Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsa must-have for anyone with philips hue system -- nobrainer
Reviewed in Canada on May 15, 2024
Philips Hue Smart Hub (Compatible with Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, and Google Assistant)
This little bridge box transfers your existing Philip hue lightbulbs, from Bluetooth-only control, to Zigbee wireless controlled bulbs and to the cloud. When you set up this hub, you pair with your phone then "transfer" existing BT hue bulbs to the "hub". Then from there, your lights are now controlled by the zigbee wireless controlled system. No need to be "near your lights" anymore because it doesnt use bluetooth from phone. You also need to log into (create an account) philips hue cloud account in order to be able to remotely control the philips hue smart lights/plugs from outside your house. Commands go from phone to philips cloud to this smart hub and then out thru zigbee local network to your philiips bulbs/plugs.
Overall it's pretty slick and works. Very fast reaction. Seems pretty darn reliable. Much more reliable than other systems that have direct wifi connection to the internet (tplink kasa , other brands). Since Hue relies on a zigbee wireless system LOCALLY in your home, it doesnt need "wifi" connectivity which can often be really spotty and not reliable. Zigbee is lower frequency and can get to ALL your lights from my basement to third floor NO PROBLEM. The philips hub uses WIRED connection to your home router. Therefore can connect to cloud instantly with ZERO connectivity issues. This is why Philips hub works so well. Combines wired connection to internet, and then bridges out to your smart hue accessories via a much more reliable zigbee system --- by the way zigbee has been around VERY long time and is typically used in home security systems to communicate with wireless home sensors.
If you have philips system, YOU MUST get this. Its a no brainer.