Purchasers of the Philips Hue ‘smart’ ambient lighting system are finding out that the new firmware pushed out by the manufacturer has cut off access to previously-supported lightbulbs. Philips contends that this move will help their customers.
Purchasers of the Philips Hue “smart” ambient lighting system are finding out that the new firmware pushed out by the manufacturer has cut off access to previously-supported lightbulbs.
ZigBee is the underlying standard that controls these smart lighting systems.
ZigBee is the open, global standard of choice for connected lighting applications providing ease-of-use and low-cost installation and maintenance for both consumers and business.
Philips uses ZigBee, which should mean any bulbs compatible with this standard will work with its Hue fixtures. Not anymore. The firmware update removes this support, limiting this “open, global” standard to Philips’ own bulbs and those it has designated as “Friends of Hue.”
Literally. Philips has just slapped fans like us in the face and kicked interoperability out the door. Without any communication they delivered a new firmware to the system that disables adding products that they don’t approve of. Basically they are banning other Zigbee Light Link products despite the fact that they are a Connected Lighting Alliance member whose mission is to promote interoperability.
Philips only began delivering nonsensical statements about its removal of previously-existent functionality after the complaints began to roll in. And like so many other companies that have wielded this DRM-esque tactic against their own customers, the excuses offered may as well just read “because this makes us more money.”
While technically an open system, we’ve closed it because $$$. These early adopters have already performed the heavy lifting on the compatibility end. They’re the ones who have road-tested ZigBee-compliant bulbs and reported their findings to others. So, when a company removes support (by pushing a firmware update without prior warning) for compatible bulbs and claims the issue is “compatibility,” it’s so blatantly false as to be laughable. Unless you can’t laugh, because you already bought one.
Citing “an increasing number of interoperability issues,” Philips is changing its policies and locking out third-party smart bulbs until they can be certified through the “Friends with Hue” program.
If you’ve noticed that your Philips Hue Bridge won’t let you add third-party smart bulbs to your setup anymore, it isn’t because your system is broken. A new update to Hue’s software issued last week ends support for bulbs that communicate using the ZigBee wireless protocol, but don’t bear the Hue name. That includes low-cost lights like the GE Link LED and the Cree Connected LED.
The move comes in the form of version 1.11 of the Philips Hue operating software, released for both the first- and second-generation Hue Bridge last week.
It’s a disappointing development for anyone who bought into Hue on the merits of its open approach to smart lighting.
The 900-pound gorilla in the corner of the Internet of Things (IoT) hype that everyone is trying to ignore is interoperability. In the Internet of Internets (IoI) everything works on a few standards that are widely accepted: IP and HTML. The discrepancies are in the details and the standards wars are in the past. Websites are largely interoperable. Not so in the wild-west ethos of the IoT.
Philips makes a line of ZigBee-enabled RGB lightbulbs that took the enthusiast community by storm. And initially, Philips was very friendly to other devices — it makes a ZigBee-to-WiFi bridge that would let you control all of your ZigBee-based lights, regardless of their manufacturer, from your phone. Until now.
Philips has just rolled out a “Friends of Hue” certification process, and has since pushed out a firmware update where their Hue bridges stop interoperating with non-certified devices.
Philips Locks Out 3rd Party ZigBee Hardware
The short version is that, ZigBee standards be damned, your future non-Philips lights won’t be allowed to associate with the Philips bridge. Your GE and Osram bulbs aren’t Friends of Hue. DIY RGB strips in your lighting mix? Not Friends of Hue. In fact, you won’t be surprised to know who the “Friends of Hue” are: other Philips products, and Apple. That’s it. If you were used to running a mixed lighting system, those days are over. If you’re not on the friends list, you are an Enemy of Hue.
Their claim is that third party products may display buggy behavior on a Philips network
Of course, they could simply tell people to disable the “other” devices and see how it works
Or they could open up a “developer mode” that made it clear that the user was doing something “innovative”. But neither of these strategies prevent consumers from buying other firms’ bulbs, which cost only 30-50% of Philips’ Hue line.
While Philips is very careful to not couch it as such, the Friends of Hue program really looks like an attempt to shut out their competitors; Philips got an early lead in the RGB LED game and has a large share of the market.
