SUPPORT

Having trouble setting hue up? Or maybe you've got a gremlin in the system. No problem. You'll find answers to most of the common issues here.

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  I’m off on vacation. Can I set up hue in advance to control my lights?

  You can set up your lights up to 24 hours in advance. But if there’s internet access at your destination, you can control the lights remotely from anywhere in the world. Just make sure you enable remote access from the hue website first.

• 

  Can I control my lights when I’m out?

  Too right you can. First, register on the hue website. Then link your app to your hue account. The next time you start the hue app, you’ll be asked to allow remote access. Tap yes, and you’re good to go.

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  What light scenes can I save as a preset?

  Saving your favorite lighting preferences - color, dim level, saturation - is simple, and you can do it for all your bulbs. You can select them yourself, take them from an image or use one of the presets that come with hue.

  Once you have some preset light scenes, you can apply them to all your lights just by tapping on the scene. If you’re feeling really clever, why not also group your lights according to location in your home? Then you can apply a scene to the lights in one room and a different scene to the lights in another. Pretty smart, eh?

  You can also set a light to turn on or off at a set time of the day. Or maybe you want the light scene to gradually fade up or fade down. To help you wake up, maybe? Or even fall asleep? Yep, hue can do that too.

• 

  How close do I need to be to control my lights?

  If you’re within wi-fi range at home then you can control your lights. It doesn’t get more complex than that.

  And actually, you can still control your lights if you’re on the other side of the planet. All you need is internet access. And sure you enable remote access from the hue website first.

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  Where can I get the hue app?

  You can download the hue app for free right here.

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  How can I tell if my lights are still on?

  Just tap the slider at the bottom of the hue app to check if your lights are off or on. Alternatively, visit the hue website and log onto ‘My hue’ . From there you can see the status of all your lights.

  If you decide to switch off your lights at the wall light, or you unplug a freestanding light, then we won’t know what you’re lights are up to anymore. In which case, you can always tap “all off” to make sure all lights are switched off.

• 

  Can I control my lights without the app?

  Sorry, you need to use the app on your smart device to use your lights. These are smart lights, after all.

• 

  My phone battery is dead. What can I do?

  You can always switch your hue lights on or off from the wall switch.

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  How do I control the lights?

  When you’re at home it’s best to control the lights through the app and via your wi-fi connection. You can still control them through a web connection using remote access but it will be slower and you won’t be able to create new scenes.

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  There’s no wi-fi signal in my basement. Can I still control my lights?

  You’ll need to be within wi-fi range to control your lights via a smart device. If you’re out of range, you can still control them through a web connection using remote access.

  If you use signal range extenders around your home then you might have trouble using the app with some lights. In this case, put an extra hue bulb between your bridge and the light that’s causing problems. It’ll act as a mini signal repeater for the troublesome bulb. And you can enjoy another hue light in your home.

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  Can I just tune on a single bulb?

  No problem. You can control each bulb individually. In fact, you can make a light scene for just one bulb at a time. Just tap the slider at the bottom of the main screen. If you’re on a phone, rotate it to view and pick the colors.

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  How does hue work with my phone camera?

  Hue can recreate colors from any image you give it. Choose from the preloaded scenes, pick one from your phone’s album or take a new photo and use that instead. Although that pic of a black cat on a black background at night probably won’t show hue off in all its glory.

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  Can I connect hue to my music library?

  Hue can do a lot, but it can’t dance to the music. Yet. However, if you think you can develop an add-on, or you know a developer who can, then get in touch. The software that runs hue is intentionally open source, and we’re keen to see what hue can do when developers get their hands on the tech. Take a look at our developers section for more.

  Now, back to the music. We did say hue can’t dance. But you can. And if you do it with your smart device in your pocket then the lights will randomly change color the more you shake your funky thing.

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  Can the hue light affect how I feel?

  When it comes to light, we know our stuff. And that includes the health and wellness benefits that light can offer. In fact, we’ve put the science into practice, with light projects in schools and hospitals. And it’s that very science we’ve squeezed into hue settings we like to call LightRecipes.

  LightRecipes let you change the lighting for specific needs – to relax, concentrate, energize and read. Try it out for yourself. Just select one of the options on the phone and see how hue can transform the space. And the way you feel. What’s even better is you can still tweaks the settings of any LightRecipe so it’s tune perfectly for you.

• 

  Can I turn hue into a wake up light?

  You can use the timer option and turn hue into your morning wake up call. It certainly beats the shock of an alarm clock.

  Just set your lights to gradually brighten over time, waking you up in a rather more civilized fashion. Better still, why not create a scene from the image of a dawn sun and turn hue into your own personal sunrise? That’s something worth getting up for.

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  So what data are you collecting about me?

