The Philips Hue Smart Home Lighting System uses Zigbee radio waves as a communication protocol. Zigbee is usually a fantastic, wireless communication process that, like Z-wave, bounces from device to device, recommunicating the signal so that the original signal doesn\u2019t deteriorate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It has the ability to make these \u201cbounces\u201d an unlimited number of times, unlike the fixed number for Z-wave communications. Zigbee\u2019s<\/a> one failing is that it can interfere with WiFi and vice versa. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that you understand how Zigbee works, it’s easier to have\u2014at the very least\u2014a vague understanding as to why the red light is appearing and your dimmer switch isn\u2019t communicating with the hub. Since we\u2019re only humans and cannot see the 2.4GHz and\/or 915MHz waves, all we can have is a vague understanding. <\/p>\n\n\n\n By the way, there are two Philips Hue Dimmer switches<\/a>. There\u2019s the original v1 and the newer v2. However, it doesn\u2019t matter which one you own because\u2014for troubleshooting purposes\u2014it all boils down to the same methodology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Like anything electronic, a soft reset often solves 90% of all problems. That\u2019s because resetting rids the system of everything that\u2019s currently going on and starts it back as if you just turned it on for the first time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To reset your Philips Hue Dimmer Switch, hold down all four buttons on the dimmer switch until you get a quick red light followed by a solid green light. It will travel back and forth between the two until a link is reestablished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Official Philips Hue App is an excellent and innovative app, designed to control your entire Philips Hue ecosystem, and it’s available for either iOS<\/a> or Android<\/a> platforms. As with all Philips Hue smart devices, the app requires the Philips Hue Hub<\/a> to function properly. <\/p>\n\n\n Before you do a hard reset on your dimmer switch, you\u2019ll want to remove the dimmer switch device from your Philips Hue devices within the app. You\u2019re not so much \u201creconfiguring\u201d your network as you are deleting the dimmer switch from the network. To do this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once it has been removed from your network, you can go ahead and do a hard reset on the dimmer switch itself. On the back of the switch<\/a>, there\u2019s a tiny hole at the top of the battery cover. You\u2019ll need a paper clip to insert into the hole. Press in for a minimum of ten seconds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The LED light<\/a> on the front of the switch will blink between red and green\u2014possibly orange as well\u2014as you continue to hold the button. However, do not release it until you have a consistent, blinking orange light. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Once the dimmer switch is reset and it has been removed from your network via the Philips Hue app, you\u2019ll want to pair it and add it back onto your network. Back in the app select Settings > Accessories Setup > Add Device. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Select your dimmer switch and follow the on-screen instructions to place it in pairing mode and place it back in your network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As aforementioned at the top, WiFi <\/a>has a bad habit of interfering<\/a> with Zigbee signals from time to time and vice versa. First and foremost, you\u2019ll want to make sure that your Philips Hue Smart Hub<\/a> is not set up near your wireless router.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is one of the most important things you can do and is a very common issue<\/a> with Zigbee hubs and WiFi routers. Always make sure that your Philips Hue Smart Hub is well away from the router. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Secondly, you don\u2019t want your router set up in such as way that it\u2014nor any devices connected to it\u2014are in between you and the hub when using your dimmer switch. If you prefer to keep your dimmer switch on the wall, make sure that it’s placed as far from your router as possible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You can also change the channel that your Philips Hue Smart Bridge<\/a> communicates on, since the current configuration may make it easier to conflict with WiFi signals<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Your best bet is to choose either the 20 <\/strong>or the 25 <\/strong>option, as WiFi routers are typically set up defaulted at lower channels. Combining a smart, physical placement of your hub with a channel separated from anything your router is on will minimize interference and improve communications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Philips Hue, you should get an average of three years worth of use out of your dimmer switch before you have depleted the battery<\/a>. Well, not every battery is created equal and perhaps yours was made on a Friday right before the end of shift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To change it, there is a panel on the back of the dimmer switch with a small, Philips head screw you need to remove to access the compartment. The Philips Hue Dimmer Switch takes a CR2450 battery<\/a>, which is a 3V battery that resembles a quarter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Pop the old battery out and insert the new, replace the panel, then the screw and you should be back in business. I cover the battery-change process in full detail<\/a> in another guide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If nothing else works, you\u2019ll have to move on to a hard reset <\/strong>of the Philips Hue Smart Bridge. Just keep in mind, a hard reset will return the Hue Dimmer Switch, all of the bulbs, and the Philips Hue Hub back to factory settings as if you just pulled it out of the box for the first time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The hard reset should be a last resort since you will have to go through the systematic process of setting everything back up again. This is painfully true if you\u2019ve added layers of Zigbee devices to your network over the years since it will have to be redone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re sure that you want to proceed and every other option has been exhausted, go ahead and hard reset the system. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Philips Hue Smart Hub has a factory reset process that\u2019s exactly the same as the dimmer switch<\/strong>. When you flip the hub over and look at its back, you\u2019ll see another tiny hole, on the right-hand side, just above the serial numbers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Insert a paper clip and press the button inside, while holding it down, for at least ten seconds<\/strong>. This will effectively reset the entire system and put you on a blank slate to start over. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Keep in mind that you should also delete and reinstall the Official Philips Hue app on your smartphone or tablet device. You won\u2019t lose your login info, but you should also delete all of the devices on your network before you delete and reinstall the app.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the bright side, reverting the entire system to the way it was out of the box will give you an opportunity to set up your Zigbee devices so that there is a minimal level of WiFi interference. You can also use your smartphone to see if any of your neighbors have WiFi that reaches your own residence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Knowing where their WiFi is and using the app to determine where it’s weakest, will help you set up your Philips Hue network<\/a> in a more streamlined way to avoid future interference.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\nTroubleshooting Solutions For The Philips Hue Dimmer Switch Red Light<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n
![\"Three](\"https:\/\/www.smarthomewinner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Three-Hue-accessories-a-dimmer-switch-and-motion-sensor-within-the-Philips-Hue-app-485x1024.jpg\")
Soft Reset The Dimmer Switch<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.smarthomewinner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/A-Philips-Hue-Dimmer-Switch-1024x768.jpg\")
Reconfigure Your Network + Hard Reset The Dimmer Switch<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.smarthomewinner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/The-Philips-Hue-app-showing-various-lights-and-how-they-can-be-controlled-485x1024.jpg\")
Check For Interference<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Change The Dimmer Switch Battery<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Hard Reset The Philips Hue Smart Bridge<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.smarthomewinner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/A-Philips-Hue-bridge-mounted-next-to-a-network-switch-1024x768.jpg\")