Snark aside, the IoT brings two of the saddest realities of the software world into your home appliances: Where there’s code, there’s vulnerabilities, and when you can’t control the code yourself you aren’t really in control. You may own the lightbulb, but you’re merely licensing the firmware that runs it. The manufacturer can change the rules of the game, or go out of the product line entirely, and you’re high and dry. What can you do? Pull out your JTAG debugger.
There are no easy solutions and no perfect software. The industry is still young and we’ll see a lot of companies staking out their turf as with any new technology. It seems to us that IoT devices leave consumers with even less choice and control than in the past, because they are driven by firmware that’s supposed to be invisible. It’s just a lightbulb, right?
Went wrong – Philips withdrew its boycott decision because of criticism
Supports the protest, at least sometimes. Philips eliminated Wisdom Light referred Hubs support of other manufacturers to cheaper lamps. Now the company has withdrawn its decision to fuss with amazement.
Lights from other manufacturers are significantly cheaper than the original Philips Hue lights. The company justified the change compatibility problems.
Philips has now withdrawn its decision and published an opinion. “We made a change in good faith, but underestimate its impact,” the company says.
Underestimated effect refers to other manufacturers cheaper bulbs obtained from customers who use feedback.
“We have decided to cancel the software update, so the rest of the lamps operate as usual Hue-system,” the company explains.
Loss of support was a nasty surprise to those who had obtained the Hue-start package to expand the system with less-expensive extra lights.
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4 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
Lightbulb DRM: Philips Locks Purchasers Out of 3rd-Party Bulbs With New Firmware
http://slashdot.org/story/15/12/14/2254205/lightbulb-drm-philips-locks-purchasers-out-of-3rd-party-bulbs-with-new-firmware
Purchasers of the Philips Hue ‘smart’ ambient lighting system are finding out that the new firmware pushed out by the manufacturer has cut off access to previously-supported lightbulbs. Philips contends that this move will help their customers.
Lightbulb DRM: Philips Locks Purchasers Out Of Third-Party Bulbs With Firmware Update
from the Patch-notes:-Adds-’buyer’s-remorse’ dept
https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20151214/07452133070/lightbulb-drm-philips-locks-purchasers-out-third-party-bulbs-with-firmware-update.shtml
Purchasers of the Philips Hue “smart” ambient lighting system are finding out that the new firmware pushed out by the manufacturer has cut off access to previously-supported lightbulbs.
ZigBee is the underlying standard that controls these smart lighting systems.
ZigBee is the open, global standard of choice for connected lighting applications providing ease-of-use and low-cost installation and maintenance for both consumers and business.
Philips uses ZigBee, which should mean any bulbs compatible with this standard will work with its Hue fixtures. Not anymore. The firmware update removes this support, limiting this “open, global” standard to Philips’ own bulbs and those it has designated as “Friends of Hue.”
Literally. Philips has just slapped fans like us in the face and kicked interoperability out the door. Without any communication they delivered a new firmware to the system that disables adding products that they don’t approve of. Basically they are banning other Zigbee Light Link products despite the fact that they are a Connected Lighting Alliance member whose mission is to promote interoperability.
Philips only began delivering nonsensical statements about its removal of previously-existent functionality after the complaints began to roll in. And like so many other companies that have wielded this DRM-esque tactic against their own customers, the excuses offered may as well just read “because this makes us more money.”
While technically an open system, we’ve closed it because $$$. These early adopters have already performed the heavy lifting on the compatibility end. They’re the ones who have road-tested ZigBee-compliant bulbs and reported their findings to others. So, when a company removes support (by pushing a firmware update without prior warning) for compatible bulbs and claims the issue is “compatibility,” it’s so blatantly false as to be laughable. Unless you can’t laugh, because you already bought one.
Philips Hue Excludes 3rd Party Bulbs With Firmware Update
http://zatznotfunny.com/2015-12/philips-hue-excludes-3rd-party-bulbs/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Philips Hue cuts support for third-party bulbs
http://www.cnet.com/news/philips-hue-cuts-support-for-third-party-bulbs/
Citing “an increasing number of interoperability issues,” Philips is changing its policies and locking out third-party smart bulbs until they can be certified through the “Friends with Hue” program.
