I recently got a Philips Hue light bulb with Bluetooth to control via the Philips Hue app.
Turns out I also need the Philips Hue Bridge to be able to control the lightbulb from the iOS Home app.
But I really don’t want to do that, as I will only need the one Philips Hue lightbulb and getting and connecting a Bridge to my router for that one lightbulb seems excessive.
However, it’s also annoying to have to open the Philips Hue app each time I want to control the light, i.e. turn the light up and down.
So what I’m asking here is if anyone knows a workaround to control a Philips Hue lightbulb fast and easy from a device without the Bridge and without having to open the app each time.
I’ve been using Hue bulbs for several years, and I’ve yet to find a workaround for what you are requesting, but that’s not to say one doesn’t exist.
In my personal trials of bluetooth-primary smart bulbs/devices are unreliable at best. The best performance experience is with a bridge directly connected to my router - via ethernet switch. A bridge may not be worth it if you only have the one light to control, but it’s really the best option if you have several lights/devices to maintain.
Considered the heart of the Hue smart lighting system, the Hue Bridge uses Zigbee technology to connect to your Wi-Fi. This lets you control your Philips Hue smart lights using the Philips Hue app both at home and from anywhere else in the world where you have an internet connection.
However, the Hue Bridge is not required to use Philips Hue smart lighting. Most Philips Hue smart lights are Bluetooth-enabled (look for the symbol on the packaging) and can be controlled with the Philips Hue Bluetooth app without a Hue Bridge — but a Bluetooth setup does come with some limitations."
Yes I’m aware of this, that’s why I got one. But I can’t control it outside the Hue app without a bridge. No way to access the features from the app in the iOS Home app. That’s why I prefer Eve products because you don’t need a bridge to do that
