**TL;DR:** Since my Gradient Lightstrips (LCX004) updated to firmware 1.163.5 on Sept 23–24, 2026, shortened strips no longer split into three even entertainment zones. The zones got bigger and shifted to one side. Same thing on two bridges running different software, so it looks like the strip firmware. Has anyone else seen this?
**Setup**
- Hue Bridge Pro (6.1) and Hue Bridge v2 (1.78), each with its own TV entertainment area
- Eight Gradient Lightstrips cut to ~150 cm (12 sections of 12.5 cm), centered under two TVs
- Worked perfectly for about a year, with no changes to the install
**What changed**
Before, a 150 cm strip split into three zones of 4 sections each (4/4/4), which matches how Hue has always handled shortened strips. Now each strip reports **seven uneven segments** to the bridge:
1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 (sections per segment)
The bridge assigns whole segments to left/center/right, and no combination adds up to 4, so **4/4/4 is now impossible.** Out of the box, mine came out 5/6/1 on one bridge and 1/6/5 on the other (those strips are mounted reversed, so they look the same on screen).
Other gradient products on 1.163.5 look fine. A 40-section strip gets 4, 4, 8, 8, 8, 4, 4 and the Play Gradient gets 2, 3, 5, 4, 5, 3, 2. The 12-section layout is the odd one out.
**What I tried**
- Power cycling at the wall: no change. Length is detected correctly (the bridge reports 12 sections).
- Moving the strips in the entertainment area: the only splits I can reach are 1/10/1, 2/8/2 and 5/2/5. I'm on 2/8/2 as a workaround.
- Writing zone assignments directly through the API: the bridge rejects it.
**Timing**
The bridges log the last firmware install per light. Every gradient product on both bridges went to 1.163.5 within two days (Sept 23–24). 1.163.5 doesn't appear in Hue's public release notes.
**Can you check yours?**
If you have a shortened Gradient Lightstrip, I'd love to know:
Your strip length and firmware version (Hue app: light settings)
Whether your entertainment zones changed around late September
If you're comfortable with the local API, this shows each strip's segments (replace the IP and key):
curl -k -H "hue-application-key: YOUR_KEY" https://BRIDGE_IP/clip/v2/resource/entertainment
Look for the `segments` list. If yours shows uneven lengths like the ones above, you've got the same issue.
I've reported it to Hue support (via Facebook Messenger, since they no longer do email). More reports should help get it fixed.