A faulty software update appears to be causing some Philips Hue users a major headache. Reports suggest that the latest Hue Bridge Pro firmware is rendering the hub unusable. As a result, the entire smart lighting system goes offline in the process.
According to multiple user reports featured on HueBlog and discussions on Reddit, firmware version 2071353020 is at the heart of the issue. The update doesn’t appear to affect all Bridge Pro owners, but those who have encountered the bug have found their hubs effectively bricked after installation.
The Philips Hue Bridge is the brain of any Hue setup. Manage connected lights, switches, sensors, and automation throughout your home. The new Bridge Pro, launched last year, brought a welcome performance boost with faster processing. Additionally, device capacity has increased, giving more room for more advanced features. But that also means that if the hub fails, the entire smart home lighting system can go down.
Affected users are reporting that after installing the update, the Bridge Pro status LED turns red and the hub becomes unresponsive. What’s even more concerning is that a factory reset doesn’t seem to resolve the issue. As a result, owners have little choice but to contact Philips Hue support to request a replacement unit.
Unfortunately, replacing the hardware isn’t the end of the story. Unless users have a recent backup available, setting up a new bridge may mean re-pairing all lights, accessories, and automation from scratch. This is a time consuming process. This is especially difficult for those with large Hue installations.
At this time, this issue appears to be limited to the Bridge Pro rather than the standard Hue Bridge. It’s still unclear exactly how widespread this problem is. Failures occur randomly, making it difficult to predict which hubs are at risk. Some users are able to update successfully, while others lose their entire setup.
Until Philips Hue releases a fix, Bridge Pro owners who have not yet installed the firmware are advised to disable automatic updates as a precaution. This option is located in the Hue app under Settings > Software Update > Automatic Updates.
Firmware updates typically bring bug fixes and new features, but this incident is a reminder that even mature smart home platforms can stumble from time to time. At this time, we recommend that Bridge Pro users refrain from updating until Signify confirms that the issue has been resolved.
