A recent firmware update has rendered an unspecified number of Philips Hue Bridge Pro devices inoperable. Signify, the parent company, confirmed that fewer than 100 devices were affected, attributing the issue to a "specific technical implementation." The company has identified the root cause and is deploying a fix to prevent further incidents.

Philips Hue is offering free replacements for all bricked Hue Bridge Pro units, irrespective of warranty status. While this move addresses hardware replacement, affected users must manually reconfigure their smart home setups, including re-adding lights, accessories, and custom scenes. This process can be time-consuming for users with extensive smart home systems.

The incident has also drawn attention to the Hue Bridge ecosystem's lack of backup functionality. Users can migrate devices to a Hue Bridge Pro, but there is no straightforward method to back up or migrate configurations between standard Hue Bridges or from a Bridge Pro to another bridge. This limitation means users who experience a device failure face a manual and potentially arduous setup process. The company is rolling out an update to prevent future bricking events.