Any Tips for Maximizing Hue Essentials with Smart Lighting Setup?

Hey folks!

I’ve been using Hue Essentials with my Philips Hue lights for a while now, and I like how flexible it is. But I think I’m not getting the most out of it yet. Right now, I use it to control my lights from my phone, but I’m wondering if anyone has some expert tips or tricks to make the most of what the app can do.

I’m interested in:

How to set up more complex routines (like ones that react to the weather or specific events).

Any clever ways to connect Hue Essentials with other smart home systems (like Alexa or Google Home).

Ideas for settings that might make the Hue Bridge work better or use less battery.

Also, I’m getting into smart home setups and want to boost my tech skills, so I’ve started looking at Microsoft SQL Server Training. Is there any way to combine these two interests? Maybe keeping track of lighting data in SQL databases or something like that?
I bet there are some awesome features I haven’t discovered yet, so I’d love to hear your ideas! Can’t wait to see what you all come up with.

Thanks in advance!