I have some Philips Hue lights; they’re my only Zigbee devices. I want to add non-Hue Zigbee stuff. Is the Hue bridge already working as a controller and I need to replace it? Or can I just add a Zigbee radio to my HA box and go, without removing the Hue bridge and repairing the lights?
#Do I need to replace Hue Bridge?
finite rain
drifting tiger
Add zigbee radio and go. Keep hue bridge running as-is.
hot dust
If you add a second Zigbee network (i.e. keeping your hue bridge and adding a Zigbee dongle to your HA box) you do have the caveat that your Hue lights can't act as routers for your "new" Zigbee network. This isn't an issue if you have good coverage through other router devices like smart outlets, or all your other Zigbee devices are close to the HA box
Especially light bulbs are usually useful as "backbone" for Zigbee mesh.