Dan Pražák Philips Hue has been among the most popular smart home accessories for several years. Now the smart bulbs from Philips become even more interesting, as they receive support for connectivity via Bluetooth. This brings with it not only a faster initial setting, but above all eliminates the need to connect together with the bulbs also another element in the form of a bridge, which is normally required for their pairing and control.
Philips currently only offers Bluetooth connectivity for three basic light bulbs – Hue white, Hue White Ambiance a Hue White and Color Ambiance. The offer should, however, expand considerably during the year also across other products. Similarly, expansion to other markets can be expected, as the aforementioned Bluetooth bulbs are currently only available in the United States.
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While the previous generation of Philips Hue bulbs required the presence of a bridge connected to a Wi-Fi router for their full functionality, the new bulbs only need Bluetooth connectivity, through which they communicate directly with the phone. Thanks to this, the initial setup is simplified for new users of the Hue series and, above all, the need to purchase a bridge together with the bulbs disappears.
However, connecting via Bluetooth brings with it certain limitations. First of all, the bulbs do not support the HomeKit platform and therefore cannot be conveniently controlled via Siri or the control center, but only via the app. In addition, a maximum of 10 light bulbs can be connected in this way, only one virtual room can be set, and it is not possible to use timers for different actions.
But the good news is that the bridge can be purchased at any time and the bulbs can be connected in a standard way, as the new product supports both standards – Zigbee and Bluetooth. More information about the new Philips Hue bulbs with Bluetooth is available on the website meethue.com, possibly on Amazon.
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Ladislav Soukup 