Does Philips Hue Work on 5GHz?

While many smart bulbs, such as LIFX, have Wi-Fi support by default, they only support the 2.4GHz frequency band for Wi-Fi, not 5GHz. Since Philips Hue lights are the most famous smart lights, it is natural for buyers to question whether Philips Hue works on a 5GHz Wi-Fi band or 2.4GHz.

No, Philips Hue does not work on 5GHz. It operates on 2.4GHz using the Zigbee mesh network.

This article will guide you more about Zigbee and why Wi-Fi is unnecessary for Philips Hue Bulbs.

How does Zigbee work?

Zigbee, a wireless technology introduced in the middle of the 2000s, provides inexpensive, low-power wireless internet. This wireless technology is an open standard designed for low-data-rate and low-power applications.

Zigbee provides far lower data rates than Wi-Fi wireless networks, which help link endpoints to high-speed networks. To maximize the network’s range and dependability, Zigbee also uses a mesh networking protocol.

Reasons why Philips Hue does not need Wi-Fi

Notably, Philips Hue lights don’t require Wi-Fi. They connect throughout your home in ways other than Wi-Fi signaling, which makes sense for optimal operation. What, then, are these means of connection?

Zigbee, Bluetooth, and Ethernet are the answer.

While the Hue Bridge uses Ethernet to connect to your home’s internet, Philips Hue products themselves only support Bluetooth or Zigbee.

These Wi-Fi-incapable smart lighting solutions eliminate the trouble of passwords by not being Wi-Fi-enabled internet. Ethernet, Zigbee, and Bluetooth are the solution.

Philips Hue connection to the Ethernet

A central Hue Bridge connects to your home’s internet using an Ethernet cable after receiving connections from the numerous Hue smart lights and accessories.

The Ethernet helps you control your home lighting system from the outside.

Philips Hue connection to Zigbee

The primary method of connection for Philips Hue smart lighting is the Zigbee protocol. This wireless network enables the Hue smart lights to connect quickly and cooperate flawlessly, just like Wi-Fi in other smart lights.

Also read: Is Philips Hue energy efficient?

Zigbee uses a hardware device, the Hue Bridge, to connect to your home’s Wi-Fi router through the Ethernet cable. Then, using the Bridge, your Hue smart lights will connect to Zigbee and go online. The Bridge and the bulbs are both controlled by the Hue app.

Philips Hue connection to the Bluetooth

Fortunately, some Philips Hue smart lights can connect to your phone’s app directly through Bluetooth. The upside of this type of connection is that you do not need the Hue Bridge to bring the lights online.

First, ensure that your Hue lamp is Bluetooth-enabled, and then download the Hue Bluetooth app to be able to manage it. The Bluetooth-only mode has one drawback in that you lose some functionalities.

Final thoughts on does Philips Hue works on 5GHz

Since the Philips Hue smart lights do not have Wi-Fi compatibility, they cannot work on 5GHz. Instead, they use Zigbee, Bluetooth, and Ethernet to become functional. However, the Hue app does use Wi-Fi!