Best of all, its free. ZigBee has a 291-meter outdoor range, according to Link Labs testing of the two technologies. Once thats done, you can check whether this simple step fixed your connection issues. Anything else. However, if your Philips Hue smart lighting collection exceeds 50 lights and accessories, you might require a second Hue Bridge. and has the added benefit that it is really easy to combine a hue motion sensor with the Hue light - it was simply not worth it to go further down the Bluetooth road. This means that you dont have to worry as much about the range of a Hue outdoor light, since it doesnt need to be in range of your Hue Bridge it simply needs to be close enough to another Hue light, which will act as a ZigBee repeater. from the bulb to the smartphone). If you have a large enough backyard, you may begin to breach the approximate 25-meter range limit at some point. The Smart Home system works as long as the hue devices are within the range of the Wi-Fi network. Open your Philips Hue Bridge box. The Hue Bridge uses a wireless technology called ZigBee. Youre effectively limited to two bridges maximum on HomeKit. Hit 'Update Now'. If the app finds your light, click Start configuration. You can have as many Hue bridges in the Hue app as you want. What bulbs are compatible with Philips Hue? The fact that my Hue Hub is located in my attic hasnt caused any problems for me, even though there are three to four ceilings and walls between my Hub and some of the smart lights. I installed some in the Garden today, but they are slightly out of range, hence I can't connect them to the app. Make sure your phone is connected to the same Wi-Fi network as the Hue Bridge. The Bluetooth option gives you an overall impression of smart lights look and feels before committing to a full-fledged Hue system. Is this true? The Philips Hue Bridge works with Amazon Alexa. How to Extend the Bridges Range Uing ZigBee Mesh. You can easily switch between Hue Bridges in the Philips Hue app by tapping the Hue Bridge icon in the Home tab. Well answer these questions and more in this Philip Hue guide. However both protocols have been updated since then the newer bulbs support something called Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) which was formalized in December 2009, whilst the new ZigBee 3.0 standard released in December 2016 is supported by all Hue products. ), How to Best Install Ring Doorbells in a Narrow Doorframe. Smart Home Point 2019-2023. Your email address will not be published. If you need additional help setting up your Hue Bridge, browse our FAQ or get in touch with Philips Hue Support. Certainly, a second bridge could be useful the Ethernet would bypass any potential RF issues from your solid and heated floor. According to an independent study, the ZigBee technologys maximum interior range is 25 meters. Once you've found it, download the app. This frequently happens when you turn a Hue light off using a standard switch instead of using the Hue app, Alexa, or another connected smart home service. I live in a stone house of 3 floor with external walls large up to 100 cm and internal walls measures up to 20 cm. 2. Youll need a second bridge to control Hue devices in a second home, a guest house, or an external building like a shed. The plug works with the Philips Hue* bridge, Samsung SmartThings and, of course, with the Innr bridge. Hello, sorry to hear of the signal/range issues, thats frustrating. It shows how bright the bulb can get at 2700 K (White bulbs) or 4000 K (White ambiance or White and color ambiance bulbs). I cannot reach the bulbs (Innr E14) at lower floor, even if I have a bulb in the stairs (that should extend the range of ZigBee). Does The Hub Have To Be In The Same Room As The Router? First, follow these steps to remove the bulb. ZigBee Mesh is a similar concept, but it uses a different protocol standard, and Hue lights do not support it, therefore the range of your Hue Bluetooth bulbs is limited to point to point communication (i.e. Wifi Mesh > ~~~ If you're getting your new smart lighting set up and you've ended up here, you're probably trying to figure out how to set up your Philips Hue Bridge. Recent generations also has two methods of connectivity: Bluetooth and ZigBee. To increase the range of your hub, any bulb or fixture that shortens the distance between your first bulb and your second bulb will help. It functions as its own base (within the network), instead of being an add-on device. However, if you have a big house and are using Wi-Fi repeaters (range extenders), you might encounter issues. Philips Hue uses ZigBee, whilst mesh network routers are WiFi based so they are different technologies. Sometimes, a single Philips Hue light is unreachable from the app. All rights reserved. My Philips Hue v2 Bridge connected to this Netgear network switch. Check Which Network Your Hue Bridge Is On. These are outside lights, not inside ones. I need to know whether my fixtures can communicate across a distance of roughly 12 meters (40 feet) with my present configuration. EICOBOT Robot Vacuum, Tangle-Free, Self-Charging, Slim. No technical difficulties were detected when P Kacz tested ZigBee ranges of up to 11.7m (and up to 2 drywall or solid walls) and found no range of technical issues, which means the effective ZigBee range should probably be greater than 11.7m. Hello Tristan, I hope you can help me. How many light bulbs and Smart Home devices can I connect to one bridge? Hue accessories also count toward the limit, including buttons, switches, and plugs. Make a note of which lights are blinking (or off) and what error message you are receiving in the app, as that will help you decide which fixes to try. When it comes to technology, Bluetooth has been available since 1989, whereas ZigBee was initially invented in 1998. Set up a Hue Bridge Download the Hue app from the App Store or Google Play Store. Ask Question