Philips Hue Bridge (2nd Gen)

There are two ways to control a Philips Hue smart lighting system: Bluetooth and with the Hue Bridge. Though one is not necessarily better than the other, adding a Hue Bridge to your setup unlocks the full suite of smart lighting features, some of which aren’t available with a Bluetooth-controlled system.

Considered the heart of the Hue smart lighting system, the Hue Bridge uses Zigbee technology to connect to your Wi-Fi. This lets you control your Philips Hue smart lights using the Philips Hue app both at home and from anywhere else in the world where you have an internet connection.

However, the Hue Bridge is not required to use Philips Hue smart lighting. 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.

A key difference between controlling your lights with Bluetooth versus a Hue Bridge is the number of lights that you can control. If you have a Hue Bridge, you can connect up to 50 lights throughout your entire home, but if you control your smart lights via Bluetooth, you can only connect up to 10 lights in one room.

The Hue Bridge allows you to control your lights from anywhere in the house — and, in fact, anywhere in the world. Whether you’re at work, running errands, or away on vacation, you can turn lights on and off, dim or brighten, or even set up automations just like you would at home.

With Bluetooth control, you’re limited to only being able to operate your smart lights within Bluetooth range — about 30 feet or 10 meters. 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.

Zigbee is a smart home technology that’s used to link smart devices to a home network. It’s secure, fast, and reliable — your lights even continue to work if your internet is down. The Hue Bridge has a 291-meter outdoor range and an indoor range of 25 meters (that’s about 950 feet and 80 feet). In an average home, you probably won’t have any range issues. In fact, as you add Hue lights, each one becomes a repeater for the Zigbee signal (using Zigbee Mesh Networking technology), extending the range of your entire system.

By using a Hue Bridge, you unlock the full suite of Philips Hue smart lighting capabilities — from automations to away-from-home control. However, if your Philips Hue smart lighting collection exceeds 50 lights and accessories, you might require a second Hue Bridge. The same applies to those who live in large houses where some areas might simply be too far away for a single Hue Bridge to support on its own.

When setting up your smart lights across two Hue Bridges, make sure to assign your lights to each Hue Bridge strategically. For example, it might be better to split your lights between floors, such as having a Hue Bridge for upstairs and another for downstairs. You can easily switch between Hue Bridges in the Philips Hue app by tapping the Hue Bridge icon in the Home tab.

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. 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.

A Bluetooth setup lets you turn lights on or off, dim, and change light colors with the Hue Bluetooth app. You can also set a timer, use preset light scenes, and even control lights with your voice. However, you won’t be able to control your lights while away from home, set ongoing automations, or create custom scenes.

The good part is, you can always start out with a Bluetooth-controlled system and add a Hue Bridge later!

Yes.  A Philips Hue Bridge, the smart lighting hub for the Philips Hue system, enables Matter for all your Hue products.

Note: The Philips Hue Play HDMI sync box and the dial on the Tap dial switch do not support Matter.

No. You are only able to connect one Hue Bridge to your Alexa.

Yes, Philips Hue Bluetooth smart lighting works directly with all Amazon Echo devices except for Echo (1st Gen), Echo Dot (1st Gen), and Echo Input. Simply, power on the light and say ‘Alexa, discover my devices’. We advise to connect and control up to 5 lights for the best experience. For additional lights we recommend upgrading to a Philips Hue Bridge and connect to Alexa via the Philips Hue skill.

You can add Philips Hue smart buttons, dimmer switches, and Tap dial switches to the Alexa app under Remotes.

Yes, you can use any Google HomeGoogle Home is a smart home platform by Google that allows you to connect all of your compatible devices, manage them on your mobile device and control them using Nest smart speakers and displays. Google Homes Nest smart speakers were formally marketed as Google Home speakers. More or Google Nest device to directly connect and control your Philips Hue lights via the Google AssistantGoogle Assistant is Google’s voice-controlled virtual assistant, capable of integrating with various smart home devices for control and automation. The Google Assistant is a virtual assistant software application developed by Google that is primarily available on mobile and home automation devices. Based on artificial intelligence, The Google Assistant can engage in two-way conversations. More. Note: Only Google HomeGoogle Home is a smart home platform by Google that allows you to connect all of your compatible devices, manage them on your mobile device and control them using Nest smart speakers and displays. Google Homes Nest smart speakers were formally marketed as Google Home speakers. More and Google Nest smart speakers and displays support Philips Hue Bluetooth. Third party devices with Google AssistantGoogle Assistant is Google’s voice-controlled virtual assistant, capable of integrating with various smart home devices for control and automation. The Google Assistant is a virtual assistant software application developed by Google that is primarily available on mobile and home automation devices. Based on artificial intelligence, The Google Assistant can engage in two-way conversations. More built-in do not support Philips Hue Bluetooth.

If you are having trouble with Google AssistantGoogle Assistant is Google’s voice-controlled virtual assistant, capable of integrating with various smart home devices for control and automation. The Google Assistant is a virtual assistant software application developed by Google that is primarily available on mobile and home automation devices. Based on artificial intelligence, The Google Assistant can engage in two-way conversations. More understanding you when trying to control your lights, we recommend renaming your lights to names that do not include numbers, special characters, or colors, as these can be misunderstood by Google AssistantGoogle Assistant is Google’s voice-controlled virtual assistant, capable of integrating with various smart home devices for control and automation. The Google Assistant is a virtual assistant software application developed by Google that is primarily available on mobile and home automation devices. Based on artificial intelligence, The Google Assistant can engage in two-way conversations. More.

Make sure that your mobile device is connected to the same router to which your Hue Bridge is connected. The router must be able to support Apple’s Bonjour software, which allows you to discover other devices and services on the network. If your router does not support this feature, you will not be able to use HomeKit.

This is Apple’s default name for our motion sensor when it’s connected via Matter. However, your motion sensor works as it always has, using the motion it detects to turn on the lights. The motion sensor cannot determine how many people are present in a room.