A:AnswerNo. The bridge connects to your network via ethernet and the lights communicate with the bridge using a mesh network technology known as Zigby. The first light in the network just has to be within range of the bridge and then each light can communicate to the next one. Not a wifi technology.
A:AnswerTo control your lights from anywhere, you can't currently use the app but you can go to https://my.meethue.com/en-us/ and turn them on/off or turn a scene on.
