The most common issue with Hue lights is, they are unreachable.
What does that mean?
Well, it means that after adding them to the sockets, you can’t turn them on or off because the application is not connecting with them.
Want to know about them? Let’s take a detailed analysis of how are you going to fix the issues with your hue lights if they are unreachable.
Fixing Unreachable Hue Lights
Sometimes this is an issue that somehow a bulb cant be found, even though it has before.
However, if you have a brand new product we have some tips you should test!
Unreachable light bulbs are difficult to fix when you don’t know the possible solutions to the problem you are facing. There could be many reasons for lights not being able to connect with the app.
Let’s have a look at them.
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Probable Reasons Of Lights Being Unreachable
Your smart bulbs can become unreachable due to the following reasons:
Bulbs Aren’t Able to turn on At the Main
Sometimes, the bulbs are not turned on at the main point which may result in the bulbs being unreachable from the app.
Bridge Issues
It might also happen that the bridge is placed too far away from the light bulbs because of which they are unable to turn on or off.
Away From Other Hue Bulbs
Another common issue one might face is the placement of hue lights too far away. This might also result in lights being unreachable.
Wi-Fi Interference
Last but not least, Wi-Fi interference may also cause a disconnection of bulbs from a bridge or the app in which they are integrated. This issue may also lead to the lights being disconnected from the app or bridge.
Fixing These Issues
If you are facing the issues related to your smart bulbs as mentioned above, there are some simple solutions that you can apply to get rid of these problems.
Let’s have a look at them:
1. When Bulbs Are Not Turing On At The Main?
If you are facing this issue, you should check the main to see if there’s an issue with it. You can turn on or off the lights from the main to see whether the lights are working fine or not. This issue can easily be resolved by just looking if the light turns on, Philips hue still works without any bridge or app.
2. Bridge Too Far Away From bulbs
This issue might depend upon the setting of your light bulbs. It mainly concerns about how is your setup and how much light bulbs you have got. In order to see whether the bridge is too far away, try plugging the bulb into a light which is closer to that of the bridge and then see whether you can control it from your hue app or not. If you can easily control the bulb from your app then this means that the issue is with the bridge and bulb placement.
So, to counter this issue, you should move the light bulbs closer to the bridge. Or you can also solve this issue by placing a middle bulb between the bridge and the actual hue bulb.
In this way, you can easily counter this issue and can make your hue light bulb in the range of bridge and your hue app.
Different Wireless Network
One other thing here to take note of is how the hue light bulbs connect. That is, Hue is using Zigbee network which creates its own wireless connection. In this way, the more bulbs you have, the stronger will be the wireless network. You might also be able to reach the light bulbs in this way. So, keep this fact in mind while connecting the bulbs in your home.
4. Far Away From Other Hue Bulbs
This might be an issue for you if you have got the new additions of bulbs in your home. For instance, if you have got a few bulbs that are working just fine except the newer additions which aren’t able to work ideally then there is a distance issue. Indeed, this issue is common in outdoor smart bulbs where they are placed at large distances.
You don’t need to worry about this issue as well. All you have to do is to either bring one bulb closer to the bridge network so that it can work in ideal fashion. Or, you can add a middle bulb in between the bridge and original bulb so that Zigbee can make a strong wireless connection with the bulb.
5. Wi-Fi Interference
Even with the closed connections and proper working, your bulbs might sometime get unreachable for no reason at all. This happens when there is interference in the home wireless network that you have got. The issue may also become very serious if both your bridge and wireless router are close to each other.
Some simple steps to follow in this regard are as follows:
- Go to Settings of Your Zigbee network.
- Then Select Hue Bridges menu.
- Select Your own Bridge by clicking the i icon.
- After that, go to Zigbee Channel Change From there.
While changing the channel, make sure that all your lights are turned on and working. In addition, it might be possible that one channel can’t work for your lights. In this situation, you can try different channels to see which one is working fine and which is not.
