How can I reset my Philips Hue lights if I encounter a problem?
You can try a reset process with the Hue bridge or dimmer switch, depending on your situation:
- Bring the dimmer switch within 10cm of the light and press and hold the I and 0 buttons simultaneously for 10 seconds until the Hue light flashes.
- Factory reset your Hue bridge by removing the ethernet cable and pressing the reset button on the underside for 5 seconds. Note: All lights and scenes will be deleted, ready for a fresh setup.
How much power do Philips Hue lights use when in standby?
Philips Hue smart lights are remarkably energy efficient. In standby mode, they use about 0.2W of power. That's about $0.40 per light per year if you leave them "on" at the light switch 24/7 and therefore discoverable via the Hue App.
How do we know this? We checked them with a power meter.
What is the maximum number of smart lights I can control with Hue?
Philips recommends you use a maximum of 50 lights and 12 accessories connected to a bridge. If you want to control more lights, we recommend you add a second bridge. Note: the hard limit is 63 Hue bulbs and 62 accessories per bridge, but you will likely encounter issues if you go beyond the recommendation above.
Is the Philips Hue bridge / hub or smart lighting gateway even necessary?
No - the latest Philips Hue lights that we sell can be controlled directly via your smartphone using Bluetooth. Up to 10 lights can be connected to the Philips Hue Bluetooth app in this way, with no hub or gateway required.
On the other hand, If you want to do any fo the following, you will require a Philips Hue Bridge:
- expand your smart lighting system beyond 10 lights,
- control lights when away from home (or outside of Bluetooth range),
- connect with voice assistants from Apple's Siri (HomeKit), Google Assistant, Amazon's Alexa or Microsoft Cortana products.
- use the Hue Tap Switch or Hue Motion Sensor.
Philips Hue Color vs. Colour & Ambiance vs. Ambience - which is it?
Officially, many products in the range are named like this: "Hue White & Color Ambiance." So it seems that Philips has gone American on colour and French on ambience!
The range is confusing enough as it is, so at least you can ignore any subtle change to colour and ambience - on that front, it's all the same.
Here's a quick re-cap of the three grades of Philips Hue lights:
- Philips Hue White - single warm white colour, fully dimmable via the app or Hue dimmers. We also call these smart bulbs Dimmable White.
- Philips Hue White Ambiance - colour temperature control from very warm white to cool daylight, and dimmable.
- Philips Hue White & Colour Ambiance - complete colour spectrum control and dimmability.
