Groups & Zones

Groups allow you to control multiple lights simultaneously, making it easy to manage entire rooms or specific areas. We Love Lights works with your existing Hue rooms and zones, and lets you create custom groups for your specific needs.

Understanding Groups

What Are Groups?

Groups are collections of lights that can be controlled as a single unit. When you adjust a group's brightness or color, all lights in the group change together.

Group Types

We Love Lights recognizes three types of groups:

Rooms

• Physical rooms in your home (e.g., "Living Room", "Bedroom")
• Created in the Philips Hue app or directly in We Love Lights
• Most common group type
• Each light typically belongs to one primary room

Zones

• Sections or areas within rooms (e.g., "Kitchen Island", "Reading Corner")
• Useful for larger rooms with distinct areas
• Lights can be in multiple zones
• More granular control than full rooms

Custom Groups

• User-created groups for any purpose
• Can span multiple rooms
• Perfect for lighting scenarios (e.g., "All Downstairs", "Movie Lights")
• Completely flexible organization

Viewing Your Groups

In Menu Bar

1. Click the We Love Lights icon
2. Groups appear in the main section
3. Organized by type (Rooms, Zones, Custom)
4. Click any group name to expand controls

In Studio

1. Open Studio window
2. Look in sidebar under "Rooms & Zones"
3. All groups listed with member count
4. Select any group to see details

Controlling Groups

Basic Group Control

Turn Group On/Off

Menu Bar:

1. Find your group
2. Click the power icon to toggle all lights

Studio:

1. Select group from sidebar
2. Click power toggle at top of main area
3. Or press Space with group selected

Adjust Group Brightness

Menu Bar:

1. Click on group name to expand
2. Drag the brightness slider
3. All lights in group adjust together

Studio:

1. Select group
2. Use master brightness slider
3. Changes apply to all lights in group

Change Group Color

Menu Bar:

1. Expand group controls
2. Click the color indicator
3. Choose color from picker
4. All color-capable lights in group change

Studio:

1. Select group
2. Use any color picker in main area
3. Apply to entire group at once

Individual Lights Within Groups

You can also control individual lights while viewing a group.

In Studio:

1. Select a room or zone from sidebar
2. Main area shows all lights in that group
3. Each light has its own controls
4. Control individually or use group controls at top

In Menu Bar:

• Some configurations allow expanding groups to see individual lights
• Enable in preferences if available

Creating Groups

Creating a New Room

In Studio

1. Navigate to Rooms section
2. Click "+ Add Room" or "New Room" button
3. Enter a room name
4. Select lights to include from list
5. Click "Save" or "Create"

In Hue App

• Create rooms in the official Hue app
• We Love Lights automatically syncs and displays them
• Changes appear within seconds

Creating a Zone

In Studio

1. Go to Zones section
2. Click "+ Add Zone" or "New Zone"
3. Name your zone (e.g., "Kitchen Island")
4. Select parent room (if applicable)
5. Choose lights for the zone
6. Save the zone

Zones are useful for:

• Large rooms with distinct areas
• Grouping lights with specific purposes
• Creating focused lighting scenarios

Creating Custom Groups

Custom groups let you organize lights any way you want:

1. In Studio, go to Groups or Custom Groups
2. Click "+ New Group"
3. Enter a descriptive name
4. Select lights from any rooms or zones
5. Save the custom group

Custom Group Ideas

• "All Downstairs": Every light on ground floor
• "Movie Mode": Specific lights used when watching movies
• "Path Lights": Lights that illuminate walking paths at night
• "Work Lights": Lights used during work hours
• "Party Lights": Color lights for celebrations

Managing Groups

Renaming Groups

Change a group's name:

1. Select group in Studio
2. Click the group name field
3. Type new name
4. Press Enter to save

Names sync with your bridge and appear in other apps.

Adding Lights to Groups

Add more lights to an existing group:

1. Select the group in Studio
2. Click "Edit Group" or "Manage Lights"
3. Check additional lights to include
4. Save changes

Removing Lights from Groups

Remove lights that no longer belong:

1. Select group in Studio
2. Open group editor or member list
3. Uncheck lights to remove
4. Save changes

Note: Removing a light from a room may require assigning it to another room (Hue requirement).

Reordering Groups

Organize groups in your preferred order:

1. In Studio sidebar, find the group
2. Click and drag the group
3. Drop in the desired position
4. Order is saved automatically

Groups appear in the same order in both menu bar and Studio.