Other Issues Related To Hue Light Bulbs
Those were some simple solutions that you can implement to make your lights reachable again. But there are some other issues with the people as well. So, we are about to answer these questions in details below.
Let’s take a look.
1. The Hue Bridge Isn’t Able to Find New Lights. What Should I Do?
Well, hue bridge might show you error in connecting the new lights because you have plugged them too far away. If this is the issue, there is an easy solution to this. Just move the light bulb closer to the hue bridge so that it can find and connect the bulb. Once the bridge has connected that bulb, you can then plug it anywhere you want and can control them from the hue app that you have got in your smartphone. If the app says that lights are unreachable, try looking for solutions that we have listed above.
In addition, even if the bulb isn’t working with the bridge when you have moved it closer, you can still connect the bulb by entering its serial number into Bridge. Just go to the settings of the Hue Bridge that you have got where you can easily add the serial number of the bulb you are about to connect.
2. Do I Need Internet Connection To Control Light Bulbs?
The simple answer is no. Hue bulbs use their own wireless connection known as Zigbee which is connected to the local network. You can connect that network in your smartphone to control the bulbs from official Hue app. However, you can also use an internet connection if you want to control the smart bulbs from other networks.
3. Can I Use Other App To Control Light Bulbs?
Yes absolutely. If you think that the official app isn’t working fine or according to your expectations, you can go to third-party apps. They are available free as well as paid. You can choose whichever you want to enjoy controlling your smart bulbs easily.
4. How Can I Know The IP Address of Philips Hue Bridge?
If you are facing difficulties in finding the IP address of your Hue Bridge and its connection to the Internet, you can find its IP address by going to the following link: https://www.meethue.com/api/nupnp
The Bridge’s IP address can also be checked by visiting the Application setting center. But, you have to connect the Bridge to your application in this regard.
5. How Do I Reset The Hue Bulb?
You can easily reset the smart bulb if you are facing issues with its customization. To reset the bulb, Turn on Your Bridge and hold down, “Restore Factory Settings” for a few seconds. Your bulb will easily reset in this way.
6. Why Are My Hue Lights Flickering?
Like other traditional bulbs, one might also face issues with Philips Hue bulbs as they can sometimes start flickering or buzzing. The common causes may include a damaged bulb or plugging the bulb into the wall dimmer switch. To counter this issue, make sure that the light bulb is plugged into a traditional light socket.
The Final Word
That would be all to test before saying the bulb won’t work at all. The common problems occurring to smart bulbs and their solutions are given in details above. Make sure that you implement them to keep the light bulbs in good reach so that you can connect them from your app with ease.
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2 thoughts on “Hue Lights Unreachable? – Fix the Issues with Your Philips Hue Lights”
Something that everyone keeps on forgetting to mention. I dont know why.
If you log into the meethue website and click on the apps tab, deleting all the information associated in there will clear up many issues including the unreachable issue & issues with Alexa as well.
Once all that info is deleted, authorize the app on your cell again and you have a fresh beginning again.
Hi Sean, thank you for the information. I have 2 Philips Hue lights. I have had them up and working for at least a year with no problem. One is in downstairs and one is upstairs. I had them both set to turn off and on at specific times. My downstairs light is fine, even though I have adjusted the turn on time. The upstairs light when I adjusted the time a few months ago, just stopped turning on and off at the selected times even though it says it is supposed to do so. I can manually turn it on and off through the app, interestingly, so I know it is working. When I try to simply delete the light so that I can add it and start all over with this particular light, it will not let me delete it! Even though it shows the delete box, when I click on it nothing happens.
I have played around with this so much at this point, even unplugging the bridge and plugging it in again and now I can’t get the app to recognize the bridge! Yes the bridge is connected and all the lights on the bridge are on. It has to be something simple. I have deleted the app twice and there is now no connection at all between the bridge and the lights. What the heck am I doing wrong?
Any and all help with this will be appreciated, thank you
Siobhán