Control multiple Philips Hue Bridges from one app

Why people use more than one bridge

Each Philips Hue Bridge can only handle a limited number of lights and accessories, and its wireless range is limited too. Some homes outgrow one bridge, and some places are simply split up:

• A large home that has filled up its first bridge.
• A separate building on the same property, like a garage, studio or guest house.
• A second home or an office with its own bridge.

HueCommand handles each bridge as its own connection but shows you one combined home.

Everything in one view

You don't switch between bridges. Once two bridges are paired, HueCommand merges what they control: rooms, zones, lights, scenes, sensors, switches and entertainment areas from every visible bridge appear together. Tap a light or a scene and HueCommand sends the command to the bridge that owns it.

Whole-home controls cover every visible bridge. All On and All Off send one command to each bridge at the same time, rather than a burst of commands to every light.

Managing your bridges

In Settings, under Bridges, each bridge has its own row showing its connection state and IP address. For each one you can:

• Rename it, so "Hue Bridge" becomes "Main House" or "Garage".
• Hide it. A hidden bridge stays paired but drops out of the combined view, out of All On and All Off, and out of Siri and Shortcuts searches. Show it again any time.
• Reconnect it if it dropped off the network.
• Remove it from HueCommand.

Settings > Diagnostics shows how many of your bridges are connected right now.

Features that know which bridge to use

• Siri and Shortcuts search every visible bridge for the light or scene you name. If the same name exists on two bridges, HueCommand prefers your main bridge (normally the first one you paired), then a bridge on your local network over one reached only remotely. If it still can't tell, it says so and suggests renaming one rather than guessing. See Siri and Shortcuts.
• Geofencing (Pro) has a Bridge picker on each location, and only shows that bridge's scenes. See geofencing.
• Bridge Backup (Pro) lets you choose which bridge to back up. See bridge backup.
• Switch Programming (Pro) keeps each bridge's button settings separate, even if two bridges use the same internal device IDs.

Bridges in another building or another home

A bridge on your local network connects directly. For a bridge somewhere else, such as a holiday home, use Remote Control (Pro), which connects through your Hue account. HueCommand marks bridges that are only reachable this way with a Remote badge.

How to add a second bridge

1. Make sure the new bridge is set up and on your network.
2. Open HueCommand and go to Settings.
3. Under Bridges, tap Add Bridge. If you're on the free plan, this shows the Pro upgrade.
4. Follow the pairing steps, including pressing the button on the new bridge when asked.
5. Optional: rename the bridge so it's easy to tell apart.

Free and Pro

The free version of HueCommand works with one Hue Bridge, with full light and room control, scenes and effects. Connecting a second bridge, and any number after that, requires Pro. Pro is $2.99 a month or $19.99 a year (US prices), or a one-time Lifetime unlock.