The Philips Hue Secure Video Doorbell remains one of my favorite gadgets from the Hue ecosystem; in particular, the light alert triggered by the doorbell button is a real highlight. Philips Hue will soon be offering a new replacement part for the doorbell in its store—and there’s a good reason for that.
Earlier this week, the issue with the latest firmware update for the Hue Bridge Pro caused quite a stir. According to Philips Hue, however, fewer than 100 devices worldwide were ultimately affected. Was it really not that big of a deal after all? We can probably all agree that, after all these years, a backup feature for the Hue Bridge and Hue Bridge Pro is absolutely essential.
In June, Philips Hue launched several new products, including the new Hue Play floor lamp. Its design is clearly reminiscent of the Philips Hue Gradient Signe, which has been available for several years now. The price difference between the two floor lamps, however, is striking. I’d like to explain the differences to you—just as I did with the smaller table lamps.
It feels like everything is getting more expensive right now; even Apple has recently implemented massive price hikes. And Philips Hue is once again turning the price screw. At least, that’s what I’ve observed in the German Philips Hue online store, and it appears other countries are affected as well.
Throughout June, more and more reports began appearing online about Hue Bridge Pro units being rendered inoperable. Hueblog readers have now also confirmed that the Hue Bridge Pro could be completely disabled by a faulty firmware update. It stops working entirely; only a red status LED remains lit. Affected control hubs become completely inoperable and must be replaced.
I briefly mentioned this yesterday in my weekly recap on hueblog.de, and I’ve since received some feedback from you all. The latest firmware update for the Hue Bridge Pro appears to be causing significant problems for some users. In addition to the posts on Reddit, I’ve also received a handful of emails from you.
On Thursday, Philips Hue released another update for its official app, as it does nearly every two weeks. There are no new features this time, but there are a few minor optimizations. First up are the new wired wall switch modules. These could already be paired with version 5.69, but now some translations and details have likely been further improved.
Last fall, Philips Hue introduced the first bulbs capable of communicating via Thread in addition to Zigbee and Bluetooth. This enables direct pairing with a Matter border router. However, during the initial setup, users previously had to choose a communication method: either pairing with a Hue Bridge or connecting directly to a Matter system.
Philips Hue has launched a new table lamp, the Hue Play, which is available now. Inevitably, one has to compare this new release with the Hue Gradient Signe, which has been available for quite some time. How do the two products differ, and what are the pros and cons of each table lamp?
Philips Hue unveiled several new wall switch modules on Tuesday – unfortunately only in Europe. Three of them are designed to integrate “simple” ceiling lights—without smart connectivity—into the Hue system. But couldn’t you just use a Shelly instead? After all, they’ve been on the market for much longer and cost just under half as much.
Fabian