I totally agree, I’ve done some research and it doesn’t seem very straightforward. I even took an old bulb that I had reset a long time ago because it cut out when it dimmed past 20% but kept it for other uses and after plugging it in my Aeotec Zigbee controller could not find it, so after looking around I did find a Python script that is supposed to be able to help but it’s for very particular Zigbee controllers and isn’t sure-fire.
In the meantime I’ve preemptively disabled the hubs MAC on my firewall so it cannot talk to the Internet so I can see what that does (and ordered some Inovelli bulbs to replace my standard Hue’s).
Very happy with their products, I like many others started my journey with Hue devices. Hub has been collecting dust in a closet since I started using Zigbee2MQTT a few years ago. Just did a count and I have 26 Hue bulbs / light strips / sensors set up. Started switching from smart bulbs to rather use dumb bulbs and smart dimmers / switches a few years ago to avoid bleeding money, this makes it even more unlikely I will buy more Hue in the future.
Might be a stupid question but: aren’t these kinds of practices illegal somehow - at least in some parts of the world?
I decide to buy a device because of the way it works when I buy it and the privacy policy in place might be part of my decision. If the manufacturer decides to force some new policies on me (with significant changes) AFTER I bought it, and it’s impossible to opt out of them, isn’t that a unilateral change of contract or something like that? Isn’t this like removing features from a product after I bought it? Isn’t this attackable under GDPR? Or some other regulation?
Just wondering…
Edit: for now: Hue Bridge blocked from the internet and SkyConnect order placed
There are laws about collecting information in many western countries (US, Canada, UK) where you must be able to opt out. The problem is while a lot of folks give you that required option that doesn’t mean they honor it and it’s hard to prove so like so many big tech companies, they just keep abusing it until they have to pay the price for it.
Will we loose the API when they change this? Or will this still work. Only with a account they can store it on their cloud?
What if you block internet access for the bridge and never update the mobile app. Then everything will still work. Because nothing is updated. Also disable bulb updates.
For me it’s OK when they store it somewhere. More important for me is that the API keeps working so the HA integration will still working.
Can the Hue hub and zigbee run in parallel, controlling the same lights? I’m thinking of switching to Skyconnect, but I don’t want to figure it out in the dark…
New Bulbs are automatically in pairing mode. Factory resetting a Hue bulb can be accomplished in 5 ways which are described below. After resetting the bulb will automatically connect.
When the bulb is still connected to the Hue bridge, you can simply factory reset the bulb by removing it from the bridge via the Hue app. Orphaned bulbs (configured to connect to a non-existing Zigbee network) can be adopted by a Hue bridge by entering the 6 character serial number in the Philips Hue app.
Install the Philips Hue Bluetooth app for Androidopen in new window or iOSopen in new window. You can use the app to trigger a factory reset on a paired light. (Note: The light will only be in bluetooth pairing mode for a couple of minutes after power-on)
Depending on how you removed it from the Hue bridge, you might need to factory reset it. The easiest way is to use a Hue Dimmer. Power toggle the bulb and then press both the top-most and bottom-most button of the dimmer at the same time, for about 10 seconds, in close proximity to the bulb (approximately 10 cm or so), until the LED in the dimmer turns green and the bulb flashes a few times.
When you move from hub to zigbee are you able to create rooms and zones etc same as the hub? This was a great option. Rooms where bulbs are in and zones to combine bulbs from different rooms. And is it with zigbee also same speed of reaction time?
You will loose not much by moving. Yes: some apps will no longer work, but you will still be able to switch lights on and off and determine their colour. It’s truest a shame Signify opted for this dark direction.
Philips is truely trying to bring the hate of users upon them. I don’t care, the hue bridge will just disappear from the home net and all lights will be returned due to faults.
Compared to the full Hue experience any zigbee solution we have in HA is a bare metal products. It’s like the poster above said: you can still turn /off lights…
So, imho, not even close to what Hue offers. And yes, I’ve have most systems running in my production system. Hue Tradfri, HomeKit, Skyconnect .
Btw, I honestly wonder if all the ranters here don’t use Facebook, iCloud, OneDrive Google assist, Alexa,Spotify…… either.
Doesn’t mean we shouldn’t complain ofc. We should and HA already did.
Actually it’s a good question. But the fact that so many companies do the same thing makes me suspect that (1) it’s not against the law, (2) the law isn’t enforced, or (3) these companies had their lawyers bury some legal clause deep in the fine print of their long-winded user agreement which specifically allows them to do anything they want.
I think (3) is the more likely. I loved that South Park episode referenced above.
I started with HA specifically to avoid cloud solutions. I didn’t and wouldn’t buy hardware which required one, so this doesn’t really affect me. I’m curious though about what you can do with Hue controllers that HA can’t do.
Perhaps, but I think it’s difficult to be 100% offline if for no other reason than getting the weather integrated. Aside from weather, Nest and Hue are the only things I have talking to the internet as I actively block all others (and Nest is getting replaced anyway because I hate Google). However, there’s a difference between getting integrated from the cloud and having that provider mine your information (i.e., Google). Yes, we can’t be hypocritical and rant about ALL providers for everything because we still need many online services, but I don’t care to add to their mountain of information on my business use all my home automation use as well.
