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Can You Have Multiple Hue Bridges? And Should You?

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Hue bridges stand out in the Hue ecosystem, enabling you to link bulbs for unified lighting scenes and control your Hue lights remotely. But, is it possible to use more than one Hue bridge at home?

In the Hue app, you’re free to add multiple bridges. While one bridge usually suffices, introducing a second can expand your smart bulb count beyond 50, extend your Hue network’s reach, and enable control over lights in an additional location.

This article explores why you might need several Philips Hue bridges, their network limits, and their compatibility with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple HomeKit for beginners passionate about smart home tech.

Can You Have Multiple Hue Bridges?

The Hue app manages several Hue bridges at once. Each bridge independently controls its smart lights, rooms, and zones, offering tailored lighting experiences.

The 2021 Hue V4 app update simplifies managing multiple Hue bridges. If you’ve connected more than one bridge to your app, you’ll notice a button at the top-left on the home screen. Tapping this button displays all your bridges, making it straightforward to choose the one you need.

The Hue app home screen, showing the bridge select button

When using smart lighting systems, you might hit a snag—bridges, the devices that connect your lights, don’t communicate with each other. This means you’re limited to using lights and gadgets connected to just one bridge for any automatic settings or mood scenes. Also, your Hue account can only manage one bridge remotely. To control several bridges when you’re not home, you’ll have to create separate Hue accounts, each linked to a different email.

How to Add a Second Bridge in the Hue App

Adding another Hue bridge? Just repeat the steps from your first setup.

  1. Go to the Settings tab in the Hue App.
  2. Select Hue Bridges in the Settings menu.
  3. Click the plus (+) button in the top right corner of the app screen.
The Hue app Hue bridge page, highlighting the button that adds a new bridge
  1. Follow the on-screen instructions to connect to your second Hue bridge.

How Many Hue Bridges Do You Need?

If you’re using Hue lights, one bridge is usually enough. Many Hue lights now come with Bluetooth, allowing you to control them directly. But, to access some cool features like controlling lights away from home, setting scenes, and creating advanced routines, you’ll need a Hue bridge.

Explore three key reasons to increase your bridge count.

1. You need more Hue bridges to support more Hue lights

Philips advises sticking to 50 devices per bridge for optimal performance. While you can push this number to 50-60 devices, be aware that the Hue bridge enforces a strict maximum of around 63 devices. Keep your setup within these limits for the best experience.

Starting with fifty smart bulbs might seem like overkill, but it’s easy to max out. When you factor in several bulbs per room, add light strips and outdoor lighting, plus Hue accessories like buttons, switches, and plugs, you’ll hit that ceiling quicker than you think.

Imagine linking your TV to a smart plug to cut down on electricity use. Then, you attach an LED strip to ease the strain on your eyes. Finally, you install a button to switch on your TV and lights. Suddenly, you’ve used three out of your 50 device limit on just one TV setup!

2. You need more Hue bridges to cover a larger home

A Hue bridge can connect devices up to 100 feet away, but walls and other interference might cut this distance down. Luckily, every Hue bulb doubles as a signal booster, adding another 100 feet to your network’s reach. Affordable options like Hue plugs can further expand your coverage, making it simple to connect your whole house with just one bridge.

For bigger homes, you might need an extra bridge to boost your Hue network’s reach. If parts of your house are distant, surrounded by thick walls, or suffer from signal disruptions, an additional bridge can keep everything connected. This is often necessary for spaces like garages, upper levels, or basements.

3. You need one Hue bridge for each location

A Hue hub manages lights at one location only. For lighting control in a second home or an outbuilding, like a shed, you’ll need another hub. Also, each hub requires its own Hue account.

How Many Hue Bridges Can You Have?

You can link multiple Hue bridges to your Hue app, but each one needs a unique Hue account and email address.

Surprisingly, you can link many Hue bridges—upwards of a dozen—without crashing the app. It’s hard to imagine needing more than that for your Hue lights setup, but the capability is there if you do.

The Philips Hue bridge, showing the buttons and lights on the front of the device

Does Alexa support multiple Hue bridges?

Manage several Hue bridges and their smart lights effortlessly through the Alexa app, seamlessly integrating with Alexa routines. However, bear in mind, the Alexa Hue skill, essential for activating Hue scenes, only connects with one bridge at a time. This means you can only use scenes from one bridge when interacting with Alexa.

Does Google Assistant support multiple Hue bridges?

To set up your Philips Hue lights with Google Home, you’ll link your Hue and Google accounts via the Google Home app. If you’re aiming to manage a second set of lights with another bridge, be prepared to juggle an additional Hue and Google account. While your device can handle several Google accounts, adding more than one Hue bridge complicates things. It’s doable, but expect a bit of a hassle.

Does HomeKit support multiple Hue bridges?

HomeKit simplifies the process of integrating a second bridge into your smart home setup. With just one account, managing two bridges is as straightforward as the initial setup. But, it’s important to note that HomeKit caps the limit at two bridges, meaning you can’t add a third bridge using the same method.

Feeling puzzled by this limitation? You’re not alone. Hue has acknowledged the problem on Twitter, yet there’s no sign of a fix in the near future.

What’s Next?

The Hue bridge sets Hue lights apart from Wiz and cheaper smart lighting options. It allows for the addition of multiple bridges, meaning you can control countless bulbs across various locations from one app—showcasing its unmatched flexibility and control in smart lighting.

Facing Hue bridge connection errors? They’re simpler to fix compared to other brands’ bulb problems.

Want to level up your Hue smart lighting? Integrate it with Alexa Spotify commands through Hue Sync for a vibrant, club-like atmosphere right at home. Plus, I’ve gathered a bunch of smart plug uses that are perfect with Hue plugs, enhancing your lighting game even further.

6 thoughts on “Can You Have Multiple Hue Bridges? And Should You?”

  1. The part that says you can still control that second location with the same Hue account is wrong. It says login failed and that my account is linked to a different bridge.

  2. According to Philips HUE support all bridges have to be connected directly to the main router, nothing in between, and my router only have 3 ports and I will need 5-6 bridges.
    1. Is this true?
    2. Is there another way of doing it?
    🤞🏼🤞🏼

    1. I’ve seen people get around similar issues by connecting their Hue bridge to a Wi-Fi/ethernet adapter (Like this one).
      This is not a solution that Hue support would recommend, but it seems to work.

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