Attempting to add Smart Meross HomeKit Approved bulbs to a ceiling fixture that has no neutral wire to provide the trickle of power needed to keep the bulbs connected to the network. (Old home built and WIRED in 1939!) DO I need a bridge?
Apple TV 4K, tvOS 17
all my bulbs and homekit devices require the AC power to be connected and homekit does not stop them from getting AC power it just turn off the bulb itself
so the devices has to same amount of AC power at all times, if you need a bridge or not depend on the bulbs
my philips hue has a bridge, and my ikea trådløs bulbs also, but some of my eve smart plugs does not rely on one
Smart light switches can require an additional neutral wire not normally present in older wiring, but for smart bulbs you just leave the switches on all of the time and control the lights using Siri, etc. I have six Meross bulbs that I simply swapped out for the previous incandescent bulbs. No wiring modifications were needed. I do lose control if someone forgets to use Siri and operates a physical switch, but that is easy enough to turn back on again. The Meross bulbs are fully HomeKit compatible, so no bridge required.
tt2
How do I set up HomeKit in an older home with no Neutral wire?