Comment Step 2: Trim Back Trim the excess back so you have exposed ends on the strip end. Alternatively, what if you dont have a Wi-Fi connection to begin with? Link Labs tested ZigBee and Bluetooth LE and found that ZigBee has a 291 metre outdoor range. Philips Hue White and Colour Ambiance Indoor Lightstrip 2m with Hue Bidge Bring brilliantly coloured light to any area of your home with the flexible lightstrip, which includes a power supply combined with a Hue Bridge allows you to unlock the full suite of smart lighitng features.Depth: 160 MMShape, cut, or extend your LightstripExtendible up to 10 metresBright light for both function and . ZigBee Alliance figures show that the outside line of sight range (ie, without any obstructions in the way) is above 300 metres. Indoor Positioning System using Bluetooth Low Energy, Hue Hub is connected via an Ethernet cable, The Best & Cheapest ZigBee Repeaters: Why This Is Important, Philips Hue Bridge: How To Circumvent The 50 Bulb Limit, Philips Hue is now better with multiple bridges, Amazon Echo Alarm Is Unreliable (Its Too Quiet Or Doesnt Go Off! We've set up a smart light using Bluetooth to find that, although this was really easy, the capabilities of the Hue lights are limited by range and functionality which can all be unlocked by the Hue Bridge. This feature is automatic with your Hue lighting system you dont need to enable any settings, the mesh will just form itself in the most efficient way for your homes smart lighting setup. Bluetooth LE is faster, meaning that supporting devices can send and receive data quicker. Ive already touched on this, but this question is asked a fair bit so I wanted to cover it explicilty. Remove the ethernet cable, but leave the power cable in place. Anything else? If you are using a gateway (modem/router combo) instead of a modem, you need to plug the Hue Bridge into the gateway, even if you have a separate Wi-Fi router. Fortunately, each Hue bulb acts as a repeater, extending the range by 100 more feet. The Philips Hue Bridge smart lighting hub will be automatically enriched with Matter, making all connected Philips Hue products compatible with this new industry-unifying standard. Is there another way of doing it? All three blue lights on the Hue Bridge should be on. They power the ability to connect bulbs into a coherent scene and the ability to control Hue lights outside of your home. Also please be sure to check out. Ive also written guides for the common Alexa spinning blue light bugs and Alexa not responding problems, so you can take a look at those if your Alexa isnt working right. The max range of Philip Hue's network depends on the system's connectivity method. You can always start out with a Bluetooth-controlled system and add a Hue Bridge later! extending the reach of the network). But before you get excited, Signify, the company behind Hue has said support will come to the Hue Bridge only, not the smart bulbs themselves. Connect this router to your hotspot using bridge mode. There probably wont be an easy answer with 20cm thick internal walls, unfortunately. Bridge app loaded on phone. Controlling your Philips Hue smart lights with Bluetooth is perfect for people who only want smart lighting in one room or those who want to try it out before they commit to a full setup. Tristan also has an academic background (in Math & Computer Science), and so he enjoys digging into the technical ways that smart home devices work. Thank you very much! Tristan Perry is a software developer who is passionate about tech gadgets, DIY and housing. Hue is fairly good at responding to any of these channels. Its responsive, easy to set up, and comes with a ton of color options16 million, to be exact! In my attic, my Philips Hue v2 Bridge (In my attic, I already have a wireless network). Thanks for this. Devices using Bluetooth LE may transmit and receive data more quickly since it is a faster standard. In this case, put an extra Smart Home Intelligent Switch or hue bulb between the bridge and the device you are having difficulties controlling - This extra bulb or switch will function as a "repeater". Most Wi-Fi routers have a limit to the number of devices that can connect to them. Select the Philips Hue lights of your choice and connect them to your Philips Hue bridge. The only challenge then is that you need to be able to access this bridge from the same network as where the plugin is residing, either with a wifi end, or a standard network line. If youre using the Philips Hue Bridge, youll be using ZigBee for your home network (even if some of your newer bulbs support both Bluetooth and ZigBee). Yes, an ethernet switch is the best option if it works. In this article, Ill show you what to do with Hue Bridge unable to connect errors, Philips Hue light unreachable errors, and other common Hue lighting problems. If you want to use more than one bulb, I recommend purchasing a single bulb first. If I do have issues, is the range any better with the newer generation of bulbs (the ones that support Bluetooth)? The same is also true if you use a second WiFi router (e.g. Connect the Hue Bridge to your Wi-Fi router using the included Ethernet cable. Your bridge just needs a local network connection to connect to the mobile app. TechRadar is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. If youre using Alexa, you may run into some connection issues that are actually unrelated to the Hue Bridge. 2018-2023 Signify Holding. Hi Art, thats an interesting question. Therefore, you likely wont be able to control first-floor lights via Bluetooth if youre on the second floor, as it only covers a range of 30 or so feet. This Netgear switch is linked to my Philips Hue v2 Bridge. When installing your Hue Bridge, plug it in anywhere with an available ethernet connection. If all the Hue Bridge indicator lights are on and the app still gives you an Unable to Connect error message, your firmware might be outdated. So its probably best to warn your partner unless you want bigger problems than a Hue error. Your Hue Bridge will be unavailable for up to 10 minutes. The biggest benefit of connecting your smart lights to a Bluetooth connection is cost. Remember, though, that this step will drop your entire households internet connection for roughly five minutes. