hue works with IFTTT BS. It is stupid for them to not make any of their their input devices IFTTT compatible.
Thank you for writing this up to help others! You saved me from going through the same process! Thank you!
Thanks for this post – I’m in the market for a sensor I can put inside my mailbox to trigger an alert when the mail comes, but I couldn’t find any concrete info on how the Hue sensor works and if it would be possible to use it that way. This post saved me purchasing one of them and being disappointed.
You were not pissy with them IMO. You had every right to call them on their BS. I’ve been seriously thinking of switching ecosystems because Hue is starting to fade and make it more difficult to use with the IOT. They are sturdy quality products, but if they live in their own bubble, they are not useful.
Ditto for me. Whole reason for buying their product was to use it as a motion sensor to trigger IFTTT scripts. Was considering building out with Phillips despite their high price, but clearly it does not play well with other services. I will be returning everything I bought and choose another product.