How To Fix “No Hue Connection” For Philips Hue
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After getting yelled at by my wife enough times I figured it was time to find out how to fix the “no hue connection” error that we had been seeing with Philips Hue. There are a few different reasons this could happen so I decided to write this post about it and some of the different ways to fix it.
It is likely that your lights have stopped communicating with the bridge. Make sure you make check your internet connection by looking at the center button light on the Hue bridge. You may have to restart your Philips Hue bridge or manually turn your lights off and on to fix it.
Start Troubleshooting Hue Connectivity
In order to troubleshoot connections with your hue bridge, there are a few things we check first.
- Make sure your hue bridge is connected directly to your router and bypass any switches.
- Make sure that your hue bridge lights are solid and not flashing.
If the network configuration is wrong, that can cause a lot of problems with the Philips Hue. So you’ll want to make sure that you double-check all of your connections first.
For example, I once had my Philips Hue running off an access point. Unbeknownst to be, the access point had gone bad for one reason or another. By plugging the bridge directly into the router it resolved my issue.
The Hue Bridge requires that your router supports UPnP (Universal Plug and Play). Most routers these days do support UPnP, but you can check with your router manufacturer to make sure that your settings are correct and that you are good to go if you really feel the need.
The Hue Bridge Can’t Communicate Your Hue bulbs
One of the most frustrating things to deal with can be the communication between the Hue Bulbs and the Hue Bridge. If you can’t add lights to the Philips Hue bridge in the app it can send you into a complete mental breakdown. Believe me, I know….been there, done that.
This can be caused by one of three things:
- Power connection issues
- Internet connection problems
- Bulb communication issues
There are plenty of ways to fix this issue. But first, we need an understanding of what the lights and buttons on the Philips Hue are for.
- Light A, as seen in the diagram above, means the bridge is receiving power.
- Light B means it is connected to a network.
- Light C is telling you that your bridge has internet connectivity.
- Light D shows that the Hue app has control of the lights. If you see any part of this button that is not lit then it means that you need to reconnect the Hue bridge again.
How To Connect The Hue Bridge
First, you’re going to go to screw in your Hue Bulbs and turn on the light or your wall switch. Now you can go ahead and plug in and power on the Hue bridge.
Next, connect it to your router using the included network cable and you’re going to look for three blue lights (A, B and C in the diagram above). Once you see them it means you’re ready to go. Then make sure to download the latest version of the Philips Hue app which you can find in the App Store or the Google Play Store.
Then connect the Hue bridge by tapping the setup button (button D). Go ahead and press the connect button on the bridge and that should get you connected. Now to set up a light in the light setup page you tap the plus icon in the bottom right corner and hit search. After a few seconds, you should see the lights and you can then assign that light to a room by tapping the checkmark.
You can go do this for all of the Hue lights in your starter kit or go wild because you can add up to 50 hue lights and accessories to your bridge from there.
If the bulbs are not connecting after a successful addition, check whether the bulbs are turned on. Also, make sure the bulbs are near each other for them to receive signals from other bulbs and the Hue Bridge.
Hue Bulbs That Flicker and Buzz
Typically, what I have found is that with flickering and buzzing bulbs is that it’s either a faulty Hue bulb or you are using them with a dimmer switch. Hue bulbs have been known to be flaky with certain dimmer switches. However, you could pick up a Philips Hue dimmer switch to fix that problem as well.
Basically, you’ll either need to check your dimmer switch for any defects, pick up the aforementioned dimmer switch or replace the Hue bulb.
Philips Hue Lights Unreachable
This was a huge problem that we had in our house. Basically, when you turn on one of the Philips Hue bulbs without using the Philips Hue app or your Amazon Echo, it can cause all kinds of weird connectivity issues. It took us a while to figure this out, but luckily there’s an easy fix! If you switch on all of your Hue bulbs and reset the brightness level it should fix the problem. But if for some reason it doesn’t and all else fails then you can do the following sequence.
a. Open the Philips Hue app.
b. Go to settings.
c. Tap on light setup.
d. Search for the bulbs that the app is not able to control.
e. Delete the bulbs and add them again.
If you are using the Amazon Echo, then you’ll need to ask Alexa to turn off the lights and turn them back on again.
Amazon Alexa and Philips Hue Connection Problems
Speaking of Amazon Alexa, if the Amazon Echo does not connect to your Philips Hue then there is a really simple solution:
a. Restart both the Philips Hue bridge and the Echo.
b. Disable and re-enable the Philips Hue skill using your Alexa app.
c. Use the Forget option in the Alexa app to disconnect your bridge from the Echo
and try to link them again.
Side Note: If your Hue Bridge and Amazon Echo are on the same wireless network then it should be an easy pair up. Also, make sure that Alexa can easily understand the group name that you have assigned for your Philips Hue.
Conclusion
The fact of the matter is that most technology these days has its hiccups and occasionally fails. Don’t let that deter you from using new technology. These kinks usually are worked out in firmware updates over time. In the meantime, this post should help you resolve any connectivity issues that arise with your Philips Hue.
