Being able to control your lights remotely, and being able to do more with them than normal, is one of the best innovations that has been conceived with lighting technology in quite a while. Whether you want to control light bulbs with your voice or phone, or if you want to control the color and brightness of your lights, there are a lot of brands that allow that.
One of the most popular and earliest examples are the Philips Hue lights, some of which come with a Bridge device that you normally connect to the router. But how do you connect the Philips Hue Bridge without a router?
Connect Philips Hue Bridge Without Router
There are two methods you can employ: either modifying the device’s internal components or purchasing a Wireless Access Point to connect the Philips Hue Bridge to it. It essentially comes down to whether you want to pay money or make a modification to your hardware.
Buy a Wireless Access Point
This is a step that basically anyone can take, so long as they have the budget to afford to buy a Wireless Access Point (WAP). Thankfully, you will not need to budget much money in order to afford it. You can find WAP devices on pretty much any major online retailer, such as Amazon.com or Best Buy, especially if the company specializes in technology and electronics.
To set up a WAP device, plug it into a power source and then connect it using an Ethernet cable. Once connected, all you need to actually do is connect the device with the hotspot in bridge mode. This method is by far the simplest method to take, arguably shown by the fact that this section is half the length of the next method in terms of setup, if even that.
Now, the only wrinkle you need to keep in mind is that you want to make sure you find the best-quality WAP for the best price. Granted, you cannot expect to get a great product for great value, at least not without being lucky. However, it is undeniable that some WAP devices are underpriced, and others are overpriced for the quality of the product. Be sure to read reviews of the devices you are considering, both the positive ones and the negative ones.
Modify the internal hardware of your Philips Hue Bridge
Before you begin modifying the internal hardware of your Philips Hue Bridge, there are things you need to take into consideration. For one, you need to make sure that you know how to do it in a way that is safe for both you and the device. This method is only recommended in the event that you have the expertise to actually pull it off. At best, you could risk damaging the internal hardware of your Philips Hue Bridge. At worst, you could end up hurting yourself.
In addition to these warnings, you also need to make sure that you have all the proper tools to do this process. You will need more than just a screwdriver to open it up; on top of that, you also need to own a soldering iron. Yeah, we weren’t kidding when we said that this was not recommended for novice use.
Inside of the Philips Hue Bridge, you will find a Wi-Fi transmitter. However, this transmitter is currently disabled, requiring you to mess with the hardware until it’s functional. Open the device, and then you will need to solder a 1×6 header to J6. You will also need to plug a board connector into the pins. Finally, you will need to overwrite some pieces of the Bridge’s internals.
If you intend to take this route, make sure that you know exactly how to do this, or if you know of someone – whether it be a friend or a professional – who is capable. If not, taking the more expensive route is highly recommended. After all, making a mistake while doing this will ultimately be more expensive in the long run.
Do you need a Philips Hue Bridge in order to use your Philips Hue lights?
If you are having trouble getting either of the above solutions to work properly, another option may be to look into using your Philips Hue lights without the Bridge. But is such a thing even possible? Well, whether you can actually do this will ultimately come down to which Philips Hue lightbulbs you own. The Philips Hue lights, for a fair bit of time, did not have the capabilities to connect to your Wi-Fi or WAP system without using a Philips Hue Bridge to, well, bridge them together.
It was only recently, starting in 2019, that the Philips Hue brand of lights was designed to be able to be used without such a bridge. In this case, the only thing you need to actually do is connect your Philips Hue lightbulbs directly to your Wi-Fi router or WAP system. Thankfully, setting this up is a fairly simple process. Just screw the lightbulbs into the socket and power them on, and make sure that Bluetooth is enabled on your mobile device. Next, you need to download the Philips Hue Bluetooth App (as opposed to the Philips Hue App), tap on Get Started.
Confirm that you have Bluetooth-compatible lights, and then sign up by entering your name and email and accepting the terms and conditions. You do not, however, need to sign up for promotions and news. You will then be asked if you want to use a voice assistant to control your lights. Select either yes or no, and then the app will begin scanning for your bulb. Make sure that you are not closer than three feet from the bulb. When it picks it up, give it permission to connect to the app.
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