The LightHub is happy on most home networks without configuration. This page is for when something more complicated is in the way.
The short version
- 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, or Ethernet if the unit has a port
- Phone and hub on the same network segment for discovery
- mDNS / Bonjour allowed on that segment
- Outbound HTTPS, only if you want remote access and automatic updates
Ports and discovery
The hub serves its entire API — the same one the app uses — over a single HTTP port on your LAN:
HTTP API TCP 54448 (the app talks to this)
Discovery mDNS / _http._tcp on the local subnet
The app finds the hub by browsing for an mDNS service advertised as
_http._tcp with a rhythm-… instance name. That's
the only "magic" step, and it's the one most likely to be blocked by a
segmented network (see below). If discovery fails you can still reach the
hub directly at http://<hub-ip>:54448.
What it reaches out to
Everything that runs your lights is local. The hub only makes outbound connections for three optional things:
- Time sync — NTP, so the sun math is correct (a wrong clock means a wrong curve).
- Firmware updates — it checks
dl.rhythm.lightingfor new builds. See Firmware updates. - Remote access — when you're away, the app relays through
api.rhythm.lighting.
Block all three and the hub keeps running your lights locally — you just lose updates, remote control, and automatic clock correction.
VLANs and guest networks
Fixes, in the order that usually works:
- Put the phone and hub on the same Wi-Fi network for pairing
- Enable an mDNS repeater / "Bonjour reflector" between the segments
- Wire the hub to Ethernet to rule out 2.4 GHz signal issues
- As a last resort, reach the hub by IP and skip discovery entirely