Deleting Groups

Remove groups you no longer need:

1. Select group in Studio
2. Right-click (or Control+click)
3. Choose "Delete Group"
4. Confirm deletion

Important:

• Deleting a group doesn't delete the lights
• Lights remain on the bridge and in other groups
• Can't delete the "All Lights" system group

Hiding and Showing Groups

Hiding Groups

Hide groups you rarely use to clean up your interface:

1. Right-click the group
2. Select "Hide" or "Hide from List"
3. Group disappears from menu bar and sidebar

Hidden groups:

• Still exist on your bridge
• Can be controlled if you navigate directly to them
• Can be unhidden anytime

Showing Hidden Groups

Restore visibility to hidden groups:

1. Go to Settings → Hidden Items in Studio
2. Find the group in the list
3. Click "Show" or "Unhide"
4. Group reappears in your lists

Group Scenes

Apply scenes to specific groups.

Room-Specific Scenes

Many scenes are designed for specific rooms:

• Only affect lights in that room
• Appear when viewing the room
• Quick access to room-specific moods

Applying Scenes to Groups

1. Select a group
2. Look for "Scenes" section in main area
3. Click any scene to apply to group
4. Only lights in both the scene and group are affected

See Scenes documentation for more details.

Multi-Bridge Groups

If you have multiple bridges:

Groups Are Bridge-Specific

• Each bridge has its own set of groups
• Groups can't span multiple bridges (Hue limitation)
• Switch bridges to see different groups

Workaround for Multi-Bridge Groups

Create similar scenes on each bridge:

1. Create scene with same name on both bridges
2. Activate both scenes to control lights across bridges
3. Use Shortcuts app to activate multiple scenes at once

Advanced Group Features

Group Status Indicators

Groups show helpful status information:

• All On: All lights in group are on
• Some On: Some lights on, some off (mixed state)
• All Off: All lights in group are off
• Average Brightness: Overall brightness level
• Dominant Color: Most common color in group

Group Quick Actions

In Studio, groups may have quick actions:

• All On: Turn all lights on to last brightness
• All Off: Turn all lights off
• Full Brightness: Set all to 100%
• Favorite Scene: Quick-apply favorite scene to group
• Copy State: Copy group's current state

Dynamic Groups

Some groups are dynamic:

• All Lights: Automatically includes every light
• All Color Lights: Only color-capable lights
• All Plugs: All smart plugs on bridge

These update automatically as you add/remove devices.

Tips for Effective Group Organization

Naming Best Practices

1. Be specific: "Kitchen Counter" not just "Kitchen"
2. Use location: "Upstairs Hall" vs "Downstairs Hall"
3. Indicate purpose: "Reading Area", "Dining Table"
4. Avoid generic names: Not "Group 1", "Zone A", etc.

Organization Strategies

By Location (Most Common)

• Living Room
• Bedroom
• Kitchen
• Bathroom
• Hallway

By Function

• Work Lights
• Relaxation Lights
• Movie Watching
• Dinner Ambiance

By Floor/Area

• First Floor
• Second Floor
• Basement
• Outdoor

Hybrid Approach

• Combine strategies: "Kitchen - Island", "Bedroom - Reading"

Group Size Recommendations

• Small groups (2-4 lights): Very responsive, easy to manage
• Medium groups (5-10 lights): Good balance, most rooms
• Large groups (10+ lights): May have slight delay, use for convenience

Hierarchy Recommendations

1. Start with rooms: Match your physical home layout
2. Add zones: For larger or multi-purpose rooms
3. Create custom groups: For special scenarios
4. Use favorites: Mark most-used groups

Troubleshooting Groups

Group Not Showing

Problem: Group exists but doesn't appear in We Love Lights

Solutions:

• Click Refresh in menu or Studio
• Check group isn't hidden (Settings → Hidden Items)
• Verify group has at least one light
• Ensure you're viewing correct bridge

Can't Control Group

Problem: Group controls don't affect lights

Solutions:

• Check individual lights are responding
• Verify lights in group are powered on and reachable
• Try controlling lights individually first
• Refresh device list from bridge

Group Changes Don't Sync

Problem: Changes made in Hue app don't appear in We Love Lights

Solutions:

• Wait a few seconds for auto-sync
• Manually refresh in We Love Lights
• Check bridge connection is stable
• Restart We Love Lights if sync seems stuck

Mixed Colors in Group

Problem: Group shows inconsistent colors

Solutions:

• This is normal if lights were individually adjusted
• Use group color control to synchronize all lights
• Create and recall a scene for consistent group state
• Select all lights and apply same color

Next Steps

Master groups and zones? Continue your learning:

1. Scenes - Create and manage lighting scenes
2. Lights - Deep dive into light control
3. Organization - Advanced organization techniques
4. Multi-Bridge - Manage multiple bridges
5. Automation - Automate group control

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Need assistance? Check the FAQ or troubleshooting guide.