If you don’t have a bridge then you will need to use the Hue Bluetooth app which can be downloaded for iOS and Android. As they have Bluetooth a Hue bridge is not needed although gives extra features and more benefits. You can spot the new bulbs with the Bluetooth logo in the top right of the box, as well as a small grey bluetooth logo on the bulb itself. These new bulbs will be first available in the US and then Europe later in the year.

This graphic shows the use of the Bluetooth bulbs, it’s limitations and how it compares to use with a Bridge. Control your lights with ease as multiple users can control the same lights.Use the pre-set scenes to set the mood or to match your daily routine.Choose from millions of colors and any shade of white light to paint the wall and Instagram your space.Use on/off control and dim or brighten the lights to your preferred setting.Coming soon these bulbs will also be able to work with Google assistant too.

These bulbs will work with Amazon Alexa where you can ask alexia to dim the lights or turn on and off. The number of Bluetooth phones you can control is limited by your phone or tablet device, you will also be limited by the range when changing your bulb as Bluetooth connectivity isn’t designed for long distances. With Bluetooth function you can control bulbs without the need for a hub or ZigBee, you will be able to control bulbs directly via your phone and the Bluetooth Hue app. If you already have lots of Hue bulbs around your home, don’t worry this doesn’t change anything for you, your set up will continue to work and is still supported, the newer bulbs have both ZigBee and Bluetooth functions, so they can be added to your set up too. Philips Hue uses ZigBee and with that there is a need for the Hue bridge to talk to these bulbs, however now they have made things even easier with the release of new bulbs that have Bluetooth built in, this means there is no need for a bridge. In June 2019 Philips released new bulbs that incorporate Bluetooth allowing you to use them without the bridge. In 2016 Philips Hue released their first smart bulbs that required a bridge to operate, a smart hub that communicated with the bulbs.

Wifi vs bluetooth bulbs