FabianThere is another new software update from Philips Hue. This time, the focus is on the Hue Bridge Pro, which is receiving its second firmware update in the second month after its launch. This time, the manufacturer is addressing network problems that could occur under certain conditions.
“We have resolved an issue where in very rare cases the Bridge Pro did not start correctly, and the LEDs kept flashing white when the LAN IP address of the Bridge Pro was in the range 10.x.x.x/8 (i.e. netmask 255.0.0.0),” according to the release notes for version 2071112020.
In recent weeks, I have actually read more and more on social media about white flashing LEDs on the Hue Bridge Pro. In the best case, these will be fixed by the firmware update.
How is the Hue Bridge Pro working for you?
I myself have two of the new control centers in use and fortunately everything has worked smoothly for me. For my large Hue installation at home, I’m still waiting for the update to transfer the lights from the second old Hue Bridge. From what I’ve heard, preparations are already underway behind the scenes for the software update, which is scheduled to be released later this year.
Feel free to write in the comments how things are going with your Hue Bridge. It doesn’t matter whether your experience has been positive or perhaps even negative.
Hue Bridge Pro
$98.99 / €89.99
The smart door chime from Philips Hue is also getting an update
There is another firmware update for the Hue Secure Smart Chime. Regarding the update to version 1.123.13, Philips Hue informs us: “Bug fixes, sound library update, and improved sound output.”
Both updates should arrive automatically shortly; updates are usually rolled out over several days.
Hue Secure smart chime
$59.99 / €59.99
The new Hue Bridge is interesting. It handles the large number of devices well. I don’t have any additional bugs, or even fewer. Having many motion detectors, I was interested in Motion Aware. As long as the physical installation of the lights is adequate (with some lights that are not on the ceiling), the functionality works really well, it’s impressive.
However, despite all my tests, I wanted to install 2 distincts Motion Aware zones in a large room. Depending on where I am detected in the room, I wanted to adapt the scene. Even if Motion Aware systematically detects me, it rarely changes the scene of this same room when the room is already switched on. I find this a bit disappointing given that the “do not disturb” mode is not activated.
It didn’t initially work with SmartThings…it seems they fixed the problem and I can switch to it
The Hue Bridge Pro has some pros and cons…
For Hue lights, it works very well, better than the previous generation bridge. It is significantly faster. Also, I reached the light and accessory limit on the old bridge, but now I can finally buy new Hue products again.
However, the new bridge comes with some issues. I have 90% Hue lights, but I also own some non-Hue Zigbee lights. These do not work well with the Bridge Pro. Often, they stay on when I try to turn them off, requiring me to repeat the action several times. Additionally, the Friends of Hue switches are less reliable on the new bridge. I frequently have to press them multiple times for a response, which was not an issue with the old bridge.
It’s been a mixed bag for me. I think the biggest issue is that performance with HomeKit is now painfully slow with my large setup. Part of the issue might be the move to Matter, which I resisted on my old dual hub setup. The move to Matter also eliminated the ability to add scenes to HomeKit, which I used extensively. I also have two HDMI Sync boxes (8K and 4K), and occasionally the 8K Sync Box would briefly exhibit severe lagging for a couple minutes. This only occurred with the move to the Hub Pro. I think the latest firmware updates might have fixed it however. Performance and stability is better within the Hue app, and the Motion Aware feature is a powerful new addition. It’s also nice to finally be able to freely add new fixtures and scenes without running into limits.