# Philips Hue with or without Hue Hub? **URL:** \ **Category:** Apps\ **Created:** [June 6, 2019, 11:07am UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/philips-hue-with-or-without-hue-hub/14144 "2019-06-06T11:07:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ktd](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/ktd/32/11761_2.png) [@ktd](https://community.homey.app/u/ktd)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2019, 11:07am UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/philips-hue-with-or-without-hue-hub/14144/1 "2019-06-06T11:07:38Z")
Just bought a Home Pro and are merging my smart home from my Home Assistant running on a Pi. Things are slowly getting there but I have a issue with the Philips Hue ZigBee app. I often get an error when changing ex. colors. ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/uploads/athom/original/2X/2/27b2d19e7249c619ac9e923f6b610a028c60f52d.jpeg) Is it better to use the Philips Hue app by Athom instead? I went with the Philips Hue ZigBee so that I wouldn’t need the Hue Hub but I would rather have a solid setup. What are your thoughts in the matter? ---
**Author:** ![Jorden](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/jorden/32/8856_2.png) [@Jorden](https://community.homey.app/u/Jorden)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2019, 1:18pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/philips-hue-with-or-without-hue-hub/14144/2 "2019-06-06T13:18:20Z")
I use the hub and connected that to Homey. It’s extremely stable. Only problem that sometimes occurs is that when I turn on lights, it’s not at 100% but a bit dimmed. Other than that, never any problem. ---
**Author:** ![ktd](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/ktd/32/11761_2.png) [@ktd](https://community.homey.app/u/ktd)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2019, 1:59pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/philips-hue-with-or-without-hue-hub/14144/3 "2019-06-06T13:59:26Z")
I would prefer not having to have the hub but maybe that’s the best way to go. Will wait a bit and hear others experience before connecting the hub again. Thanks for giving your input in the matter. ---
**Author:** ![ktd](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/ktd/32/11761_2.png) [@ktd](https://community.homey.app/u/ktd)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2019, 7:42pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/philips-hue-with-or-without-hue-hub/14144/4 "2019-06-06T19:42:54Z")
Oh, I defentliy think I will go for the Athom app and Hue Hub. Was starting to creat Flows for setting the lights. Started with the sunset Flow and my god, adding lights, colors and brightness is a mess. Need four then cards for every single light (the way I know who to at least) and I got like 19 lights so far. In Home Assistant I had to do it the same way but there I used a note pad and could just copy/past and change entity name. All other values where the same. _EDIT_ The bad thing about using the Hue Hub is that then the Hue lights won’t act as extenders to other Zigbee devices I’m planing to buy. One Zigbee net would be the most optimal I guess. ---
**Author:** ![autolycos](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/autolycos/32/39277_2.png) [@autolycos](https://community.homey.app/u/autolycos)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2019, 5:36am UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/philips-hue-with-or-without-hue-hub/14144/5 "2019-06-07T05:36:13Z")
Hi KTD, welcome to the club and also long time no see. 😃 I’d definitely say to go with the hue hub, as it gives multiple other layers of functionality and simplicity in tasks that you don’t/can’t get from running the bulb straight from Homey. Yeah, the downside is the meshing, however currently the zigbee-devices don’t mesh on Homey either way. It needs a rewrite of the zigbee-code for that to work. ---
**Author:** ![ktd](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/ktd/32/11761_2.png) [@ktd](https://community.homey.app/u/ktd)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2019, 7:38am UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/philips-hue-with-or-without-hue-hub/14144/6 "2019-06-07T07:38:06Z")
Hi autolycos! Nice to hear from you again. I see you online once in a while on Xbox. 🙂 > [@autolycos](#): > > zigbee-devices don’t mesh on Homey either way. It needs a rewrite of the zigbee-code for that to work. What!?! I thought for sure that meshing was more or less mandatory for wired Zigbee devices. Thats very disappointment since I switched from Home Assistant running on a Pi 3 to the much more expansive Homey to have a more “simple” but powerful setup with as few extra devices as possible. I spent the night seting all lights up and it seems more stable now somehow. Still get a few errors when trying to turn on/off or chageing color but maybe its more when you stress the Hue app. Running lights in Flows seems to be way more stable. Coming back to that Homey dont mesh on Homey… Do you know if that is something that are in the plans in the near future? Thanks for answering and nice to hear from you again. I think we will see each other a lot in here from now on. ---
