Philips Hue activates Multi-Bridge Sync "later this year"
On the fringes of IFA, Hue showed how many smart lights can be managed with multiple bridges. An HDMI Sync Box for 8K televisions was also announced.
In future, several ZigBee gateways can be managed as one installation within the Hue app without having to switch. This simplifies the control of large lighting installations.
(Image: Berti Kolbow-Lehradt)
Managing large lighting installations with more than 50 light sources will soon be easier with Philips Hue. On the fringes of the IFA 2024 technology trade fair in Berlin, the manufacturer announced that the long-awaited multi-bridge sync will soon be activated in the mobile app. It will then be possible to seamlessly operate the lights and switching aids linked to several ZigBee gateways of the brand like an installation.
The manufacturer also presented an improved new version of its Hue Play HDMI Sync Box in Berlin, which can now translate the image content of televisions with 8K resolution and up to 60 hertz refresh rate as control commands for neighboring lights. The high resolution is less relevant here, as 8K devices are still hardly widespread. What is practical for gaming use, however, is that the technically upgraded box has the bandwidth to process 4K signals with a 120 Hz image structure without latency thanks to HDMI 2.1 support.
The box also supports dynamic image processing methods such as Dolby Vision and HDR10+. Signify charges 350 euros for the box. That's a good 100 euros more than for the original box, which was released in 2019.
(Image:Â Berti Kolbow-Lehradt)
App update brings multi-bridge sync
In contrast, an update to the Philips Hue smartphone app that unlocks the multi-bridge feature will be free of charge. Several Hue Bridges can already be managed in one app instance. To address them, however, you have to switch between them using a button. This is important if your own lighting installation has become so large that it exceeds the bridge limit of 50 devices.
In the future, it should be possible to operate all installed devices within a window view without having to switch between the gateways, explained Hue's Head of Technology George Yianni at a media event on the fringes of IFA. According to internal Hue tests, up to ten bridges can be stably connected in this way, said Yianni. However, this is a "soft limit". There is simply no practical need to test an even higher number at present.
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At the start, it should be possible to assign devices linked to different bridges to a shared room or zone and then operate them together via group switching. Philips Hue intends to deliver the option of cross-bridge automation at a later date. If a sensor is to switch a light, both components must still be assigned to a single bridge for now.
In addition, the bridges can still only be passed on to additional services such as Alexa, Google or HomeKit separately. However, it is planned that the Multi-Bridge network can be interpreted by these services as "a shared home". Yianni did not want to commit to a start date for the multi-bridge sync. The feature is currently in beta testing. As a stable function accessible to the entire customer base, it should be available "later this year".
(mack)
