Hi, so I’ve skimmed through this page. Sorry if I missed it.
I’m trying to connect a hue bulb to smarthings without a hub. How do I put the bulb into zigbee pairing mode?
I currently have the hue white ambiance pack which includes a bulb and one of those flat rectangular 4 button remotes if that helps.
This! I was looking through threads and trying different “Hue” options but GE Link Bulb was the secret sauce for A19.
Powered on bulb and the app found it as unknown. Added it and named it. Logged into smartthings online and changed it to GE Link Bulb, w00t!
Do you have a hue bridge?
I can’t get smarthings to see the bulb.
No just the bulb that I bought for a test. Fresh out of the box. Turn on the lamp. Search for new “thing” and it finds something called “thing” (takes a little bit longer than normal) when you save it then it shows up as unknown. Then go login to your smartthings online account and update it to GE Link Bulb.
Has yours been used before elsewhere?
It came in a combo pack that includes a remote and a bulb. They are tied to each other… that might be the problem?
I can’t seem to find a way to reset the bulb. The instructions say that a hue bridge would just magically find the bulb, but the smart things hub isn’t working.
Have you used the remote to control the bulb yet? Whats the model on the bulb?
When you buy a Hue dimmer switch with a bulb in a starter kit, that bulb is already joined to that dimmer switch. You have to unpair from the dimmer switch before you can join it to anything else.
Here are the official video instructions, but it’s really easy. You just turn the bulb on power, then put the dimmer switch very close to the bulb and hold the off button down until the dimmer switch LED turns red. This will be a few seconds after the bulb turns off.
I would reiterate again, though, that officially the only way to use a Hue bulb with the smartthings hub is to connect the bulb to a hue bridge.
https://support.smartthings.com/hc/en-us/articles/200848024-How-to-connect-Philips-Hue-devices
While there are some people doing it the other way, if you found it confusing just to unpair the dimmer switch and the bulb, this may not be a path you want to go down. Just sayin’… 
Thanks @JDRoberts, I’ve unpaired the bulb from the remote. but what I can’t do is get the bulb into zigbee ‘discovery mode’ so that smart things sees it.
I did initially use the remote to control the bulb, but I’ve since unlinked it.
The bulb model# is 929001198
I initially just wanted the remote, but for $10 more it included a temperature changing bulb so I thought it’s zigbee so I should be able to use it fairly easily.
I’m thinking that this may not be worth it. It’s been fairly frustrating to use (The remote and the bulb), even though there are no other cheap alternatives.
Sean, I would hope that by now you found the app you needed but I just wanted to let you know that the ST app called “Smart Lighting” can definitely do temperatures. I use it everyday. There is no need for custom apps if that is all you want to do.
Hey Dom,
Thanks, I use Smart lighting too for other bulbs. I mean, I can use the standard functions of the Smart things app devices module to adjust the color temperature. What I was trying to do was adjust it on a sort of schedule. Ie. Cool temp in the mornings, warm temp at night. But, I could not get it to work. Let me ask you this. If you are able to get yours to work on a schedule. How do you have your hue bulbs set up in terms of device type?
Never mind, I was playing around some more and found out that I can in fact use the Smart Lighting app. For some reason though the “Turn on and Change Temperature” can only turn the light on in the off state. You have to then send another “Turn on and change temperature” command after that to then get it to change. I guess it’s a kin to changing the input on a TV that hasn’t booted up yet. Glad I got that figured out finally! Thanks again!
Glad you got it figured out.
Snakedog, Did u manage to sort your problem…? I have exactly the same issue. My brand new ST hub not finding the White hue bulb as a thing. I tried bringing it very close the the hub, waited a long time. Nothing happens. I just a hue bulb, no bridge. Thanks if anyone could help.
Sorry no, I ended up returning the bulb.
I managed to connect. I simply reset the hub with a pin on the hole at the back of the hub. Voila! ST recognised it as a “thing” I then chose GE link bulb as the device handler and it works brilliantly now. Guess I was lucky.
You reset the smartthings hub?
Do you then lose all settings and other devices?
Yes. I reset the hub. I guess you will lose all the settings. It was not applicable to me as this was the first thing I was trying to add.
Can I link 3 bulbs to ST directly?
November 2017: This worked perfectly for me. Thanks VERY much!