What Philips Hue’s Dual-Protocol Upgrade Actually Means
Philips Hue’s new dual-protocol support is an update that lets selected Hue bulbs speak Zigbee and Matter over Thread at the same time, so they can sit in multiple smart home ecosystems without being reset or reconfigured when you change hubs, apps, or platforms. Today, many Hue lights already work with Matter, but users must decide during setup whether a bulb will operate as a Zigbee light tied to the Hue Bridge or as a Matter over Thread device linked to other hubs. Once the upcoming firmware arrives later this year, compatible bulbs will keep both radios active concurrently. That turns each light into a small interoperability bridge, reducing the need to replace hardware when your household switches assistants, upgrades routers, or adds new platforms that expect Matter over Thread instead of Zigbee.
From Either/Or to Both: How the Upgrade Works
Until now, Philips Hue owners were forced into an either/or choice: configure a supported bulb for Zigbee via the Hue Bridge or reset it and adopt Matter over Thread. Switching meant factory resets, re-adding devices, and re-creating automations. Signify, Hue’s parent company, has confirmed that bulbs with built-in Matter support and Silicon Labs’ MG26 or SiMG301 chips will receive a software update that removes this hard split. According to Silicon Labs, the concurrent multi-protocol feature brings “simultaneous support for both Zigbee and Matter over Thread on a single device.” In practice, this means a bulb can stay on the Hue Bridge’s Zigbee mesh while also being visible as a Matter device to other compatible hubs. Future Hue releases with the same silicon are expected to ship with this dual protocol support enabled from day one.
Why Dual Protocol Support Matters for Interoperability
Smart home interoperability has often been held back by protocol silos: Zigbee products live in one app, Thread-based Matter devices in another, with workarounds filling the gaps. Matter was created to fix this by offering a common standard across brands and platforms, and running it over Thread adds a reliable, low-power mesh similar to Zigbee. Philips Hue’s dual protocol support is a practical step toward that goal. Hue bulbs can remain loyal Zigbee citizens for legacy setups while also serving as first-class Matter over Thread devices for newer ecosystems. For most people, daily control may not feel very different, because Hue lights on Zigbee already appear in major platforms through cloud integrations. The real change is behind the scenes: your lights stop being tied to one networking path and instead become flexible components in whatever mix of Matter, Thread, and Zigbee your home uses.
Less Vendor Lock-In and Easier Mixed Ecosystems
Dual protocol support directly reduces vendor lock-in for Philips Hue owners. If your lighting is heavily invested in Zigbee via the Hue Bridge, you no longer need to abandon that stable mesh when you start buying Matter over Thread plugs, sensors, or switches from other brands. Your Hue bulbs can bridge the old and new worlds, staying responsive to the Hue app and accessories while also joining Matter scenes or automations controlled by a different hub. This removes friction for gradual upgrades: you can phase in Matter-based devices room by room instead of ripping out existing gear. It also gives renters and multi-user households more freedom to experiment with various smart home platforms, knowing the lighting layer will adapt rather than force a complete reset each time preferences change.
What Consumers Should Expect Later This Year
Signify and Silicon Labs say the software update enabling simultaneous Zigbee and Matter over Thread operation is planned for release later this year, targeting Hue bulbs that already contain the supported MG26 and SiMG301 chips. That likely includes current-generation E27 Philips Hue bulbs and other models with integrated Matter support, though Signify will need to publish a final compatibility list and rollout schedule. Once the update arrives, you can expect simpler migrations between hubs and platforms, because the same physical bulb will no longer be bound to a single setup path. Existing Zigbee-based homes gain a safe on-ramp to Matter over Thread, while new buyers can treat Hue as a future-proof choice for mixed ecosystems. In short, Philips Hue Matter support is shifting from an either/or experiment to a central part of a more flexible, protocol-agnostic smart home.
