Is my extender breaking my Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box?

The short answer

Sync box and bridge on two different network names will not pair. Cheap extenders make a second network. Once your phone and the gadget end up on different halves of it, they can no longer find each other.

What's happening underneath

The app finds the bridge with local discovery. Bulbs behind a bridge never touch your Wi-Fi at all. An extender that makes its own network name puts your phone and the gadget on two different networks.

Source: Manufacturer documentation

Try these, in this order

• • Put the sync box, the bridge and your phone on the same Wi-Fi name.
• • Wire the sync box to a mesh box's spare port if there is one behind the TV.
• • Turn off client isolation so the box and the bridge can see each other.
• • Check the signal where the gadget actually lives, not where you're standing.
• • Move the router off the floor and out of any cupboard before buying anything.
• • Put the gadget and your phone on the same Wi-Fi name.
• • Restart the gadget before the router — it is quicker and it fixes more.

Setting it up again properly

• • 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.

When it's worth spending money

A cable behind the TV, not new lights.