If you’ve noticed that your Philips Hue Bridge won’t let you add third-party smart bulbs to your setup anymore, it isn’t because your system is broken. A new update to Hue’s software issued last week ends support for bulbs that communicate using the ZigBee wireless protocol, but don’t bear the Hue name. That includes low-cost lights like the GE Link LED and the Cree Connected LED.
The move comes in the form of version 1.11 of the Philips Hue operating software, released for both the first- and second-generation Hue Bridge last week.
It’s a disappointing development for anyone who bought into Hue on the merits of its open approach to smart lighting.
Friends of Hue – Update
http://www.developers.meethue.com/documentation/friends-hue-update
Tomi Engdahl says:
Philips Says: No Internet of Things for You!
http://hackaday.com/2015/12/15/philips-says-no-internet-of-things-for-you/
The 900-pound gorilla in the corner of the Internet of Things (IoT) hype that everyone is trying to ignore is interoperability. In the Internet of Internets (IoI) everything works on a few standards that are widely accepted: IP and HTML. The discrepancies are in the details and the standards wars are in the past. Websites are largely interoperable. Not so in the wild-west ethos of the IoT.
Philips makes a line of ZigBee-enabled RGB lightbulbs that took the enthusiast community by storm. And initially, Philips was very friendly to other devices — it makes a ZigBee-to-WiFi bridge that would let you control all of your ZigBee-based lights, regardless of their manufacturer, from your phone. Until now.
Philips has just rolled out a “Friends of Hue” certification process, and has since pushed out a firmware update where their Hue bridges stop interoperating with non-certified devices.
Philips Locks Out 3rd Party ZigBee Hardware
The short version is that, ZigBee standards be damned, your future non-Philips lights won’t be allowed to associate with the Philips bridge. Your GE and Osram bulbs aren’t Friends of Hue. DIY RGB strips in your lighting mix? Not Friends of Hue. In fact, you won’t be surprised to know who the “Friends of Hue” are: other Philips products, and Apple. That’s it. If you were used to running a mixed lighting system, those days are over. If you’re not on the friends list, you are an Enemy of Hue.
Their claim is that third party products may display buggy behavior on a Philips network
Of course, they could simply tell people to disable the “other” devices and see how it works
Or they could open up a “developer mode” that made it clear that the user was doing something “innovative”. But neither of these strategies prevent consumers from buying other firms’ bulbs, which cost only 30-50% of Philips’ Hue line.
While Philips is very careful to not couch it as such, the Friends of Hue program really looks like an attempt to shut out their competitors; Philips got an early lead in the RGB LED game and has a large share of the market.
Snark aside, the IoT brings two of the saddest realities of the software world into your home appliances: Where there’s code, there’s vulnerabilities, and when you can’t control the code yourself you aren’t really in control. You may own the lightbulb, but you’re merely licensing the firmware that runs it. The manufacturer can change the rules of the game, or go out of the product line entirely, and you’re high and dry. What can you do? Pull out your JTAG debugger.
There are no easy solutions and no perfect software. The industry is still young and we’ll see a lot of companies staking out their turf as with any new technology. It seems to us that IoT devices leave consumers with even less choice and control than in the past, because they are driven by firmware that’s supposed to be invisible. It’s just a lightbulb, right?
Tomi Engdahl says:
Went wrong – Philips withdrew its boycott decision because of criticism
Supports the protest, at least sometimes. Philips eliminated Wisdom Light referred Hubs support of other manufacturers to cheaper lamps. Now the company has withdrawn its decision to fuss with amazement.
Lights from other manufacturers are significantly cheaper than the original Philips Hue lights. The company justified the change compatibility problems.
Philips has now withdrawn its decision and published an opinion. “We made a change in good faith, but underestimate its impact,” the company says.
Underestimated effect refers to other manufacturers cheaper bulbs obtained from customers who use feedback.
“We have decided to cancel the software update, so the rest of the lamps operate as usual Hue-system,” the company explains.
Loss of support was a nasty surprise to those who had obtained the Hue-start package to expand the system with less-expensive extra lights.
Source: http://www.tivi.fi/Kaikki_uutiset/pieleen-meni-philips-perui-kritiikkia-saaneen-boikottipaatoksen-6240106