FabianBack in February, I was able to make a pleasant discovery on the Hue website: Philips Hue is planning support for multiple Hue Brigdes linked to one account later this year. So far, Philips Hue has only issued a rather brief statement:
Have more than one Bridge? Later this year, you’ll be able to add multiple Bridges to one account and sort them into Homes to keep your system organized.
The only thing that is clear at the moment is that you will only need one account and not an individual account for each Hue Bridge as before. This should finally solve the problems with the voice assistants – and without the diversions of Matter.
Unfortunately, Philips Hue did not want to give me any further details on the planned functions relating to multi-bridge support when I asked.
Through my research, however, I was able to find out that we shouldn't get our hopes up too high for the launch of the new feature. It is apparently not planned that you will be able to control a lamp on Bridge B with an accessory that is linked to Bridge A, for example.
The technical foundations have already been laid
However, this is exactly what would make many large installations noticeably easier – and the technical foundations are already in place. The second generation of the Hue API, for example, offers a scripting function or behaviour interface that provides many options. For example, it would be possible to use a switch on the first bridge to trigger a script that controls lamps on the second bridge. Even actions outside the Hue system, such as controlling a Sonos speaker, could be realised in this way.
Unfortunately, Philips Hue does not grant the numerous third-party providers, such as the development team of applications like All 4 Hue or iConnectHue, full access to the new API. This means that existing possibilities of the Hue system remain unused…
Don’t mention the possibility for a backup please :/ .. (insane that it doesn’t exist yet 🙁 )
I would love this too…
If I have a hub failure I don’t want to have to tear down all my lights just to get the serial numbers.
Any news on when this feature might come?
Since hearing of “multiple bridges” coming later this year, I’ve been pondering its implications and what my expectations are.
The Hue app currently uses a single “home” concept, similar to other smart home apps like Nest and Google Home. With 72 devices on a single bridge, I’ve been hesitant to add more for fear of switching between bridges in the app. News of a multi-bridge solution prompted me to buy 18 additional devices, but I’m waiting to see if a new bridge is required.
My expectations for a multi-bridge Hue configuration are:
• Users can create multiple homes/locations.
• For each home, a single bridge will be designated as the main bridge.
• Additional bridges can be added to a home/location.
• Devices will automatically be load-balanced across bridges within a home, with the option to move or “pin” a device to a specific bridge.
For existing users with multiple bridges, I expect the rollout to:
• Prompt users if they would like to merge their bridges into a single home, automatically migrating all devices. There should be no manual intervention required.
Finally, a full configuration export feature would be valuable in case of bridge failure. Ideally, all device information (bulbs, bridges, accessories, rooms/scenes) could be stored on Hue’s servers for easy restoration on a new bridge.
That’s all I can think of for now. Fingers crossed!