Question 1

What's the range of the hue bridge.  I have a long house and want to control my driveway lights?  Would I need more than bridge?

Accepted Answer

The range is very much dependent on the environment and particularly what obstructions are between the bridge and the bulb. Most significant will be how many walls, the materials used and the thickness. I have pretty much the worst case scenario of very thick walls with metal mesh lath and much like wifi the signal struggles to get through more than a couple of walls regardless of distance. Modern cavity walls will offer less resistance, and internal stud walls less still. In free air the range will be quite far.

There is good news however; because Hue creates a mesh network using zigbee each bulb effectively acts as a repeater so the signal can hop from bulb to bulb until it reaches your driveway lights. Providing you have some other bulbs positioned between the bridge and driveway you should be fine, a second bridge shouldn't be necessary. I had a similar situation where bulbs outside were beyond the range of the bridge, however once I set up other bulbs inside the house the outdoor bulbs were found and have since been connected with 100% reliability.

A side note if you do consider multiple bridges, they have to be connected to your router with an ethernet cable so if you wanted to place them in different locations you would need to bear that in mind. Also the Hue app doesn't currently handle multiple bridges that well, you have to manually switch between bridges in the app each time you want to control bulbs on the other bridge.

Question 2

Does it include UK power transformer?

Accepted Answer

Yes it comes with the adapter to make the plug useable in the UK. Ordered just last week and using it now.

Question 3

Is this necessary to connect your hue bulbs to you alexa?

Accepted Answer

Depends on the Alexa. If you have an Echo Dot, then yes. If you have an Echo (4th gen) then no.

Question 4

Is this a good replacement of the older circular bridge

Accepted Answer

As I've never had the circular one I can't say. I have had to replace my "square" one as after some many months and therefore out of guarantee, but have found it works fine with Philips and Osram lamps but not others. Consequently, I tend now to use other cheaper brands that work with Alexa with no problems and no need for a hub. Philips were my very first lamps I purchased long before others got on the bandwagon. My original Philips hub had a suspected dry solder joint.

ASIN	B09F9H3DQD
Accepted Voltage Frequency	100 to 120 Volts and 60 Hertz
Best Sellers Rank	851 in DIY & Tools ( See Top 100 in DIY & Tools ) 1 in Home Automation Hubs & Controllers
Brand Name	Philips Hue
Bulb Base	E26
Bulb Shape Size	A19
Colour	White
Connectivity Protocol	Zigbee
Connectivity Technology	ZigBee
Control Method	App
Controller Type	Google Assistant
Country Of Origin	Poland
Customer Reviews	4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars (2,026)
EU Energy Efficiency Label	high
Incandescent Equivalent	60 Watts
Included Components	Bridge
Indoor Outdoor Usage	Indoor
Item Shape	A19 light bulb shape
Item Type Name	Lighting Accessory
Item Weight	0.3 Kilograms
Light Color	White
Light Source Wattage	60 Watts
Light Type	LED
Manufacturer	Signify
Manufacturer Part Number	929001180640
Manufacturer Warranty Description	2 years manufacturer.
Model Name	929001180640
Model Number	929001180640
Number of Items	1
Package Quantity	1
Power Source	Corded Electric
Sensor Technology	ZigBee
Smart Home Compatibility	Smart Home Compatible
Special Features	Energy Efficient
Specific Uses	Smart Home Automation
Style Name	Standard
Type of Bulb	Light Emitting Diode (LED)
Unit Count	1.0 count
White Brightness	800 Lumens

– Philips Hue Bridge. Smart Home Automation Works with Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple Homekit. Unlock Full Control of Your Hue Lighting.

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