  If you haven’t made an account on the hue website, Philips only logs the IP address of your bridge. And we only do that so the app can find it.

  Once you’ve made an account online, we also keep track of the current status of your lights. And we need to know that so we can tell you if they’re on or off, or whether they’re set to a specific scene. Our Terms & Conditions cover all these points.

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  Can I turn on the lights without using the app?

  You can always just turn your lights on or off via the wall switch. Or if you’re using freestanding lights, just plug them in to switch them on.

  You can also control your lights through the hue website. Just make sure you’ve enabled remote access

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  Will the hue app affect other programs on my computer or smart device?

  No. The hue app is very well behaved. It won’t affect any other programs or apps on your phone or computer. It’ll just affect your hue lights.

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  Can I save my favorite light scenes?

  Go get creative. You can save up to 90 different light scenes. We hope that enough to give you plenty of variety. To create a new scene, press the + button on the app home screen. Then let those creative juices flow.

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  Does the hue app have a memory function?

  Yes, you can save up to 90 different light scenes in the app memory. And within each light scene you can save a variety of presets.

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  How many colors can hue recreate?

  The sky is the limit. Well, almost. You can set hue to any color in the spectrum. But it can’t do grey, black or brown that well. After all, it is a light, so it recreates colors that are made with light.

  If it can’t match the exact color, hue will look for the nearest color instead. Plus, don’t forget about all the shades of white light, from warm yellow white to cool blue white. And everything in between.

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  Are there other apps that work with hue bulbs?

  We’re working on that one. And we’d love to get you involved. We’ve intentionally made the hue software open source and we’re keen to see what hue can do when developers get their hands on the tech. Take a look at our developers section for more.

• 

  How many bulbs can I control with one bridge?

  A single bridge can control up to 50 lights. We figured that was plenty for the average home.

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  The LED lights on my bridge are off. What should I do?

  The different lights on your bridge relate to different things. So it depends on which one is off:

  • All lights are off:
    Are you sure that the bridge has power? Check the wall plug.
  • Lights 2 and 3 are off:
    Check your bridge is connected to the wi-fi router. It needs to be hard wired into the router, using the network cable provided. Also, make sure the wi-fi router has mains power.
  • Light 3 is off or blinking:
    Is your wi-fi router connected to the internet? You might be having trouble with your web connection. Check if your other devices are online.
  • The big button in the middle is off:
    Your bridge can’t find your bulbs. First, check that all hue lights have power, via the wall switch or a freestanding lamp plug. Then restart your app and answer “Yes” when asked if you want to add lamps.
• 

  I can’t link the bridge to my hue account online

  First check that all 4 LED lights on your bridge are lit up. If they aren’t, check this question.

  If you’re trying to link your bridge to your hue account then the device you’re using to view the hue website needs to be on the same network as your bridge. Basically, they both need to be online via the same router.

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  Are there other products that work with hue?

  Yes, and there will be even more coming soon. You can use hue with any ZigBee LightLink products. Of course, you’ll get the best experience when using products designed to work with hue.

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  Which smart devices does the hue app work with?

  The app works on any devices running iOS 4.3 or later, or Android 2.3 or later.

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  Can I control my hue light from multiple devices?

  Maybe you want to control your lights through your phone and your tablet? Or via more than one phone? No problem. Just download the hue app to each device and you’re good to go.

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  How can I connect my LivingColors to hue?

  1. Reset the remote control to factory defaults: remove the back cover of the remote control and insert and hold a paperclip in the little reset hole inside the remote (remove back cover) until you hear a beep.
  2. Add each LivingColors lamp and hue lamp to the remote control: bring the remote close to the lamp, then press and hold the "I" button. The lamp will flash 3 times. Hold the "I" button until you hear a beep from the remote; the lamp will shortly flash in green. It is now connected to the remote Control and will turn to its last "on" setting. Check if all the lamps can be controlled using the remote control.
  3. Reset the hue bridge to factory defaults and clear the Zigbee network settings: press the link button on top the bridge and bring the remote close to the bridge, then press and hold the "I" and "Scene 1" (.) button on the remote control until LEDs on bridge start blinking and the middle LED turns off.
  4. Copy the Zigbee network settings to the bridge: bring the remote close to the bridge, press the link button on the bridge, then press and hold the "I" button. The LEDs on the bridge start blinking. Hold the "I" button until you hear a beep from the remote; The middle LED lights up on the bridge.
  5. Start the app and follow instructions.

  
• 

  I bought two starter kits, how can I make them work together?

  It is not possible to control two hue kits simultaneously from one app. You can have multiple kits plugged into your home router. Unfortunately it is not possible to link the lamps from two kits together to one bridge and app. If you would like to expand your system please buy the single bulb packs.