Crutchfield has
Philips Hue Bridge Pro Smart Hub for
$79.19.
Shipping is free.
Thanks to Community Member
ElatedBike229 for finding this deal.
Note: On backorder — Expected: 6/14/2026 but can still order
Features:
- updated Hue hub supports 150+ lights and 50+ accessories
- connects to your network with Ethernet or Wi-Fi for flexible placement
- MotionAware feature lets you use compatible Hue lights as motion sensors
- compatible with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri voice assistants (sold separately)
- communication protocols: Zigbee, Wi-Fi, Matter
- enhanced AES-128 bit full system encryption using Zigbee Trust Center
- Ethernet cable and power adapter included
- 3.5"W x 1"H x 3.5"D
- weight: 4 oz.
- warranty: 2 years
Includes:
- Hue Bridge Pro (black)
- 5' Ethernet cable (RJ-45 plugs on both ends)
- AC adapter with 5' DC output cord and USB-C plug (DC output: 5V 1A)
- US 2-prong AC plug adapter
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27 Comments
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The upfront $80 cost and ongoing power draw of an unnecessary device outweighs any bandwidth burden by a massive margin.
In contrast, I purchased some no name brand lights off of Amazon with unlimited colorss for a fraction of the price of my no-color Hue lights, more direct smart feature integratios, no external hardware, no "middleman" to complicate it - they connect directly to Alexa without a "bridge."
This literally should have been a free app integration with Alexa/Apple/Google. Instead, it's an extra, unnecessary piece of junk to pay for and pad corporate profit margins at consumer expense.
Firstly - what you're discussing is the difference between Bluetooth or WiFi bulbs and Zigbee bulbs. These are three completely different protocols. There are signficant reasons why these technologies all require some kind of controller on the local network. Managing Zigbee devices with solely a phone app and no translation layer is physically impossible, because phones do not have Zigbee antennas. Doing this without a Zigbee antenna requires a way to convert your commands over WiFi to something addressable by Zigbee... which is literally what the Hue Bridge does, same as any other kind of hub/controller for Zigbee or Matter-over-Thread (Home Assistant with antenna addons, Apple TV).
Secondly - the majority of those no-name lights that rely on WiFi are relaying your commands through a cloud server, not keeping commands within your own network. Smart lights are constantly sending data to and from their control apparatus. Managing smart lights requires a consistent connection to a device that can compute that data, especially if you've got a lot of lights, so you're choosing between having that done locally (bridge/hub/controller) or having it done in a data center somewhere. The latter option has security implications and introduces noticeable delay. Additionally, Zigbee and Matter-over-Thread devices relay status and commands through each other instead of your WiFi, and if you've got a lot of lights, that volume of data that would easily saturate a WiFi network and disrupt other connections without strict prioritization. Most SOHO routers can only hand 50 or so devices over WiFi at a time, and Bluetooth can simply not handle constantly connecting to that many devices.
There are (very few) WiFi bulbs that do not phone home to an external server for executing commands, which avoid the security and latency problems, but they still run into those other issues if more than a few bulbs are on a given network.
An extra bonus of having a local controller, in addition to the significant response time improvement (frequently more than a "split second," IME) and security, is that your lights can still be turned on and off if your internet goes out.
Anecdotally, I have Hue lights with a bridge, connected to Unifi equipment and configured to use a mirrored VLAN exclusively for IoT devices. I don't claim to be an expert, and I despise their pricing, but the Hue devices are significantly more responsive and more consistent than any other smart bulb I've tried, and I've tried quite a few. The only smart lights I own that maybe work faster are on a Lutron Caseta switch, which are more expensive, required me removing the old lightswitch, and also require a bridge. If your complaint is with Hue, specifically, just go get a Home Assistant Green and the Zigbee antennas. You'll have a better experience than WiFi or Bluetooth control and you can forego the Hue Hub entirely: https://www.reddit.com/r/homeassi...ut_b
The upfront $80 cost and ongoing power draw of an unnecessary device outweighs any bandwidth burden by a massive margin.
Firstly - what you're discussing is the difference between Bluetooth or WiFi bulbs and Zigbee bulbs. These are three completely different protocols. There are signficant reasons why these technologies all require some kind of controller on the local network. Managing Zigbee devices with solely a phone app and no translation layer is physically impossible, because phones do not have Zigbee antennas. Doing this without a Zigbee antenna requires a way to convert your commands over WiFi to something addressable by Zigbee... which is literally what the Hue Bridge does, same as any other kind of hub/controller for Zigbee or Matter-over-Thread (Home Assistant with antenna addons, Apple TV).
Secondly - the majority of those no-name lights that rely on WiFi are relaying your commands through a cloud server, not keeping commands within your own network. Smart lights are constantly sending data to and from their control apparatus. Managing smart lights requires a consistent connection to a device that can compute that data, especially if you've got a lot of lights, so you're choosing between having that done locally (bridge/hub/controller) or having it done in a data center somewhere. The latter option has security implications and introduces noticeable delay. Additionally, Zigbee and Matter-over-Thread devices relay status and commands through each other instead of your WiFi, and if you've got a lot of lights, that volume of data that would easily saturate a WiFi network and disrupt other connections without strict prioritization. Most SOHO routers can only hand 50 or so devices over WiFi at a time, and Bluetooth can simply not handle constantly connecting to that many devices.
There are (very few) WiFi bulbs that do not phone home to an external server for executing commands, which avoid the security and latency problems, but they still run into those other issues if more than a few bulbs are on a given network.
An extra bonus of having a local controller, in addition to the significant response time improvement (frequently more than a "split second," IME) and security, is that your lights can still be turned on and off if your internet goes out.
Anecdotally, I have Hue lights with a bridge, connected to Unifi equipment and configured to use a mirrored VLAN exclusively for IoT devices. I don't claim to be an expert, and I despise their pricing, but the Hue devices are significantly more responsive and more consistent than any other smart bulb I've tried, and I've tried quite a few. The only smart lights I own that maybe work faster are on a Lutron Caseta switch, which are more expensive, required me removing the old lightswitch, and also require a bridge. If your complaint is with Hue, specifically, just go get a Home Assistant Green and the Zigbee antennas. You'll have a better experience than WiFi or Bluetooth control and you can forego the Hue Hub entirely: https://www.reddit.com/r/homeassi...ut_b
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The Bridge is a $100 piece of legacy hardware kept alive by a company protecting its ecosystem, not its customers. Every feature it offers exists natively in Matter/Thread today: local control, faster response, multi-platform support, no middleman required.
Newer Hue bulbs with the Matter logo already work without it.
Philips knows the Bridge is obsolete; that's exactly why they've been slow-walking native Matter support.
The Hue bridge is expensive E-waste, and I regret buying into the whole overpriced, underperforming brand.
Hopefully anyone who got duped into buying this is within their return window.
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