I have started my experiments with Philips Hue with white bulbs, and so far it looks appealing. I would like to go on and add some more interesting bulbs, namely Osram Lightify Tunable White. Googling hasn't helped yet: Do I need to buy an Osram Bridge too, or can I pair an Osram bulb directly to the Philips Hue bridge?

  • 1
    Products like that are as proprietary as the companies can get away with. So, the answer is certainly "no" on blending the two into the same system. – Daniel Griscom Mar 21 '16 at 23:46
  • @DanielGriscom: actually the Philips Hue bridge is pretty open, and they have been adding more protocols over the years. It is compatible with the "open" Zigbee protocol, and also Apple's HomeKit, the Nest standards, and IFTTT. (There is also an API for developers to write their own apps / custom integration.) – Hank Mar 22 '16 at 0:15
  • 1
    @DanielGriscom, I wonder what information your comment is based on. Philips Hue Bridge is known to work with other bulbs. They once closed their ZigBee protocol for a few weeks last year, but then reopened it pretty quickly, after feedback from those mixing Hue and non-Hue. OSRAM in its turn states that "the LIGHTIFY system communicates based on the Zigbee LightLink standard, and can therefore be combined with other Zigbee LightLink components.". – texnic Mar 22 '16 at 11:13
  • So, you can pair an Osram bulb directly to the Phillips Hue bridge? If so, you should post that as an answer. – Daniel Griscom Mar 22 '16 at 11:42
  • @DanielGriscom, that is exactly my question. I believe it can be directly controlled, but I don't know if I can pair it directly, without using the Osram bridge once to "find" the bulb. – texnic Mar 22 '16 at 12:05

Old outdated information about EU vs US firmware. https://www.reddit.com/r/Hue/comments/42840b/howto_make_american_osram_lightify_bulbs/

The firmware is now combined into one compatible version. Try this, several people report they work: https://recoveringappleholic.wordpress.com/2016/01/23/how-to-get-lightify-to-work-with-hue/

I believe @DanielGriscom was talking out of turn and sharing his thoughts that were based off poor assumptions rather than research.


From what I understand the US Osram bulbs use Zigbee HA, not Zigbee LL like the Philips Hue bulbs. The European Osrams use Zigbee LL, so that's why there are compatibility issues in the US. I have been wanting to get my Osrams on a Hue bridge, but cannot seem to make it happen.

  • Good to know. I am in Europe, that make a difference apparently. – texnic Mar 23 '16 at 20:52

Your Answer

