Philips Hue Bulb Unreachable? Learn How To Fix!

Philips Hue bulb unreachable and wondering what to do next? Well, you’ve come to the right place!

In the case that you get the “Philips Hue is unreachable” message, it most often means that the bridge isn’t connected to a wireless connection.

In that regard, the two main suspects here would be the Philips Hue bridge and the network device.

To fix a Philips Hue bulb that is unreachable, restart your Hue bridge and then hard reset your router. Connect your bridge to the WiFi network and make sure it is 2.4GHz. At last the factory reset the bulb and then the bridge to solve the problem.

If you’re curious about learning what is causing the issue with your Hue bulb before troubleshooting, check the upcoming list.

Why Is Philips Hue Light Bulb Unreachable?

Generally, if the Philips Hue light bulb is unreachable, the message will be displayed from the bridge you have installed.

One of the most obvious reasons for that problem is that your bulb is unreachable and must be positioned somewhere closer to the bridge.

Here are ALL of the reasons why is the Philips Hue bulb unreachable:

1. The Bridge Is Disconnected

When the Philips Hue bridge gets disconnected from the wireless WiFi network, you will notice that your bulbs will be displayed as “unreachable”.

2. Interference Is Created

There could be a built-up interference around the Philips Hue bridge that is preventing the bulbs from connecting.

4. Weak Internet

Even if your Hue bridge is connected to the WiFi, the connection may be too weak to support the bulbs.

5. Philips App Issue

Sometimes the connection between the bridge and app can drop and so will your bulbs from the bridge.

6. Broken bulb

The discovery chip within your bulb may be active, but the bulb is unfunctional, therefore it is unreachable by your bridge.

This is everything you should know regarding the potential issues that can occur with the Philips Hue setup. Keep reading to learn how to easily fix your Hue setup.

How To Fix Philips Hue Bulb Unreachable?

Make sure that you follow the order of our solutions to be most effective at troubleshooting your Hue setup.

Moreover, test your bridge and bulb’s reachability after each of the following fix attempts to determine if the issue is fixed.

Here’s how to fix a Hue bulb that is unreachable:

Solution #1 Reboot Hue Bridge

The first thing you should do is reboot your Hue bridge. That will solve issues with the bridge’s power that could be preventing your bulb from being connected to the device.

Here’s how to quickly perform a reboot on the Philips Hue bridge:

1. Go over to the bridge of your Hue setup.
2. Locate the power adapter of the bridge.
3. Disconnect it from the source for 15 seconds.
4. Re-attach the bridge after the time has elapsed.

Note: Once your bridge has successfully rebooted, re-attempt adding the bulb to the bridge.

Solution #2 Install Bulb Closer To Bridge

Chances are that the Philips Hue bulb is not close enough to the bridge. That will cause the bridge to display a message for your Philips bulb being unreachable.

What you have to do is, of course, position the bulb closer to the bridge.

The average distance between the Philips Hue bulb and bridge should not exceed 20 meters including distance through walls.

As long as the bulb is in the bridge’s range, it should be reachable by the bridge and you shouldn’t have issues connecting the bulb.

Tip: That solution will also come in handy if there was a problem with the light switch that your bulb was previously screwed onto.

Solution #3 Power Cycle Router & Reconnect Bridge

If the Philips Hue bulb is unreachable regarding the bridge, you will want to perform a power cycle on the router.

That will refresh the network problems that are preventing the bulb from connecting.

Here’s how to power cycle the router in your setup:

1. Head over to the router of your network (it could also be a modem).
2. Disconnect the power supply of the modem/router in setup.
3. Standby for 5 minutes with the router disconnected.
4. Re-attach the power adapter.
5. Test.

The bridge may not certainly disconnect after the power cycle but it is recommended to check the connectivity after the process.

Note: Reconnect the bridge to the WiFi after the power cycle by going Philips App > Bridge > WiFi > Network > Password > Connect.

Solution #4 Solve Bridge Interference

Any nearby wireless transmitters that have the same function as the Philips Hue bridge may be impacting the connection of your bridge with the bulbs.

That may also create significant interference in your setup and therefore prevent your bulbs from connecting with the bridge, resulting in the “unreachable” message.

How To Solve Interference?

Generally, there are several types of devices you want to avoid placing near your bridge.

Here are most of them:

1. Wireless Transmitters

Except for routers and modems, any other Bluetooth-operated devices, speakers, and Bluetooth drives you will want to put away.

2. Other Philips Bridges

Some households have more than one Philips bridge. You should not position two bridges next to each other because they will create significant interference with one another.

3. RF Transmitters

Babyphones, radios, and RF transmitters that use antenna signals must not be near the Philips Hue Bridge.

Note: Test the Philips Hue bulb after removing each of the following interference units.

Solution #5 Restore Hue Lights To Default Settings

In case nothing else helped, perform a factory reset on the problematic Philips Hue bulb.

Chances are that a software problem is preventing the device from connecting to the bridge and by resetting it, you should be able to fix the issue.

Here’s how to restore the Philips bulb to factory settings:

1. On your Philips app, go to Settings.
2. From the devices tab, choose the bulb that is giving you the problem.
3. Tap on “Delete” and wait for the device to get forgotten by the app.
4. Select the “+” to re-discover your bulb and add it to the app.

Keep in mind that the “unreachable” error message you’re getting is given by the Philips bridge and not the app.

In that set of thoughts, even if the bulb is connected to the app, it may be unreachable by the bridge and this is the exact problem you’re getting.

Tip: If the problem persists even after the factory reset, check if your warranty is intact

Thus, to fix the “unreachable” problem on the Philips hue bulb, power cycle the bridge and attach the bulb closer to the device. Remove any interference messing with your bridge and perform a factory reset on the problematic bulb.

Read Next: How to Fix Philips Hue Bulb Flashing?

Bottom Line:

Now when the cause is clear, the Philips Hue bulb unreachable issue, should no longer be on your way.

Although contacting Philips for additional support is never out of the question, we don’t think you will be needing their support team once you’ve read our guide!

For more solutions such as this one, make sure to check our technical blog to discover how to solve all problems you’re experiencing with your smart home devices.