Hue Bridge Connectivity Issues

If you are unable to connect to your hue bridge, there’s a few things we need to confirm first.

• Make sure your hue bridge is connected directly to your router, if it is going through a switch or multiple switches, by pass them for now.
• All lights should be solid on your hue bridge, none should be flashing.
• Make sure your device is not connected to a VPN (Virtual Private Network). An example of a VPN would be services like NordVPN, Private Internet Access, ExpressVPN, and Proton VPN. A VPN puts your device on a different network and it will not be able to find your hue bridge.
  

Most issues with bridge connectivity can be resolved by troubleshooting the network configuration.

For instance, if you have a modem/router combo going into another router, moving the bridge from the router to the modem/router combo can correct your connectivity issue. This can also the be case with switches or managed switches, moving the bridge directly into the router can also resolve the issue.

The bridge requires your to router support Nupnp (Universal Plug and Play). You can confirm with your router manufacturer if your router supports these settings and if they are enabled.

• Power – 1st Light means your bridge is getting power. if this light is not on, make sure your bridge power adapter is plugged in.
• Network – 2nd Light solid means you are connected to your network, if it is flashing it is not making a connect or is plugged into the wrong device.
• Internet – 3rd light is your portal/internet light, if it is flashing it means it is not making an internet connection or it is not reaching the meethue.com portal. This can also mean Philips is performing maintenance and the portal may be temporarily unavailable.
• Push Link button – You will be asked to press this button in the hue app when making your first connection or linking the bridge to your hue account.

If the 3rd or Internet light on your hue bridge is flashing, first try unplugging the power from your bridge and router for 30 seconds and reconnect them. If it still does not come back, try moving the bridge to another ethernet port on your router and wait for about 5 minutes for everything to come back up.

Wireless Networks

Your device connects to the hue bridge through your wireless network, please ensure your wifi is on on your device and that you are connected to the same wireless network coming from the router your bridge is plugged into.

If you have multiple wireless networks such as a guest network, a 2.4ghz network, and a 5.0ghz network please try to connect to each network and then go into the hue application Settings/Find bridge and try to connect to your bridge again. The hue bridge will sometimes only be able to connect through one of these multiple networks. There is not a way to define which one the bridge appears on. You can also try disabling all other networks except the main one you want to use and try to connect again, it if connects this way try re-enabling these other networks and see if it remains connected.

If you are unable to connect, but all lights on the bridge are solid

If all of the blue lights on your hue bridge are solid and the hue application is still unable to find the bridge can be resolved by forgetting your network from your device. On an iPhone for example, open your settings then go to wifi, make sure your wifi is on and that you are connected to the correct network, it will show a blue check mark next to it. Tap on the network name and press the “Forget this Network” option. Once the network has been forgotten from your device, rejoin it and enter your wifi password again.

Now that you are reconnected to your wifi network, force close the hue application by press the home button twice if it is an IOS device and swipe up on the hue app. Then reopen the hue app and try to connect again.

Connecting to your Bridge Manually by IP Address

Even though all the lights are solid on your hue bridge, you may still not be able to connect. First we want to make sure the device or phone you are trying to connect with is on the right network. We can confirm this by following this link on the device: https://discovery.meethue.com/

If the link brings you to a page with no information like the image below, then your device is not on the right network. Open your devices wireless settings and choose another network that is setup on your router and try the link again.

If the link brings you to a page similar to the image below, then you device is on the correct network.

To connect to your hue bridge using the IP Address, open the Hue app and select the More Options button

Select I Need Help

Select Search with Specific IP

Enter the IP Address shown on the https://discovery.meethue.com/ page and press Search.

If your bridge is found, it will ask you to press the big button on the bridge to connect.

Dorms and Apartments with Philips Hue

If you are using a dorm or apartment building network with Philips hue, you may run into difficulty connecting to your hue bridge. Often connectivity issues in these type of applications is related to the type of network or security settings of these networks that will cause bridge connectivity issues. There is not always a way around these issues, however if you have the option of connecting your own router in your dorm/apartment, you can connect to your hue bridge and use all hue features.

Philips Hue does NOT Require an Internet connection

The Philips Hue system does NOT require an internet connection for all features. To just be able to control your hue lights through the application, your hue bridge will need to be connected to a network, meaning the bridge will need to be plugged into a router and your device connected to the same wireless connection that router is broadcasting. If you need to be able to control your hue lights away from home, you will need an internet connection.