**Author:** ![robertklep](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/robertklep/32/160628_2.png) [@robertklep](https://community.homey.app/u/robertklep)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2019, 7:43am UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/philips-hue-with-or-without-hue-hub/14144/7 "2019-06-07T07:43:31Z")
> [@autolycos](#): > > however currently the zigbee-devices don’t mesh on Homey either way. It needs a rewrite of the zigbee-code for that to work. No idea where you got that idea, but it’s incorrect. ---
**Author:** ![autolycos](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/autolycos/32/39277_2.png) [@autolycos](https://community.homey.app/u/autolycos)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2019, 8:03am UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/philips-hue-with-or-without-hue-hub/14144/8 "2019-06-07T08:03:23Z")
Sorry, I may have been unclear in my response. The zigbee meshing in Homey isn’t working “correctly” may have been a better statement. 😁 To check the mesh you can always look at [http://developer.athom.com/tools/zigbee](http://developer.athom.com/tools/zigbee) The mesh-map there should show you the routes that each device has/takes. And if you don’t see anything except them doing a direct connect to Homey, or that the route a unit takes is illogical, well the mesh isn’t working. It may take some time to get the full map and/or time for the mesh to rebuild (in case you added something recently). You can search and get a lot of information on this, with many people having the same issues. But for reference, you can look at [Zigbee meshing screwed up](https://community.homey.app/t/zigbee-meshing-screwed-up/4916) ---
**Author:** ![ktd](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/ktd/32/11761_2.png) [@ktd](https://community.homey.app/u/ktd)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2019, 9:10am UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/philips-hue-with-or-without-hue-hub/14144/9 "2019-06-07T09:10:25Z")
I see your point. Did not know that I could see this much info. Thanks for sharing. 🙂 ![zigbee](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/uploads/athom/original/2X/2/297302892166b6df4837ea23c5437b99b0b95ca7.png) I hope Athom rewrites the Zigbee soon. Some of my lights are far away from the Homey and there is like 6 lights between the light and the Homey. Wouldnt it be better/more stable to mesh to another light? . _ **EDIT** _ Saw this in the link you provided… > Per design in developers hub. Zigbee itself uses meshing for all Powered routers so also between your lights. What I mean to say is that what you are seeing in the portal is normal and does not mean that they do not mesh. **Only battery powered devices show their actual routes**. ---
**Author:** ![Marcel\_Ubels](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/marcel_ubels/32/18860_2.png) [@Marcel\_Ubels](https://community.homey.app/u/Marcel_Ubels)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2019, 10:54am UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/philips-hue-with-or-without-hue-hub/14144/10 "2019-06-07T10:54:06Z")
> [@ktd](#): > > Per design in developers hub. Zigbee itself uses meshing for all Powered routers so also between your lights. What I mean to say is that what you are seeing in the portal is normal and does not mean that they do not mesh. **Only battery powered devices show their actual routes**. What does this mean. Don’t I get to sea the route at all? All my battery powered devices show only that they are 1:1 connected to homey, despite two innr powerplugs in between ---
**Author:** ![Hullie](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/hullie/32/9264_2.png) [@Hullie](https://community.homey.app/u/Hullie)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2019, 11:38am UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/philips-hue-with-or-without-hue-hub/14144/11 "2019-06-07T11:38:55Z")
In the link above, it is said: > Do note that what you are seeing is per design. You will not see Routers going through other routers before talking to Homey. So no route is shown for routers, except for the end devices (= battery powered). ---
**Author:** ![ktd](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/ktd/32/11761_2.png) [@ktd](https://community.homey.app/u/ktd)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2019, 12:12pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/philips-hue-with-or-without-hue-hub/14144/12 "2019-06-07T12:12:30Z")
So it is normal that we don’t see the real rout for powered Zigbee devices, if no other hub is present in the household? All devices should point directly to the Homey? ![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/uploads/athom/original/2X/9/9d5f658fdbb8977dad92f05b9ae64982c6896a28.jpeg "Hullie") [Hullie](https://community.homey.app/u/hullie) ``` June 7 ``` In the link above, it is said: > Do note that what you are seeing is per design. You will not see Routers going through other routers before talking to Homey. So no route is shown for routers, except for the end devices (= battery powered). ---
