As expected, things have quietened down somewhat at Philips Hue over the New Year period in terms of the regularity of software updates. For example, there have been no updates for the official Hue app since mid-December. Now, a new software version for the Hue Bridge and Hue Bridge Pro has been rolling out for several days.
I used my little weekly review on Sunday to draw attention to a small bottleneck that many users are experiencing after migrating their second or third bridge to the new Hue Bridge Pro. The rules, which are button assignments or actions of switches and sensors, quickly reach the unchanged limit of 250 available rules.
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.
I have to admit that I was a little disappointed when Philips Hue unveiled the new Hue Bridge Pro in early September and it became clear that only data from an existing Hue Bridge could be migrated. After all these years, though, it wasn’t a big deal to keep one of the two old control centers running a little longer.
A quick glance at the calendar tells us that Black Friday isn’t actually until November 28. At Philips Hue, the Black Friday sale has already started today. You can visit the promotion page already via my link. And there are some very attractive offers to be found there, including new products such as the Hue Bridge Pro and the new Hue Flux Lightstrips.
Philips 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.
There 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
The Hue Bridge Pro has been available in stores for just over a month now. I have already replaced one of my two old Hue Bridges, and I am still waiting for the improved migration feature for the second one. A little patience is still required here, but Philips Hue has now announced the first software update for the Hue Bridge Pro.
For me, the migration from one of my two old Hue Bridges to the new Hue Bridge Pro went smoothly. But that’s probably only because I didn’t pair my somewhat outdated Philips TV with Ambilight with Philips Hue. Because it is precisely this function that causes problems with the Hue Bridge Pro.
The new Hue Bridge Pro was unveiled less than a week ago, and the first devices have been in use in your homes since the weekend. If you’re on the go with your iPhone and iPad and rely on iConnectHue to configure or control your Hue system, there’s now an important update.
Fabian