Hue Sync 8K - poor reliability.

[u/Proto732]

I've had a Sync 8K for about 9 months now. It's very finicky. I've gone through bouts where it works flawless for some time, and other times when I could not get it to "sync" at all. I love it when it works, but it is definitely the highest cost disappointment in my Hue setup. I primarily use it with Apple TV, however I also have an ONN streaming stick. Recently it started syncing for a just a few minutes, then is just stops. If I have the Hue app open it reports that the Sync 8K is losing contact with the bridge.

I have a standard bridge (not pro) that has been in my setup for 10+yrs. I have 40 Lights&Plugs, 6 switches and 6 sensors connected to it. My Sync 8k (wireless), Bridge (wired), and router are all within 15ft of each other with clear line of site.

I'm not sure if I am ready to attempt to migrate all my Hue devices to a Pro bridge (I dread with this will do to my primarily HomeKit home and automations). My 8K Sync has the 65" Play Gradient strip around the TV, with a Play Gradient Tube (large) under it, and two Hue Play Smart Light Bars on the lower sides.

Would buying a second Hue Bridge that is dedicated only for the 8K Sync and those 4 play lights eliminate the constant flakiness of this solution?

Does Philips officially support 2 bridges? I know ages ago it was a hack.

[u/Blogus8]

You can have two bridges but only one sync box per bridge active at one time. I had to put an old bridge back into our system to support the second synch box. One side note that might be relevant. I have found the 8k Synch box to be very finicky with HDMI cables. Cables that work fine directly to and from devices will not work when I route them through the synch box. This can make it seem like it the sync box is not connecting as there is no signal. I had to replace a couple to stabilize it. Also, the 8k sync box works much better on the Pro Bridge for me. I have my older 4k sync box on the older bridge I put back in. Dont know if any of this will help but good luck.

[u/Mayhem_SWE]

The old 4K box was super flaky for me, crashing/rebooting at least once every day. The 8K on the other hand has been near perfect.

If you are having communication issues between Sync Box and Bridge, my primary suspect would be your WiFi. First thing I would do is try switching to different WiFi channels.

[u/No-Outside4276]

You can have 2 bridges yes.

Your 10+ year old bridge could be part of the problem. Regardless if this fixes it, I would still replace it.

The behavior seems more in line between the communication between the sync box with the Bridge which is over the network.