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Honestly, my hue bridge is at a different floor, and we have heated floor, all our wall are in concrete, some reinforced. which is just enough juice to send out a low-power Zigbee signal to the Hue Bridge. With the Bridge, you can connect up to 50 different smart lights in one application. This may take a bit of time. But at least I can turn on my lights now. Im Tristan Perry, the guy behind Smart Home Point. You must register before you can post. This may be too lengthy for the hub to get to the lights.. Why dont I try increasing this range? There are three major reasons you might need to add more bridges. Unfortunately, Bluetooth Hue lights arent compatible with the Apple HomeKit. However, you wont be able to control your lights while away from home, set ongoing automations, or create custom scenes. Hue lights are fantastic when they work. Because you can control up to 10 lights with the Hue Bluetooth app, it is ideal for students in a dorm room or those who live in smaller spaces, such as studio apartments. Connect to the Hue Bridge to unlock the full . Click Done to complete the setup process. Most Philips Hue smart lights are Bluetooth-enabled (look for the symbol on the packaging) and can be controlled with the Philips Hue Bluetooth app without a Hue Bridge but a Bluetooth setup does come with some limitations. 1. This Hue strip light extension allows you to extend any existing Philips Hue Lightstrip Plus Kit in 1 metre increments. Bluetooth Hue lights are compatible with the entire Google Home and Nest Home range, as well as second and third-generation Echo Dot. Im Zak writer, data scientist, and proud owner of, Understanding the Philips Hue Bridge Lights, 1. Download the Hue app from the App Store or Google Play Store. I always recommend trying this before moving on to more advanced measures. Plug in the ethernet cable to attach the Bridge to your Wi-FI. If the bulb connects once you move it closer, the problem was either interference or distance. If they dont, try turning them off and on manually and pressing the Blink lights button oen more time. You can not use Philips Hue Bridge as a Zigbee router (a.k.a. You can add a second Hue bridge using exactly the same steps you used to add your first bridge. ZigBee mesh is the same idea: instead of having everything point-to-point, i.e. If you see a message that says Everything is up to date, your firmware is fine. 12 meters shouldnt be an issue if you have free access to your merchandise. This is not a solution that Hue support would recommend, but it seems to work. Are you confused by that limitation? Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. If you're using the Hue Bridge, the lights will work within the range of the Wi-Fi and the ZigBee network, which can extend to 300 feet. This increases the range across your home and reduces the risk of signal dropouts. Philips Hue the smart lighting company has confirmed that it will support the wireless standard Thread. For more information, please see our There are only two Hue functions that require an internet connection, both of which are part of the Hue out-of-home-control feature. Compared to the Bridge, where youll have to pay an average of $50 on top of the smart lights you already have, Bluetooth connectivity is 100% free. You should be comfortable with the Hue Bluetooth lights range when in the same room if you want to rapidly test smart lighting. However, this is an issue that is often asked, and I wanted to address it in detail. 1. Fifty smart bulbs is enough for anyone, right? Simply connect the lights to your phone or your tablet via Bluetooth and control them directly with the Philips Hue Bluetooth app. If you have a larger home or Philips Hue outdoor lights (which require a Hue Bridge to function), the full power of the Hue Bridge is your best option. With Bluetooth control, youre limited to only being able to operate your smart lights within Bluetooth range about 30 feet or 10 meters. Hue bulbs extend that range by acting as repeaters, even when theyre turned off. Zigbee bulbs can also mesh together and further improve communication range. But its also the source of many Hue connection issues. The Hue Bridge is the central controller of the lighting system which allows the bulbs to "communicate" with Apple HomeKit and the app. Full RGBW (Red, Green, Blue, White) control with 16 million colour combinations from Hue's smart app. But what if you have a large house? The connection is unsurprisingly less indoors, clocking at around 7 to 9 meters. You can use that or try the following steps. This, on the other hand, is irrelevant and unnecessary. Today, you dont need a Hue Bridge to control your Hue smart lights. Hue bridges are one of the coolest parts of the Hue ecosystem. The more Philips Hue bulbs in your house, the broader your total smart light range will be. Now, you add an LED strip to the TV to reduce eye strain. . Hit Move Lights, or Skip if you don't want to transfer. Each Hue bulb extends your Zigbee network by about another 100 feet. Zigbee operates in the 2.4 GHz frequency range, just like many Wi-Fi routers, phones, microwaves, baby monitors, and a lot of other household devices. Other than using more hue bulbs (which will get turned on and off at the switch), what else can extend the range from the hue bridge to hue bulbs? Available since 1989, whereas ZigBee was initially invented in 1998 different technologies I wanted to cover explicilty. 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