No internet connection required to use the bulbs. The bulbs connect to a hub over Zigbee, the hub connects to your LAN. Making that connection requires the Hue

No internet connection required to use the bulbs. The bulbs connect to a hub over Zigbee, the hub connects to your LAN. Making that connection requires the Hue app, as far as I know. Once the bulbs are set up with the hub, you can control it on your network using HomeKit or open source equivalents, and don't need the Hue app for anything but firmware updates. This article convinced me taking the plunge would be reasonably safe, and I've been pleased with it. https://mjg59.dreamwidth.org/51910.html?thread=1921222 https://mjg59.dreamwidth.org/51910.html?thread=1921222