Keep using your original Philips Hue Bridge with Home Assistant
Philips Hue ended support for its original round Hue Bridge in April 2020, withdrawing software updates and access to its online services. The dedicated app for this older bridge was then retired in April 2022. Although the bridge and connected light bulbs may still work, owners can no longer control them through the original app and online services as they once did.
Home Assistant offers another way to control your existing Hue lighting without replacing the bridge. It's free, open-source home automation software that can communicate with the old bridge over your home network, allowing you to control your lights and create automated lighting routines.
Home Assistant runs on a computer or small home server. It provides the controls, while your existing Hue Bridge continues communicating with the bulbs. This means you can keep using your existing lighting equipment rather than replacing it simply because the original software is no longer supported.
Getting started
If you already use Home Assistant, connecting your old Hue Bridge may be relatively straightforward. Home Assistant includes a Philips Hue integration that continues to support the original round bridge.
With both devices connected to your home network, Home Assistant may find the bridge automatically. If it doesn't, you can add it manually through Settings → Devices & services → Add Integration, selecting Philips Hue.
The Home Assistant website provides instructions, including a section specifically for the older v1 bridge.
Useful links
- Connect a Philips Hue Bridge to Home Assistant
- Install Home Assistant
- Philips Hue's official end-of-support policy
If you're new to Home Assistant, there's a little more involved. You'll need to install and maintain Home Assistant on a suitable computer or dedicated device. This can be useful if you also want to manage other smart-home equipment, but it's a larger undertaking than simply installing a replacement Hue phone app.
What can you do with it?
Once connected, Home Assistant can provide controls for your existing Hue bulbs, including switching lights on and off, adjusting brightness and setting up automated routines.
You can also control rooms and use existing lighting scenes, although some of these features need additional configuration in Home Assistant when using the original bridge. Home Assistant's guide explains how to set them up. Changes made through the bridge may also take a little time to appear in Home Assistant.
The software is free and doesn't require a paid cloud subscription for local lighting control. Your Home Assistant computer or server will need to be running whenever you want to use its controls or automations.
An important security consideration
The original Hue Bridge no longer receives security updates from Philips Hue. Home Assistant provides another way to control the lights, but it does not restore security updates for the old bridge.
If you continue using it, keep it on a trusted home network and don't make it directly accessible from the internet. Home Assistant's security guidance explains how to protect your home automation setup.
About this solution
Home Assistant is developed by an open-source community and is part of the Open Home Foundation. Its contributors continue to maintain support for the original Hue Bridge for as long as this remains technically possible.
The Home Assistant Philips Hue documentation confirms support for the older bridge. We haven't independently tested this setup or assessed the security of an unsupported bridge.
Have you connected an original round Hue Bridge to Home Assistant? We'd welcome your experiences, setup advice and any corrections to this guide.