**Author:** ![Hullie](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/hullie/32/9264_2.png) [@Hullie](https://community.homey.app/u/Hullie)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2019, 12:25pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/philips-hue-with-or-without-hue-hub/14144/13 "2019-06-07T12:25:47Z")
Apparently. Another hub you will never see because it has a different own zigbee network. ---
**Author:** ![ktd](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/ktd/32/11761_2.png) [@ktd](https://community.homey.app/u/ktd)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2019, 12:39pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/philips-hue-with-or-without-hue-hub/14144/14 "2019-06-07T12:39:05Z")
Ok, but should I see the real rout of my powered Zigbee or not? I do not have another hub and all my lights are showing as communicating directly to my Homey. ---
**Author:** ![Hullie](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/hullie/32/9264_2.png) [@Hullie](https://community.homey.app/u/Hullie)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2019, 1:11pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/philips-hue-with-or-without-hue-hub/14144/15 "2019-06-07T13:11:53Z")
No. Just curious, why is this so important that you keep repeating this question? For what I know this route graph provided by Athom isn’t accurate and is not to use this way. The list provide you a way of knowing what’s in your zigbee network. I don’t know if the official Zigbee protocol can provide how routers are connected at all. ---
**Author:** ![ktd](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/ktd/32/11761_2.png) [@ktd](https://community.homey.app/u/ktd)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2019, 1:48pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/philips-hue-with-or-without-hue-hub/14144/16 "2019-06-07T13:48:00Z")
I just got my Homey and trying to understand it. And i did not got, to me, a clear answer until your last post. I am having issues with the Zigbee lights giving error now and then so in my amateur way of trying to pinpoint the problem and maybe stumble upon a solution I want to know as much as possible. I hope I didn’t offend you but I’m raised this way. If I don’t fully understand something I want to understand, keep asking. 😉 Have a nice weekend! ---
**Author:** ![Marcel\_Ubels](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/marcel_ubels/32/18860_2.png) [@Marcel\_Ubels](https://community.homey.app/u/Marcel_Ubels)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2019, 2:30pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/philips-hue-with-or-without-hue-hub/14144/17 "2019-06-07T14:30:49Z")
For me it is the same as above. Did not know the zigbee developers page did not give the real route of a zigbee device. I also had problems with the zigbee range. I added two innr power supplies to solve the problem, and it did. But, at first!!! the developers page gave the actual route of the battery operated devices. So the route was, battery operated device, innr power plug, homey. But after two days, this route disappeared and all of the battery operated devices are 1:1 connected with homey. But the zigbee problems have disappeared happely. ---
**Author:** ![Hullie](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/hullie/32/9264_2.png) [@Hullie](https://community.homey.app/u/Hullie)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2019, 2:40pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/philips-hue-with-or-without-hue-hub/14144/18 "2019-06-07T14:40:28Z")
@ktd not at all, keep on asking. I will do so too. Nice weekend! ---
**Author:** ![Mohta-yemoh](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/mohta-yemoh/32/13973_2.png) [@Mohta-yemoh](https://community.homey.app/u/Mohta-yemoh)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2019, 9:33pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/philips-hue-with-or-without-hue-hub/14144/19 "2019-07-20T21:33:30Z")
I just switched from Hue Athom to Hue Zigbee, it works great. Didn’t have real problems with Hue Athom but wanted to create a mesh. Now I was reading about a flow in this community where the following trigger was used: THEN: dim to x% during xx seconds. I suppose that this is only possible if you make use of the Hue Athom app, can someone confirm this? This might be a reason to switch back to bridge / hue athom app, or is there a workaround? - couldnt find it with the search function. ---
**Author:** ![Hullie](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/hullie/32/9264_2.png) [@Hullie](https://community.homey.app/u/Hullie)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2019, 8:19pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/philips-hue-with-or-without-hue-hub/14144/20 "2019-07-21T20:19:30Z")
You can use a counter as well: Store dim value in a variable. Then start counter for xx seconds and dim to x%. After the counter stopped, go back to the previous stored value. Work independent of Philips or Athom app. You will need to create a few flows (2 á 3). Working with counters maybe difficult at first but it can be used to different situations. [Next page](https://community.homey.app/t/philips-hue-with-or-without-hue-hub/14144.md?page=2)