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#1 2018-01-27 14:57:46

ef02
Member
Registered: 2015-11-06
Posts: 3

Connect Philips Hue Hub Directly to Laptop instead of Router?

Hello,

I ordered a Philips Hue Starter Kit.  The Hubs for these typically need to be connected to a router, however I live in on-campus housing, and I do not have access to a router, just a few ethernet ports in the walls and WiFi.  Routers are not allowed.

Additional Information: ITS told me that devices that can connect to the network on-campus typically struggle to be seen by phones and other devices that interact with them (e.g., using a phone as a remote for a Chromecast) (caused by different subnets?  I'm not sure).  Additionally, ethernet uses WiFi security, and I have no way of giving the hub my credentials to connect to the network.

While a solution to this no-router limitation would be to just get a cheap old router, disable the WiFi before bringing it to my apartment, and connect the hub and an old laptop to the router, I would prefer to connect the hub directly to the laptop, then access the hub via a third-party tool.

How do I know if I can directly connect the hub to the laptop with no configuration?  What configuration might I need to do so that the laptop can see the hub?  I read through the wiki article for using an Arch system as a router, but I did not see anything relevant to this issue.

Edit: Added additional information; fixed formatting; fixed grammatical error.

Last edited by ef02 (2018-01-27 15:04:27)

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#2 2018-01-27 16:34:18

ewaller
Administrator
From: Pasadena, CA
Registered: 2009-07-13
Posts: 19,739

Re: Connect Philips Hue Hub Directly to Laptop instead of Router?

It should work.  I assume you are using wireless Ethernet on your laptop for Internet access.  I don't know quite what you mean by, "if I can directly connect the hub to the laptop with no configuration?"  You need some configuration:  Configure your wired Ethernet port to use a static address in a subnet that is not part of the WiFi network.  Then, configure and start a  DHCP server.  Connect your starter kit, and it should obtain an address from your server.  You should then have a two node network between the computer and the Hue. 

The following is based on the assumption that 192.168.2.x/24 is not in the School's subnets.  I am guessing the school is using 10.x.x.x or 172.x.x.x space.  If not, adjust addresses accordingly.

Ensure dhcpd is installed, add a stanza to /etc/dhcpd.conf like this:

subnet 192.168.2.0 netmask 255.255.255.0 {
  range 192.168.2.10 192.168.2.20;
  option routers 192.168.2.1;
}

Add a 192.168.2.1 address to your wired Ethernet. Run dhcpd (as root)  using a command such as sudo ip addr add 192.168.2.1/24 dev eno1  (you will, of course replace eno1 with the name of your NIC)
(Edit:  Connect the Hue to your computer -- this may require a cross over cable.  My computer does not, it does cross over automatically.  End Edit)

In this configuration, the Hue will not have Internet access.  This may, or may not be what you want.  If it needs access, configure NAT forwarding from the 192.168.2.x/24 network to the wireless network.

BTW, I assume that Wireless routers are not allowed.  Technically, what we just built was a simple router.

For further reading : https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Internet_sharing

Last edited by ewaller (2018-01-27 16:36:44)


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#3 2018-01-28 15:55:22

ef02
Member
Registered: 2015-11-06
Posts: 3

Re: Connect Philips Hue Hub Directly to Laptop instead of Router?

ewaller wrote:

Technically, what we just built was a simple router.

Exactly, even though it's not expressly said, I think that wireless routers would be allowed, but I don't think that the on-campus housing handbook was written by tech-experienced people, although I think that's understandable.  I asked ITS if I could do something similar to get the Hub to work (although this was a year ago), and they said that shouldn't cause any issues with housing.

To be honest, I don't have a great grasp of what you said, but it looks like what will work.  A lot of networking goes over my head and I need to learn more about it.  I'll read the Internet Sharing article that you linked.

I'm actually away right now, visiting my parents; the bulbs and hub will also be a few more days before they arrive.  I'll report back with my results once the bulbs come in and I can tinker with them.

Thanks!

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