It’s hard to believe that the year is almost over. Only 10 days left until 2026. Before we get to that point and start speculating about what Philips Hue will bring to market in the new calendar year, I’d like to take a look back with you. Which new Philips Hue product did you like best this year?
Philips Hue has kept its word. When the Hue Bridge Pro was launched in September, the manufacturer announced that it would be possible to migrate more than one bridge before the end of the year. With the update to version 5.57.0 of the Hue app and an accompanying firmware update for the control centers, this very feature was delivered.
I’m using my time on the train home to bring you up to date on the latest software developments. Yesterday, we had our team meeting in Hanover, and on Thursday, we had the Philips Hue Christmas dinner in Hamburg. There, I actually picked up two previously announced items that are not yet available for purchase.
If you’re on the lookout for the Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box 8K while Christmas shopping, you might find yourself rubbing your eyes in amazement. No, there isn’t yet another new version of the small HDMI box from Philips Hue, just new packaging. With the introduction of the Hue Play Wallwasher in the summer, the manufacturer began placing its own name more prominently on the packaging.
Over the past few weeks, I have been asked two questions repeatedly: What is the status of the Multi-Bridge migration, and when will the connectors for the Flux light strips be available? In my brief weekly review, I would like to offer a brief assessment of the situation. Let’s start with the Multi-Bridge migration, which was promised for this year.
Together with the Hue Bridge Pro, Philips Hue has introduced a new technology that turns Hue lights into motion sensors. In addition to the new bridge, MotionAware requires three or four lamps in a room, arranged in a suitable configuration. As soon as movement is detected by changes in radio frequencies within this area, the lights can be switched on.
Apart from the numerous Black Friday deals I collected for hueblog.de this week, it has been pretty quiet over the last few days. Even the biweekly mandatory update for the Philips Hue app turned out to be pretty small. “Various bug fixes and stability improvements” is all that the update description for version 5.56.0 of the Hue app says.
Originally, I had considered complaining in my little personal blog this weekend that Black Friday, the shopping day of the year, feels like it’s lasting two weeks this year. But honestly, this is nothing new; it’s been like this for the past few years. The actual Black Friday is not until November 28, but you’ve been able to shop at Philips Hue at a special price since November 13.
This week, the Connectivity Standards Alliance, which includes Philips Hue manufacturer Signify, made a sweeping announcement. In addition to Matter 1.5, which I told you about yesterday, Zigbee 4.0 was also announced. As you know, Zigbee is the wireless protocol that Philips Hue has been using for more than ten years.
Philips Hue introduced its first Hue Secure cameras just over two years ago. Since then, there has been a first hardware upgrade with 2K resolution and a brand new product in the form of the Hue Secure Video Doorbell. However, Apple Home is still not supported as a smart home platform.
Fabian