Lighting and your Wi-Fi

Bulbs, strips and the bridges behind them.

What this kit needs from a network

A bridge on Ethernet or Wi-Fi, with the bulbs themselves on Zigbee rather than Wi-Fi — or cheaper bulbs directly on 2.4 GHz.

Bands: Bridge: Ethernet preferred. Direct Wi-Fi bulbs: 2.4 GHz only.
How it's found on the network: The app finds the bridge with local discovery. Bulbs behind a bridge never touch your Wi-Fi at all.
Background discovery traffic: Moderate — used to find the bridge.
Guest networks: The app cannot find the bridge from a guest network.
Separate IoT network (VLAN): A bridge is a good candidate for an IoT network, as long as your phone can still reach it.

• Plug the bridge into the router by cable.
• Direct Wi-Fi bulbs must be added one at a time, near the router.
• Stand next to your router while you set it up, then move the gadget to where it lives.
• Put your phone on the 2.4 GHz network name for the setup, or use one name for both bands so the phone can follow.
• If your router splits bands into two names, turn the 5 GHz one off for five minutes rather than fighting it.
• Turn mobile data off on your phone during setup — some apps quietly use it and never find the gadget.

• A bridge on a mesh box's Ethernet port works fine.
• Dozens of direct Wi-Fi bulbs on one mesh box will fill it up — a bridge is the better answer past about fifteen bulbs.

Philips Hue Bridge 90/100
Plugs into the router with a cable, so the lights themselves never depend on your Wi-Fi.
Most common complaint: The app says "bridge not found" even though the lights still work from the wall switch.
Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box 79/100
Unlike the bulbs, this one is a proper Wi-Fi device — and it needs to reach the bridge on the same network.
Most common complaint: The app finds the box but it never links to the bridge, or the lights lag behind the picture.
Philips Hue smart bulb (Zigbee) 90/100
Not a Wi-Fi device at all — the bulbs talk to the bridge on their own low-power radio, which is why they rarely break.
Most common complaint: One bulb at the end of the garden or in the loft keeps going 'unreachable'.

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