How to Set Up Philips Hue Without a Hue Bridge

If you bought a set of Philips Hue smart light bulbs, you won’t necessarily need to buy an expensive Hue Bridge to control them. Depending on what kind of bulbs you have, you can also use the Philips Hue app on your smartphone to turn your lights off, dim them, change the color of the light, and more. Or you can connect your Philips Hue lights to your Alexa or Google Home Devices, so you can control them with voice commands. Here’s how to set up Philips Hue smart light bulbs without using a Hue Bridge.

Note: You can only Philips Hue smart light bulbs without the Hue Bridge if you have the Bluetooth models. So, before you try to set up your Philips Hue bulbs, make sure that they have the Bluetooth icon on the box or at the base of the bulbs.

How to Set Up Philips Hue with the Hue Bluetooth App

To set up your Philips Hue bulbs, screw them into a light socket and download the Philips Hue Bluetooth app. Then follow the on-screen instructions to set up your account and discover your bulbs. Finally, tap the Lights tab to control your Philips Hue bulbs.

• Install your Philips Hue bulbs and turn them on. Screw your Philips Hue bulbs into your light socket just like you would screw any other light bulb into a socket.

• Then download the Philips Hue Bluetooth app. You can download the Philips Hue app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store. Make sure not to download the regular Philips Hue app

• Next, set up your account. You will be required to enter your name and email address. Plus, you will have to accept the terms and conditions by tapping the slider at the bottom.

• Then select whether you use a voice assistant. You should only select Yes if you use Alexa or the Google Assistant. Otherwise, select Not right now. You can always connect your Philips Hue bulbs with your voice assistant later.

• Turn on your light switch and tap Add light. The app will immediately start searching for your Hue lights.

• Note: If you are connecting to a dimmer switch, make sure that it is turned all the way up.

• Next, tap Pair. You will see a pop-up prompt asking you to allow the app to access your device’s Bluetooth.

• Then tap Next or Search for more. Once your device finds one of your bulbs, you can tap Next to continue. If you are installing more than one bulb, tap Search for more. You can find out which bulb your device paired by tapping Hue bulb. This will cause your light to turn off and on quickly. Once you have paired all your bulbs, tap Next.

• Note: If you are not able to connect to a bulb, try turning your lights off for 10 seconds and then turning them back on. Also, try moving your device closer to the light. Then select Retry. Philips recommends moving your device within 3 feet of the bulb, so it can connect.

• Then select which voice assistants you want to use. You can only choose between Alexa and the Google Assistant. If you don’t have a smart assistant, or you want to set up a voice assistant with your Philips Hue bulbs later, you can also choose Setting up a voice assistant later.

• Assign a name to the Hue bulb. Tap the text box at the top of your screen to change a bulb’s default name. If you are using a voice assistant, it is a good idea to name your smart light bulb something that your smart speaker can recognize.

• Finally, tap Next to finish the setup process. Now you can control your Philips Hue Bluetooth light straight from the app. To dim your lights or change their color, simply tap the Lights tab in the bottom-left corner of the app.

You can change the name of your bulbs by tapping the Settings icon in the bottom-right corner of the app. Then go to Lights and choose which bulb you want to name. Finally, tap the bulb’s default name to enter a new one.