A:AnswerThe bridge (at least in my experience with the Hue Bridge 2nd Genration) it will control multiple devices without issue.
I own the Phillips Hue Bridge (2nd generation), 2 sets of Lightstrip plus, and 3 Phillips Hue White E26 bulbs. They all connect to the bridge without issue. As I've shared in a review, if for whatever reason the bridge cannot auto detect your devices, it is wise to be proactive and write down / save the serial number off of the bulbs, and OR save the serial number from the lightstrip itself (I believe this is located on the inside of the light strip plus box). This allows you to manually detect the devices (if needed) via your smartphone app.
A:AnswerI have the HUB in my basement and the HUE lights in my bedroom which is 2 floors up from the basement I have no issue with range. Plus the more lights you add the better the signal gets as the lights act as repeaters for each other.
A:AnswerGen 2 you can use bridge with Apple's Homekit which allows you to control your Phillips Hue lights with Siri voice commands. For instance you could say "Siri turn on my living room lights".
A:AnswerIt needs to be hardwired, but its physical location isn't very important as long as it can communicate with at least one light. The lights can act as a "bridge" if some lights are out of range of the hub.
A:AnswerYou would need to have the Hue Hub to work with your smart device OR if you have the Echo with the built in hub, it works great with that. That is what I do. However, that being said if you have it on the Echo hub the Hue hub won't work as well with the phone app - you loose some of the theme abilities. That doesn't bother me because I like to have the voice commands of the Echo. (It won't work with the dot unless you have the hue hub)
A:AnswerWhen Hue first came out, there was a work-around that let you add other bulbs that were zig-bee compatible, like the GE and the Cree. Philips removed this functionality not long after the Hue system became popular with a firmware update about a year ago.
If you have an automation hub like Smartthings or Instanon, different bulbs will "work together" as a whole automation system. The Hue hub will only handle the Hue bulbs part of the automation scheme.
A:AnswerIt has to connect via ethernet. We found that with no additional ethernet port on our router that we were able to plug it into a cable box. We absolutely love the lights!
A:AnswerAs long as there is a Hue app in the app store for your device, you should be good. I'm quite certain that it is both iOS and Android compatible. Mine shows both app stores on the box.
A:AnswerUnfortunately, no. The bridge has to be connected to a router via a LAN connection. I myself was hoping it would allow wireless connection but it does not.
A:AnswerGoogle home and Philips bridge work seamlessly together. Most likely the same for Alexa. The bridge I operate Philips hue app and color scenes. When I am away from home I log into the Philips home app and control my lights.
A:AnswerYes, one hue bridge can control up to “50” lights and accessories. You may be able to do a few more. You can always set up a second bridge for the rest.
