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Read the full review first if you are still deciding: Philips Hue Owner Review .
Mike’s take: I run Hue lights across the house and rate it 5/5. In my words: “dead simple,” with time-of-day scenes on the dial switch. More in my owner review .
Getting started
- Plug the Hue Bridge into your router and add it in the Hue app.
- Add lights to rooms and zones. Most of Hue’s smarts, and Home Assistant’s import, are built on rooms and zones.
- Set time-of-day scenes. See how I set them up .
How the AI works
- What it is: Custom AI Behaviors, launched in Hue app 6.4.0, let you describe an automation in plain words (Hueblog ).
- Where it runs: Hue’s George Yianni says the AI translates your request into “a special programming language we’ve developed that runs the automation in the Bridge” (TechRadar ). So the language step is AI, and the finished automation runs on your bridge. Hue has not said which model does the translation.
- What you need: a Hue Bridge Pro on current firmware. The older white bridge is not supported (Hueblog , Bridge Pro release notes ).
- Known rough edges: early testers saw automations turn on more lights than asked, and you can’t hand-edit what the AI creates yet (Hueblog ). A zone with only the lights you want is the workaround Hueblog suggests.
Philips Hue FAQ: what it can do and what it works with
Does Philips Hue work with Alexa?
Yes. Hue lists Amazon Alexa, Apple Home and Siri, Google Assistant and Sonos Voice Control as voice options. Source: Works with Philips Hue .
Does Philips Hue work with Home Assistant?
Yes. Home Assistant’s official Hue integration supports lights, motion sensors, remotes and Hue scenes, and square V2 bridges push changes instantly. Source: Home Assistant .
Does Hue work with Matter?
Yes. Hue supports Matter, and the Bridge Pro release notes include Matter fixes. Source: Works with Philips Hue , Bridge Pro release notes .
Do Custom AI Behaviors work on the old Hue Bridge?
No. They need the Hue Bridge Pro on current firmware. Source: Hueblog .
Can I edit an automation the Hue AI made?
Not yet, per Hueblog’s launch test. You can delete it and describe it again. Source: Hueblog .
Does Alexa+ control Hue?
Amazon names Philips Hue among the smart home brands Alexa+ connects to. Source: Amazon .
Connecting AI agents safely
If you hook a device or account up to an AI agent, the agent gets the same access you do. I write about doing that safely:
Related
- Philips Hue Owner Review
- Philips Hue time-of-day scenes
- How to use Sonos Voice Control
- All how-to guides
- Smart Home Hubs hub
- Black Friday deals
Check today’s price before you buy: See the Philips Hue starter kit on Amazon .