Philips Hue extends replacement program for outdoor power supply unit

This morning I received an email from Amazon. “Philips Hue has published information on the product safety of a product you purchased on Amazon.de due to the following risk: manufacturing defect,” it said about an outdoor lightstrip I bought years ago.

I was even more surprised by the fact that several internet blogs reported shortly afterwards that Philips Hue had launched a new replacement programme. This was because the manufacturer had already recalled numerous 40-watt power supply units for outdoor use in October 2020. Why is a three-and-a-half-year-old recall suddenly reappearing?

A comment on Reddit put me on the right track: Philips Hue also suspects that newer power supply units have been produced incorrectly. You can find out by looking at the information printed on them.

The affected outdoor power supply units (data from 2020)

Your power supply may be affected if the first two digits (i.e. the year) are lower than 19 or the following two points apply:

• The first two digits of the code are 19
• The last two digits of the code are 41 or lower

For example, a power supply unit with the code 1835 is affected, but a power supply unit with the code 2005 is not.

The affected outdoor power supply units (data from 2024)

Your power supply may be affected if the first two digits (i.e. the year) are lower than 20 or if the following two things apply:

• The first two digits of the code are 20
• The last two digits of the code are 46 or lower

For example, a power supply unit with the code 1835 is affected, but a power supply unit with the code 2047 is not.

How to get a replacement

This means that more power supply units are affected than was assumed a few years ago. These were not only supplied with the outdoor light strip, but also with Lily spots or Calla lights, for example.

If your power supply unit is affected, this is not a problem. Philips Hue has created a special page for the replacement program where you can find all the information again and simply request a replacement of the defective device.