Bridge and areas

Pairing

lightmime needs an app key from the bridge, and for streaming a client key as well. The bridge hands both out once its link button has been pressed.

In the window, press Find to ask Signify’s discovery service (discovery.meethue.com) for the bridges on your network, or type the bridge’s IP address; the Hue app shows it under Settings → Bridges → (your bridge). Press Pair, then the link button on the bridge. lightmime keeps trying for a minute.

From the command line:

lightmime pair --host 192.168.1.20

The keys go into the config file, which is readable by you only. Forget in the window removes them there; the bridge keeps the registration, which does no harm.

Reusing Lumux’s pairing

If Lumux (installed as a Flatpak) is already paired, lightmime can copy its bridge address, keys and entertainment area instead:

lightmime import-lumux

This reads Lumux’s settings from ~/.var/app/io.github.enginkirmaci.lumux/, which the lightmime Flatpak cannot see. Run it from a native install, or grant read access for the one command:

flatpak run --filesystem=~/.var/app/io.github.enginkirmaci.lumux/config/lumux:ro io.github.pataar.lightmime import-lumux

Entertainment areas

An entertainment area is a group of lights with a position each, set up in the Hue app under Settings → Entertainment areas. lightmime streams to one area at a time and uses each light’s position to decide which part of the screen it shows:

• left to right in the area is left to right on the screen;
• low to high in the area is bottom to top on the screen;
• front and back are ignored.

So a light strip behind the TV, split into segments, gets the colours along the edges of the picture, and a lamp to the left of the couch gets the left side. Place the lights in the Hue app as they really stand around the screen.

Choose the area in the window, or:

lightmime areas                # list them; * marks the current one
lightmime use-area "Living room"

lightmime areas also shows whether an area is active, meaning some app is streaming to it. Only one app can stream to an area at a time; stop Hue Sync, Lumux or another lightmime first.

Checking the connection

lightmime test

runs a colour sweep over the lights for eight seconds without capturing the screen. If the lights cycle through the rainbow, pairing, the area and the streaming connection all work. --seconds changes the duration.