Philips™ Hue™ FAQ

Which products from Philips Hue can I use with the eSense app?

In general, all Philips Hue products are compatible with our eSense App and therefore can be used together with the eSense. We tested the most common products:

• Philips Hue White
• Philips Hue White Ambiance
• Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance
• Philips Hue Go (very nice!)
• Philips Hue LightStrips White and Color Ambiance

For the best experience, we recommend the Philips Hue White and Color Ambience, because with the colors, the feedback can be enhanced more than with only white colors. Especially we recommend using the Philips Hue Go, as it is mobile with battery and a very nice, complete lamp.

How do I connect to the Philips Hue within the eSense App?

You have 2 options: You can connect the Hue in the eSense app via the bridge with Zigbee or directly via Bluetooth (which is mainly the case with the newer Hue lamps).

To connect to the Philips Hue products, open the eSense app and follow these steps:

1. Choose the eSense sensor you want to use
2. Choose the ‘settings’ (cogwheel symbol)
3. Activate the “Smart bulb feedback” and select one of the two Philips Hue light bulb options (either the “Philips Hue ZigBee™ + Bridge” option or the “Philips Hue Bluetooth™” option)
4. Press the “Change Hue settings” button for the Bridge option or select your Philips Hue for the Bluetooth option
5. For the Bridge option: Select “Find Hue Bridge” in the tab at the top right and then click on the plus symbol at the bottom right. Follow the instructions
6. Next you can choose the lamp(s) under ‘Hue lamps’ in the upper left. You see a list of available lamps and you can choose each with the tick right next to it. Selected lamps light up, deselected turn off.
7. (You can also test the selected light bulb by tapping on “Test”. If this changes the color or brightness of the light bulb, this light bulb is connected)
8. Once you have selected the bridge and/or bulb(s), exit the settings by tapping on the tick in the top right-hand corner. The settings are now saved for you

How do I connect the Philips Hue within the Hue App?

1. Download and Install Hue Bluetooth App: Download and install the Philips Hue Bluetooth app from your device’s app store. Ensure that your device supports Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE).
2. Power On Your Hue Lights: Make sure your Philips Hue lights are connected to a power source and turned on. The lights should start emitting a default light pattern once powered on.
3. Enable Bluetooth on Your Device: Turn on the Bluetooth feature on your smartphone or tablet. Make sure it’s discoverable.
4. Open the Hue Bluetooth App: Launch the Philips Hue Bluetooth app on your device. Follow any initial setup instructions or prompts.
5. Add Lights: In the app, navigate to the “Settings” or “Add Lights” section. Look for an option to “Add New Lights” or “Scan for Lights.”
6. Scan for Lights: Initiate the scanning process within the app. The app will search for nearby Philips Hue lights that are ready to connect via Bluetooth.
7. Pair the Lights: Once your lights are detected, select them from the list within the app. Follow the on-screen instructions to pair each light with your device. This process may involve confirming pairing requests and assigning names to each light.
8. Control Your Lights: Once paired, you should be able to control your Philips Hue lights directly from the app. Adjust brightness, color, and other settings to suit your preferences.
9. Optional: Set Up Rooms and Scenes: Organize your lights into rooms and create custom scenes for different ambiance settings within the app, if desired.

How many Philips Hue bulbs/products can I use with the eSense app?

We have successfully tested up to 9 products/bulbs (mixture of different type of bulbs, Hue Go and LightStripe). However, from 3 products and more the reaction time of the products/bulbs slows down significantly (Philips enables a maximum transfer speed of 100ms per signal and per bulb).

Especially if you use several bulbs, a short distance to the Philips Bridge, the bulbs and your smartphone or tablet becomes more relevant. See also the next question about this.

How far can the Philips Hue, the Hue Bridge and the smartphone or tablet be away?

Usually the range is between 30 and 100 meter, depending on the environment. The range is less with objects in between (for example a wall in between can decrease the range). Also, if the Hue Bridge and your modem should be in another floor level, it can influence the range.

However, the transmission of the signal by Philips is good enough so that there weren’t any problems with our tests in normal households with the signal. Just from 4 (and more) bulbs at the same time a recognizable lag can occur, see also the question above about this. A warning will be displayed in the app if you want to use more than 3 lamps at the same time.

Where can I buy the Philips Hue products?

You should be able to find the Phillips Hue in every well-sorted electronic store. You can also order it online. A list of the on- and offline-merchants can be also found on the page of the Philips Hue: https://www.philips-hue.com/en-us

We suggest one of the starter kits from Philips for the use with the eSense. This also contains a colored bulb (‘White and Color Ambience’): https://amzn.to/3uzSFx8