Talk:Philips Hue: MotionAwareTM

Motivations to the creation of this page

Fair Disclaimer: A lot of this is a mix of moderate research, anecdotes, and light speculation.... but worth a share

What is it?

MotionAware is a new technology that has largely flown under the radar outside of the realm of smart-home enthusiasts as it was introduced early September of last year (2025) along with the introduction of the long overdue upgrade of the Philips Hue Bridge. To simply put, it's a new way of how Philips Hue utilize it's existing technology to create an array of motion detection technology without utilizing traditional methods such as IR sensors or cameras.

Conceptually its pretty cool for what it does if it functioned as a localized standalone product.

How does it work?

Based on many of the articles I've read (as well as testing the technology myself), it functions off of the means of triangulation as well as monitoring fluctuations of signal resistance between 2-3 known points in a 3D space.

The basic premise is that the user establishes known positions of each smart bulb in a room at varying spots (~ 3 - 23 ft apart). With each known point, 3-degrees of motion can be detected in an X-Y-Z coordinate plane, with each bulb sending out and receiving a signal to establish a baseline signal strength between each bulb. This can be determined due to the setup instructions that mentions that you have to leave the room being setup while the 3 or more bulbs calibrate itself.

After calibration, the bulbs continuously communicate with each other by checking the resistance of its signal strength between rach other, and compare itself to its known calibrated baseline. If a person walks into the room, the physical body creates an interference in the signal strength, which then tells the bulbs that there is something that entered that space, which triggers the instructions it was programed to do such as turn on the lights, or send a motion notification.

Where Concerns Arise

Some concerns that came up when learning about triangulation integrated with the technology is the opportunity for tracking more than just presence.

- It is creating a 3D map of your home: Thanks the 3-bulb requirements per room, the bulbs essentially produces a 3D map as well as some articles suggesting you provide an AR image of the room during the setup process

-Not only can a 3 bulbs map your room, it can also map out a near exact position of the subject moving inside the room. The best analogy would be the use of older VR headsets such as the Oculus Vive where there were base stations that had to be setup to produce a rough way to figure out the position of a person inside a room. It's essentially a similar function. The more bulbs in the room (up to 7) the more accurate the position of the person in the room thanks to more reference points.

- Also mentioned by official sources, the bulbs can see through furniture, which means it can also see specific activities.

- Combining independent information can create a story.... With this new feature in addition to requiring the creation of a Philips Hue Account. Hue will know:

- When you come and leave the monitored space

- Which Room you go to at a particular time

- Where in the Room you use in the space

- How long you are in said space

Note that some of these activities are already known privacy concerns prior to the launch of MotionAware, but now it's just more accurate. Additionally AI-Technology is included with the new hardware

They imply scecurity

Two things were addressed to some degree regarding security.

- It is exclusive to only the Bridge Pro model: This doesn't work on older Hue Bridge products.

- The security feature requires a subscription: It doesn't fully eliminate the need for cameras. You can detect the motion, but can't identify the cause of the detected motion.

It must be mentioned that the CTO did claim that he wants some of the features such as the AI to run "locally"

You will have to "trust" that their hardware and software doesn't get glitched/hacked/bugged to where it releases data regarding one's home. Should a home be kitted out with Hue bulbs, someone/something could technically map out ALL activates that happens in the home right down to when a person uses the bathroom. Recall the old adage "facebook knows when you poop", but this time Hue knows exactly where the toilet is.

Hopes for the Future

- One silver-lining is that this technology operates off of the Zigbee protocol, meaning that there is an opportunity to create this feature to function in an Open-Source environment.

TL:DR

- New Philips Hue feature can track you more accurately using what is essentially 3D mapping utilizing AR and wireless signal triangulation.

- Subscription for security feature is required, but basic light function is free (as of Feb 2026)

- Purchase of new Hardware is required (Fair argument that the old 2.0 bridge is fairly limited)

- Potential for Open Source thanks to Zigbee Protocol H Surveyor (talk) 08:18, 20 February 2026 (UTC)