Arduino, Raspberry Pi, or ??? I'm Hacking Philips Hue Lights and I need your help!

1 Mar 2023

Arduino, Raspberry Pi, or ??? I'm Hacking Philips Hue Lights and I need your help!

Hi! It's Natasha.

I'm working on my next project for Element14 Presents which involves hacking the Philips Hue Lighting System. I need your help to determine which path I should take - please watch the video for the details of the project:

I will need to spend a lot of time learning to work with the Philips Hue API (and there's even a new one that just came out!) So, I want to make a well-informed decision:

Should I use Arduino, Raspberry Pi, or another system?
I will need 5 sensors (one under each cabinet) to detect my presence within a few feet of the sensor. What sensor system is best? Will it connect easily to the microcontroller system?
What other ideas do you have for controlling the Hue Lights?

Please let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Thanks in advance for your help!

Top Comments

dougw over 2 years ago +1

If you are more comfortable with Python, go with the Pi Pico W, if you prefer C, go with the MKR WiFi, although they can both be used with either language. Availability may also dictate which one to use…

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fmilburn over 2 years ago

Hi Natasha,

I wrote up some experimentation I did with human detection here: /challenges-projects/project14/open-arduino/b/blog/posts/ls-cubed-little-sister-security-system

It covers PIR, ultrasonic, and radar but most of the effort was on radar. There is a lot of good discussion in the comments below the main post on the radar sensor.
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fmilburn over 2 years ago in reply to fmilburn
Some more thoughts:
- As Shabaz mentioned there may be interference issues with some sensor types. Perhaps the sensors can be turned on/off and cycle through them.
- Since zone detection along the counter is desired, the cone of detection of the sensor and range are important. The radar sensor I tested had significant sensitivity to the sides and even behind while giving a digital output.
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shabaz over 2 years ago in reply to fmilburn

Now I think of it, these sensors are so sensitive they will probably trigger due to toaster popping, or even boiling kettle vibrating!
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shabaz over 2 years ago in reply to fmilburn

Now I think of it, these sensors are so sensitive they will probably trigger due to toaster popping, or even boiling kettle vibrating!
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TechnoChic over 2 years ago in reply to shabaz

Ah that's good to know! But if I was making toast I suppose I'd be close to that area anyway and want it illuminated. I'm hoping to make a smooth transition so triggering a section will illuminate in a slow fade and go back to default slowly too, so as not to make any jarring light flashes!
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