Is this possible?
(search isn’t giving me good results, and support gave me a “not officially supported, working on it” response)
Can I use my Amazon Echo to control & dim lights with my SmartThings app, with out using a GE Wink Hub(just bulbs ONLY) and will the bulbs pair with ST with out the GE hub? and can I dim them via ST app or voice via echo?
Yes, you can do this as I have that setup. “Alexa, turn off the living room table lamp”. She says “Ok” and does it. I wish it was always that easy!
Wait, really? You DON’T have the Wink hub and you’re able to control GE Link bulbs through your Echo? I didn’t think this was possible.
It’s close, but not quite there yet, as GE link bulbs must be paired with either the Wink hub or the Link hub or the Philips Hue Bridge before Echo can control them.
I use the Hue Bridge and GE links with Echo, works great.
Unfortunately the ST/Hue bridge integration had problems right now. Support says they’re working on improvements.
If you attach GE link bulbs directly to ST, no bridge, you can control them from ST. To add Echo into the mix you have to use one of the various workarounds.
Echo doesn’t have a zigbee antenna, it can’t talk to the bulbs directly. There has to be a wink hub or a philips bridge or something else with a zigbee antenna to act as the middleman.
It’s not possible. Details missing…
Wait I am lost here, some are saying yes some no LOL?
So you 100% need a GE Hub to use the link bulbs with Smartthings/Echo ?
Bulbs ONLY will not work?
Echo itself should not work with bulbs only. Nothing to do with SmartThings. Something has to have a zigbee antenna to talk to the bulbs.
It could be the link hub, not the wink hub, by any chance is that what you have? The link bulbs are often sold in a starter set with the small link hub that plugs into to the wall and then let’s you use the wink app with the bulbs. It’s a different device than the Wink hub, some people even forget that they have it.
The Wink hub is a $50 device that has multiple antennas: zigbee, zwave, bluetooth, and Lutron clear connect.
The Link hub (PLINK-SKIT) is a $25 device with zigbee and WiFi only. It allows you to control GE Link bulbs (and only those bulbs) with the Wink app.
Once you can control something from the Wink app, it appears that Echo can probably control it, even though officially they’ve only verified a couple of devices and say the Wink hub is required.
One thing to note: bulbs connected through the Hue bridge can be dimmed by Echo, but so far bulbs connected through Wink only have on/off control.
I just got my Echo, and have a smartthings hub only, no bulbs yet. Just wanted to see if I could avoid using another hub. And it sounds like the GE Bulbs don’t allow dimming via Echo, So I guess my only option is Hue(which is fine, but they are much more $$$, and a previous set I had years ago buzzed)
The Echo → SmartThings → Bulb functionality isn’t natively available, but SmartThings has mentioned that they are working on official integration and several community members have it working through alternative means (eg. custom hue bridge emulators).
Here’s some instructions showing how to do this with a custom Hue Bridge Emulator if you are a tinkerer:
I’m personally using the node.js version by @schettj along with forever.js to keep the server running:
Here’s where Ben indicated SmartThings is working on official integration:
I use Echo + Hue Bridge + 2 Hue Luxes + 9 GE Links (connected through the Hue Bridge). So I’m using less expensive bulbs, but Echo can still dim them.
I got the Hue Bridge by buying the Hue Lux Starter Kit which is why I have two Lux bulbs. 
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Has there been any update on controlling GE Link bulbs via Echo and ST without an additional hub? I am still unclear if we need a hue bridge or link/wink hub to control the GE Link bulbs based on ST’s current integration with Echo.
You shouldn’t need a separate bridge. Echo should recognize the GE links whether they are directly connected to a wink hub, a GE link bridge, Phillips hue bridge, or the smartthings hub.
I’m actually planning to test a direct smartthings link with one GE link bulb tomorrow, if you want to wait for that report. 
That’s good to know. I have not yet picked up an Echo yet, so I wanted to get a sense of what will work with my current setup. I have been adding a few GE Link bulbs, GE Wall dimmer switches and will be getting the door sensor and motion sensor with my V2 Hub. I will be interested to see how your test goes since your other thread seems to rely on the Hue Bridge for functionality.
It depends on what kind of functionality you want.
At the present time, echo will work directly with the following home automation controllers:
The Phillips hue bridge
The wink hub
Anything which uses the wink app, including the GE link bridge which comes in the GE Link starter kit,
Smartthings hub
As it happens, the GE link bulb is the only device that could be attached directly to any of those four controllers.
I have been able to control it with echo using the first three methods, so now I’m going to test the fourth.
I have found some conflict between having a single Phillips hue bridge that talks to both echo directly and to smartthings. Mainly it appears that smartthings keeps trying to steal the GE link bulbs from the hue bridge. So that’s the issue that I have currently solved by removing the Phillips hue bridge from a SmartThings connection. But I’m still testing various setups.
Huh? How is this possible?
Aren’t ZigBee devices tightly coupled to their networks (i.e., the Philips Hue Bridge’s network), and thus there’s no way that SmartThings can “steal” the bulb unless you explicitly exclude the bulb from the Hue Bridge (and/or run a physical reset on the bulb (on 3 seconds, off, on, off, etc.)???
Most zigbee profiles are tightly coupled, but ZLL is a whole different animal. No controller required, and stealing is possible. Hence, you know, the Hue Lampstealer.
http://www.everyhue.com/?page_id=167
I seem to have run into a problem specific to the combination of GE links and Phillips hue bridge. I do not have the same problems with the GE links that are connected to the link bridge.
I don’t know exactly what’s going on, but it was ST staffer Juan Risso who suggested that the GE bulbs were becoming attached to the smartthings hub instead of the hue bridge.
All I know is I can reproduce the problem even though I don’t know what’s causing it.
Hmmm… OK.
I have 3 Hue Bulbs, 3 GE Link bulbs all connected to Hue Bridge, Echo via the Hue Bridge, and SmartThings via the Hue Bridge.
Haven’t experienced any bulb-stealing yet. And I hope I don’t.
I removed my GE’s from hue bridge for no particular reason. I put them in the closets and connected it directly to ST and trigger it by closet door open/close (ST multi). No issues whatsoever and near instant…
I like GE Links via Hue Bridge for better default dimming fade time. Dunno why it’s different.
And… Secondary backup control method, of course… The Hue App(s).
Now that I think about it… Echo-ST-Philips hue integration failing for me may very well be related to the hue zigbee channel. For some reason once I came back from India I used to see “bulb may not be reachable” pretty often in hue app even though they functioned from hue and third party apps. I decided to change the zigbee channel on the hue hub and looks like it’s working perfect from all the sources. @juano2310 and @JDRoberts may be interested to know this too…
And I am getting the right status too… I am in night mode now with just 2 hues on as night light and good night routine turned 10 of these off and dimmed these to 10% instantly. Hope this functions this way…
