FabianPhilips Hue is currently rolling out new software versions for its control centers once again. A firmware update to version 2071127010 is available for the new Hue Bridge Pro. The classic white Hue Bridge is receiving an update to version 1974063020.
At least at a glance at the official release notes, there appear to be no differences between the two updates. In addition to the usual bug fixes and general improvements, Philips Hue also mentions the following: “We have resolved an issue where pairing over Matter failed as a result of connected third party devices.”
The Hue Bridge Pro and third-party lamps
Third-party is a good keyword, by the way, as there has recently been a lively discussion on this very topic in the community. Among other things, it said: “I am now horrified to discover that several of my Innr ceiling spotlights and various Zigbee actuators from Hoftronic and other manufacturers are no longer recognized. According to various sources on the internet, this seems to be intentional on the part of Philips Hue – third-party compatibility has apparently been severely restricted.”
As far as I am aware, this is not correct. I checked this myself again this morning and was able to pair and control an E27 lamp from Innr with the Hue Bridge Pro without any problems.
The truth is that the Hue Bridge Pro now only allows connection to Zigbee lights that are equipped with Trust Center functionality. This is the only way to ensure a secure connection to the devices.
Old Zigbee protocols or SmartLink are not supported
Due to the increased security provided by Trust Center, only Zigbee 3.0 devices are compatible with the Hue Bridge Pro. Incidentally, Zigbee 3.0 was introduced in 2016 and is therefore anything but new.
Devices without Zigbee 3.0 or devices with SmartLink are no longer compatible, as communicated by the manufacturer. This also affects in-house products, such as the first LivingColors lights.
Hue Bridge Pro
$98.99 / €89.99
I have the original bridge and whilst I have not been able to connect my Philips tv ambilight to my hue bulb for over a year this is now working again, no idea if the update did this or it just started working again but I am happy it is.