Why Your Hue Bulbs Are Flashing And How to Fix Them
Smart lighting solutions like the Philips Hue bulbs have made life easier as they can be easily controlled with smart speakers or via the app.
You can set smart routines or guide Alexa to turn them off/on while lazing on the couch, and everything will be done without any hassle. But what if these smart lights started flashing or flickering all of a sudden?
Although Philips lights are great, they aren’t invincible and can run into trouble with time. So, if your Philips Bulbs have been acting up, then see what you can do to ensure they’re running as efficiently as they did before. Our brief guide will direct you through the process, so let’s begin!
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Reasons Why Your Hue Bulbs Are Flashing
Flickering or flashing problems can occur in your high-end Philips Hue bulbs, too, like any other bulb, due to a multiplicity of reasons. This persisting flickering doesn’t only render the smart bulb useless but is quite distracting as well, especially if you’ve recently completed your smart home setup.
Regardless, you can’t possibly remedy the problem without finding the root cause birthing the issue. Therefore, we’ve elaborated on the common reasons that lead to flickering in Philips Hue bulbs while also highlighting how to fix them so you can enjoy their sunshine-like brightness.
1. The Philips Hue App
The first thing that comes to mind when our laptops or mobiles face some glitches is to restart or reset them. There’s no hard science behind that, as rebooting smart devices helps immensely, and you can try that too with your Philips Hue bulbs.
Also, what if you had set a setting which was making your Philips Hue bulbs flash? Well, no matter how absurd it sounds, people have done that and forgot about such settings altogether. Thus, to ensure that’s not the case with your bulb, check the settings in the Hue app and restore them to default.
To do that, you have to open the Philips Hue App and set the bulb to its default settings. Once you’re done, the problem might cease to exist.
2. Hard Wired Dimmer Switches
The most common reason behind the flickering, flashing or buzzing Hue bulbs is a hard-wired dimmer switch. If you’ve connected the Hue bulb with a standard dimmer switch, then sorry to burst your happy, smart home bubble, but this isn’t how it works.
Philips Hue bulbs aren’t your standard bulbs that can be connected to a regular switch and if you’ve done that, then be ready to face the flickering issues. Ideally, smart bulbs like Hue bulbs must be connected with Hue smart switch and Philips Hue Bridge, which can effectively dim them or adjust their brightness.
But this information might go well over your brain if you’re unfamiliar with dimmer switches in the first place. Therefore, to ensure we’re on the same page, know that dimmer switches are none other than your regular switches with which you turn on lights or control their brightness. These switches come in various forms and sizes – round or rectangular – and are mounted on a wall.
Now, these dimmer switches have their dimming mechanism, and so do Philips Hue bulbs, which can clash with each other leading to flickering.
Other than that, reasons like incompatibility, overlamping, or power surges in a dimmer switch can also cause flashing in your hue lights. Therefore, to ensure an incompatible dimmer switch doesn’t end up damaging your Philips Hue bulb, it’s better to change them altogether or find solutions to problems making you doubt them.
Here’s what you should do.
A. Change The Socket
What if the main culprit is the damaged socket and not the dimmer switch? So, before delving too deep into the problem of flashing and blaming an innocent dimmer switch, it’s better to change the bulb to a different socket first.
Once you do that and the bulb starts functioning normally, then it’s pretty apparent that the problem was with the socket, and the earlier one needs to be replaced. However, if the flashing still persists even after changing to a different socket, then the problem might really be with the dimmer switch or the bulb itself.
B. Change The Bulb
If the socket isn’t the problem, then your Hue bulb might be acting up, leading to flashing. To be sure, you can change the Philips Hue bulb with a regular LED bulb. If it’s working fine, then it’s your cue to change the bulb altogether and get a new one instead.
C. Replace The Dimmer Switch
The best fix to stop the flickering and flashing of your Philips Hue lights is changing the dimmer switch altogether. Most times, incompatible, old, and damaged dimmer switches lead to these flashing problems. And let’s not forget that Philips especially advises using their Philips Hue Dimmer Switch whenever using their Hue lights.
Thus, to avoid such problems, it’s better to use the Philips Hue Dimmer Switch, which is capable of controlling up to 10 Philips Hue bulbs at the same time. If this replacement seems like a headache and you aren’t interested in tangling yourself with wires, then worry not!
These Philips Dimmer Switches are wireless and a breeze to install. Moreover, once set up, they can be effectively remote-controlled, which is a perfect addition to your smart home. So, we’d highly recommend replacing your old dimmer switches to get rid of the persisting flashing problem.
3. Broken Or Defective Bulb
Your smart Hue bulb can run into problems or become defective even though they’re one of the most reliable smart bulbs on the market. They can end up broken due to some reasons, and in such cases, even if you change the dimmer switch, the problem is sure to persist.
So, if the flashing problem continues even after changing the socket and dimmer switch, then the issue lies with the bulb itself. Consequently, you can get it swapped if it’s still under warranty.
Philip Hue bulbs carry a 3-year warranty, and you can get a refund or replacement if your bulb faces an issue in that time period. To do that, you must contact Philips and get your broken Philips Hue bulb replaced.
4. Sloppy Installation
Incorrectly hooked bulbs which are too loose can end up functioning poorly, leading to flickering or flashing. If that’s the case with your Philips Hue bulbs, then it’s pretty evident why they aren’t working as they ought to. However, to be sure that sloppy installation is the reason behind the flashing issue, you can try re-installing the bulb into the socket and ensure it’s tight enough.
As a rule of thumb, rotate the bulb into the socket until it clicks. But if your Hue bulb was already properly affixed, then the problem might be with the wiring or circuit breaker.
5. Wiring Issues
Wiring issues are a serious headache, and they might end up escalating the problem from flickering bulbs to fusing or even damaging all electrical appliances of your home. So, if you’ve got a whiff that the problem actually lies in the overall wiring of your house, it’s better to call professionals.
There’s nothing you can do if there are problems with your wiring as this is the specialised domain of professionals.
6. Faulty Circuit Breakers
Tripping electrical appliances with flashing and flickering of all bulbs of the house (both Philips Hue bulbs and Non-Philips ones) is an indication that your circuit breaker is faulty.
Overloaded circuit breakers can end up damaging all the electrical appliances, including bulbs, in your house. Therefore, if you hear any buzzing or crackling sound near the circuit breakers, it’s your cue to call professionals to remedy the problem.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s causing my Philips Hue bulbs to flash three times?
Your Hue bulbs might be flashing three times because of a bad connection. To ensure this doesn’t persist, you can check and reset the connection via the Hue bridge.
Is Philips Hue Bridge important to run Hue bulbs?
If you’ve got a Bluetooth-enabled smart light bulb, then it will run effectively without a Hue bridge. However, if your Hue bulbs aren’t Bluetooth-enabled, then a Hue bridge is required.
Final Thoughts
Flashing or flickering Hue bulbs can dim the expectations regarding your newly set up smart home, and that can happen due to a multiplicity of reasons. Reasons like incorrect Hue app settings, voltage fluctuations in the circuit breaker, hard-wired dimmer switch, malfunctioning socket, etc., can lead your Hue bulbs to flash.
Thus, to ensure this problem doesn’t continue for long, a proper fix is important. Now, while some of the issues can be handled efficiently, not everything is under your scope of expertise, and that’s where the need for professionals arises. So, don’t take complex matters like circuit breaker problems or wiring issues into your own hands.
That’s all about our brief guide. Until next time, be safe and ensure the smart lights are illuminating your world instead of haunting it with irregular flickering!
