Philips Hue blocks access to ‘untested’ third-party bulbs due to ‘interoperability issues’
An update to the Philips Hue system blocked access to some third-party bulbs, including the GE Link LED (above) and Cree Connected LED, citing ‘interoperability issues.’ Although existing bulbs connected to the Philips Hue Bridge will continue to work for now, the system currently does not allow additional bulbs to be added, and Philips says there are no guarantees that this will not change in future updates.
We are seeing an increasing number of interoperability issues with these untested third-party products, which is causing increasing confusion among our installed base. They also hinder our continued development and damage the harmony of the Philips Hue ecosystem experience. In addition to the confusing differences in setup and reset, we have encountered a number of such problems over the years including third-party lights that do not turn off when we turn them off, lights that do not respond well to scene recall and lights that stop working properly with our Wireless Dimmer Kits.
This will disappoint many, as one of the promises of the Hue system was support for third-party bulbs. All is not lost, however.
Philips claims to have created a Hue’s companion program to allow third-party products to be tested and certified for use with the system. It also said in a blog post that third-party apps will continue to work and won’t require certification. If you want to add more bulbs now, however, you’re limited to official Philips Hue products.
The company has created an FAQ, which can be seen below.
Via CNET
Q: Why did Philips change their approach to light bulbs from other brands?
We are seeing an increasing number of problems with untested lights from other brands. This makes Philips Hue difficult to use and makes it difficult for us to add new features. We can only guarantee a seamless experience if we certify and subject these products to continuous testing as our own.
Q: What problems do you see with other brands of lights?
Along with the confusing difference in setup and reset, we’ve encountered a number of issues over the years including lights not turning off when we turn them off, reporting accessibility, lights not responding well to scene recall and lights stopping the functionality of our Philips Hue Wireless Dimmer switch.
Q: What is the Philips “Friends of Hue” program?
We want Philips Hue to be open but also provide a great experience for our customers. To that end, last week, we launched the ‘Friends of Hue’ program where we will validate and test third-party products to ensure a consistent and user-friendly experience for these products.
Q: What has been changed in the latest software update?
Last week, we started shipping the 1.11 software for both versions of the Philips Hue bridge (version 01029624). Along with major feature updates to our team and scene APIs, we’ve introduced a change, which prevents untested products from being able to join the Philips Hue bridge.
Q: Will my existing lights from other brands continue to work?
The lights already connected to both versions of the Philips Hue bridge will continue to work as before, the block works only on the new untested product connected. If the lights are not removed, or reset the bridge will continue to work as before (except for the assurance from Philips that future updates may not introduce new bugs and compatibility issues.)
Q: Since the latest update my products are no longer working. What happened?
In our latest 1.11 update we made changes to our use of scenes that revealed a compatibility issue with a limited number of third-party Color Temperature lights that can properly respond to scenes created in the Philips Hue operating system. Philips will not fix this problem as it relates to the implementation of ZigBee scenes in the light and can expect this software to be changed in the light as part of the ‘Friends of Hue’ certification process.
Q: Is Philips Hue still open source?
There is no change in Philips’ commitment to the open system and ZigBee Light Link as the best standard for residential lighting control. Our lights continue to be fully compliant with the different features built on the standard and exposed through our bridge. Likewise our bridge is always compatible with ZigBee Light Link and allows other devices to join its network. Controllers other than the Philips Hue bridge can still join the ZigBee network and control all the lights within it. The only thing that is no longer possible is to control those lights with apps from our ecosystem.
Q: Will Philips Hue still allow unverified third-party applications?
Yes, we will continue to allow other apps to work with Philips Hue without certification. We will begin validating select apps and products from other brands for use in co-promotion but this does not affect the existing 450 and growing third-party apps.
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