Philips Hue’s new smart bulbs let you skip the Hue Bridge

Chalk one up for the rumor mill: Bluetooth Philips Hue bulbs are officially a thing — and they’re available wherever Hue products are sold starting today.For years, Philips Hue’s smart lights have used the Zigbee wireless protocol to communicate with each other, and with the Hue Bridge that controls them and acts like a Zigbee translator for your router. Earlier this month, rumors began to swirl that Philips Hue parent company Signify was working on new Hue bulbs that added Bluetooth support — bulbs like those would let you skip the Hue Bridge altogether and pair directly with your phone, instead. Those rumors now appear to have been confirmed.”With our Philips Hue Bluetooth smart lighting, we’re making it easy to experiment and have fun with light at home,” says Jasper Vervoort, Business Leader, Home Systems & Luminaires for Signify’s Philips Hue team. “All it requires is the smartphone you already have.”Signify is starting with its three main smart lights in both a traditional A-shaped design and as BR30-shaped floodlights — a total of six new Bluetooth Hue bulbs. Prices are the same regardless of which shape you need. Standard, plain white bulbs cost $15 each, “White Ambiance” bulbs that let you… Read full this story

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