The Hue app on your smartphone connects to the gateway via WiFi. The gateway connects wirelessly with Zigbee to your Hue lights. In a Philips Hue system (read our complete Philips Hue review here), you first need to install a gateway product to your home network. Philips Hue lights use a combination of WiFi and Zigbee. Most of the non-Hue color-changing LED blubs use Bluetooth as the wireless control method. So are all these other color-changing bulbs mere copycats or do they offer something different and useful to the smart bulb buying public? Well, that depends.

It seems nearly every week we receive a press release about new app-controlled LED light bulbs that can change color. Philips Hue lights are still considered the premium product among smart lights, but no longer is the brand alone in that market. The fact the app allowed for easy customization of colors and a few other fun tweaks made the Philips Hue a fast hit with smart home enthusiasts and newbies alike. Not only could you flick the lights on and off by tapping an iPhone screen, but you could also make the light shine almost any color you wanted. Finally, and most importantly, they changed colors. Second, they were one of the first smartphone controlled lights for DIY users. First, they were LED bulbs at a time when LED was a new thing. When Philips launched the original Hue smart light bulbs, they were revolutionary products for several reasons.

Philips hue wifi vs bluetooth