README.md

Getting Started With Node-RED and Philips* Hue

Overview

Node-RED is a tool for wiring together hardware devices, APIs and online services in new and interesting ways. Node-RED provides a browser-based flow editor that makes it easy to wire together flows using the wide range nodes in the palette. Flows can be then deployed to the run-time in a single-click. The light-weight run-time is built on Node.js, taking full advantage of its event-driven, non-blocking model. This makes it ideal to run at the edge of the network. Hue is Personal Wireless Lighting System from Philips*. It is designed for home use and a minimum implementation includes a bridge (IP-ZigBee) and at least one LED. Most of Hue LED based lights support multi-color but pure white bulbs are available as well.

Required Hardware

• IoT Gateway that uses Intel® IoT Gateway Technology
• Philips Hue Bridge (version 2.0 was used in this example)
• Philips Hue bulb or light (Philips Hue Go was used in this example)

Assumptions

• Intel® IoT Gateway Technology version 3.1 or above
• Node.js is installed on the IoT Gateway (installed by default)
• Node-RED node node-red-contrib-hue is installed on the IoT Gateway
  • You can install this package by clicking on Packages and then Add Packages from the Intel® IoT Gateway Developer Hub
• Node-Red is installed on the IoT Gateway and is running (installed by default)
• The Philips Hue bridge has been setup and at least one light has been added

Important Notes

• Hue does not support connectivity through a proxy. The IoT gateway must be on the same network as the Hue Bridge and the Hue Bridge must be on a network with direct internet access.
• As of Jan 5 2016, the Hue node will fail to start if it can not discover a Hue Bridge on the same network; causing Node-RED to stop.

Using Node-RED

The Node-RED browser interface can be reached via http://ipaddressofthegateway:1880. When it first comes up it will look something like this.

Let’s create a Node-RED flow to turn on a Hue light and set the color.

Drag the following nodes from the left bar on to Sheet 1

• Inject (2 instances)
• function (2 instances)
• Hue Set (1 instance)

Now, configure the nodes:

• Double click on the Hue Set node. It may automatically ask you to press the button on your Hue bridge to connect Node-RED to your bridge. If not, click on the Server field and this should happen. Once it connects, you should be able to pick the Hue light you want to control via the Device drop down. In this example, we choose “Hue Go 1”. Set the name to “Hue Go” and click on Ok.
• Double click on the function node. Set the name to “Red” and insert the following syntax:

	msg.payload = {
	    "on" : [true],
	    "transitiontime" : [5],
	    "bri" : [100],
	    "rgb":[255,0,0]
	}

	return msg;

• Click on Ok

• Double click on the other function node. Set the name to “Gree” and insert the following syntax:

	msg.payload = {
	    "on" : [true],
	    "transitiontime" : [5],
	    "bri" : [100],
	    "rgb":[0,255,0]
	}
	
	return msg;

• Click on Ok
• Now wire 1 of the inject nodes to the Red function node by clicking and dragging between the small box on the right of the inject node to the small box on the left of the Red function node.
• Repeat the wire process connecting the other inject node to the Green function node
• Lastly, wire both Red and Green function nodes to the Hue Set node that we named Hue Go. It should look like this:

• Click on the Deploy button, top right, and Confirm deploy.
• Click on the solid/filled in light blue box on the left side of the “timestamp” inject node that’s connected to the Red function node
  • The Hue Go light should come on and turn Red
• Click on the solid/filled in light blue box on the left side of the “timestamp” inject node that’s connected to the Green function node
  • The Hue Go light should come on and turn Green

Congratulations! You are successfully communicating via IP to the Philips Hue Bridge, which is then communicating via ZigBee to the Philips Hue light.

You can repeat this process to create other colors, setting the rgb value in the function node to any color combination you want. You can also use the Hue Pull node, along with a Debug node, to read the current setting/value of a Hue device.

Example flow

Node-RED supports exporting and importing of flows (into source json). Here is an export of the above two flows we created. If you import this, the same nodes and configuration we created manually will automatically appear on the selected Sheet. Import and Export can be found in the Node-RED menu by clicking on the 3 horizontal lines to the right of the Deploy button.

[{"id":"e2ca30d6.1d35d","type":"Hue Set","deviceid":"1","serverid":"001788fffe210097","name":"Hue Go","x":585,"y":151,"z":"3685261d.c97ada","wires":[[],[]]},{"id":"bdcb7d46.42348","type":"function","name":"Red","func":"msg.payload={\n\t\t\t\"on\":[true],\n\t\t\t\"transitiontime\":[5],\n\t\t\t\"bri\":[100],\n\t\t\t\"rgb\":[255,0,0]\n\t\t}\nreturn msg;","outputs":1,"noerr":0,"x":352,"y":116,"z":"3685261d.c97ada","wires":[["e2ca30d6.1d35d"]]},{"id":"4d9edd42.b26124","type":"inject","name":"","topic":"","payload":"","payloadType":"date","repeat":"","crontab":"","once":false,"x":150,"y":102,"z":"3685261d.c97ada","wires":[["bdcb7d46.42348"]]},{"id":"ba3eeda6.45c11","type":"function","name":"Green","func":"msg.payload={\n\t\t\t\"on\":[true],\n\t\t\t\"transitiontime\":[5],\n\t\t\t\"bri\":[100],\n\t\t\t\"rgb\":[0,255,0]\n\t\t}\nreturn msg;","outputs":1,"noerr":0,"x":349,"y":181,"z":"3685261d.c97ada","wires":[["e2ca30d6.1d35d"]]},{"id":"37faeb17.c80514","type":"inject","name":"","topic":"","payload":"","payloadType":"date","repeat":"","crontab":"","once":false,"x":156,"y":199,"z":"3685261d.c97ada","wires":[["ba3eeda6.45c11"]]}]

References

• Philips Hue
• Node-red-contrib-hue
• Node-RED

*indicates that third-party names might be the property of others.