Question 1

What is the Hue Bridge?

Accepted Answer

Our smart hub, the Hue Bridge is the brains behind your lights and accessories. It uses Zigbee — a fast, reliable way to control your lights. It also unlocks the full suite of smart features, including away-from-home control, automations, entertainment and more.

Question 2

Do I need a Hue Bridge?

Accepted Answer

It depends on what you want your lights to do! There are two ways to control the Philips Hue smart lighting system: Bluetooth and the Hue Bridge. Adding a Hue Bridge to your set-up unlocks the full suite of smart lighting features, some of which aren’t available with a Bluetooth-controlled system. If you are interested in smart security, you can add cameras without needing a Bridge; but adding a Hue Bridge enables additional security features that integrate lighting.

Question 3

What are the best smart light accessories?

Accepted Answer

It depends! Everyone's smart light set-up is different – you may need a dimmer switch for the bedroom, a Tap dial switch for the living room or a smart button for the kitchen. In transitional spaces like hallways and toilets, a motion sensor is an easy way to have your lights turn on and off as you enter and leave. No matter what smart light accessories you choose, they'll always integrate seamlessly with your Philips Hue system.

Question 4

What can you do with a motion sensor?

Accepted Answer

Philips Hue motion sensors automatically turn on your smart lights when they detect movement – walking down the hallway, for example – and turn them off again after a period of time. Motion sensors are easy to customise according to how you want them to behave. For example, you can set timeouts based on the time of day, preventing your sensor from overriding lights if they were already on when you walked in, or even trigger lights only if the sensor determines the room is not bright enough thanks to the sensor's ambient daylight sensor. You can even set them to trigger your favourite light scenes.

Question 5

What is the difference between a contact sensor and a motion sensor?

Accepted Answer

Contact sensors attach to doors and windows to detect if it has been opened or closed. Whereas a motion sensor detects movement in its field of view. Both Philips Hue contact sensors and motion sensors can be used to trigger your lights or form part of your overall Hue Secure system.

Question 6

What can you do with a smart light switch?

Accepted Answer

Philips Hue switches, like the dimmer switch, smart button and Tap dial switch, allow you to control your smart lights from any part of your home. They are wireless and battery-powered, giving you the flexibility to mount or place them anywhere you want. Other devices, like the wall switch module, allow your existing wall switches to become "smart" by controlling your smart lights without cutting the power to them. Some smart lamps, like the Twilight bedside lamp, also have configurable buttons which are embedded.

All buttons can be customised to match your preferences, whether setting preferred light scenes based on the time of day, cycling through your favourite scenes by repeated presses, dimming or toggling lights on and off. You can even configure them to start or stop certain automations for even more flexibility.

Question 7

What is a smart plug?

Accepted Answer

A smart plug is an accessory that sits between a power socket and a lamp or other device or appliance, making it controllable (on/off) and letting you control it with an app, accessory or your voice. The Philips Hue smart plug does just that to transform any normal lamp into a smart light. We recommend using the smart plugs for lights.

Smart lighting accessories

MR16 Transformer

Tap dial switch

Hue Tap Switch Mini White

Outdoor cable extension 2.5 m

Smart button

Learn about smart home accessories

Hue Bridge buying guide

How to add smart light accessories to Philips Hue systems

How to install a Philips Hue smart button

Guide to smart light accessories