Philips Hue smart lights are some of the most popular smart home products out there, with lighting products fromsmart bulbsand light strips, to standalone lamps and lighting controls. You can control the lights from your phone, but if your phone is in another room, and you want to turn the lights on, that’s not much use.
That’s whereAlexacomes in. By linking yourHue lightsto Alexa, you can control your lights with just your voice either through the Amazon Alexa app, through anEcho smart speaker, or using another device with Alexa built in. Once you’ve tried turning the lights off with your voice without having to crawl out of your warm bed, you’ll never want to go back. If you’re ready to make your lights respond to your voice, then here’s how to connect Philips Hue to Alexa.
Philips Hue Starter Kit
How to connect Philips Hue to Alexa
There is a wide range of Philips Hue lights available. Some of thesecommunicate via Zigbeeand require a Hue Bridge. There are alsoBluetooth lightsavailable that don’t require a Hue Bridge. If you’re not using a Hue Bridge, you may still connect your lights to Alexa, but you won’t get the same level of control that you get when using the Hue Bridge.
How to connect Philips Hue with Bluetooth light to Alexa
If you’re not usinga Hue Bridge, you can connect your Philips Hue Bluetooth bulbs directly to Alexa.
How to connect a Hue Bridge to Alexa
If you’re using a Hue Bridge, you can get even more control of your Philips Hue lights by installing the Philips Hue skill. You’ll need to have created a Philips Hue account first.
How to control Philips Hue with Alexa
Once you have connected your Philips Hue lights to Alexa, you can control them via the Amazon Alexa app. Any connected lights can be turned on or off in the app, and you can change the brightness and select a colour for coloured lights. You can also turn on specific scenes such as Relax, Energise, Read, or Tropical Twilight, which turn your lights to pre-set colour and warmth levels. Without the Hue Bridge, however, you can’t assign bulbs to specific rooms and therefore can’t control all the lights in a specific room at once.
The real power of connecting Philips Hue to Alexa, however, is to be able to use your voice to control your lights, either through the app, orthrough an Echo device. For commands relating to specific rooms, you’ll need to have your bulbs set up through the Hue bridge. Some examples of commands that you can issue through Alexa include:
Amazon Echo Pop
Amazon’s Echo speaker now comes in a more prominent, vibrant tabletop form factor. You still get Alexa, podcasts, and music. You also get a better-looking bedside ornament!
