diff --git a/hardware/hue/104-hue_manage.html b/hardware/hue/104-hue_manage.html
index a506c6ed..d23f3973 100644
--- a/hardware/hue/104-hue_manage.html
+++ b/hardware/hue/104-hue_manage.html
@@ -56,7 +56,15 @@
 <script type="text/x-red" data-help-name="HueNode">
     <p>This node implements some basic functionality for managing a Philips Hue wireless Lamp system.</p>
     <p>To use it you need to have obtained a valid auth token (or username) from your Philips Hue Bridge. Read <a href="http://developers.meethue.com/gettingstarted.html" target="_blank">here</a> on how to do this.</p>
-    <p>You can enter the ID (1, 2, ...) of a Lamp and turn it ON or OFF, set the color and the brightness (0->100). </p><p>By setting the status to AUTO, you can set the ON/OFF status as a message topic (e.g., msg.topic="1:ON", where 1 is the ID of the Lamp) and the color/brightness through the message payload (e.g., msg.payload="DF0101:50" will set the color to red and brightness to 50%) on the node input. Please note, in case you use both, the msg.payload overrides the node configuration through the UI!</p><p>Also, if you pass something like msg.topic="1:ALERT" the Lamp with ID 1 will flash once.</p>
+    <p>You can enter the ID (1, 2, ...) of a Lamp and turn it ON or OFF, set the color and the brightness (0->100). </p><p>By setting the status to AUTO, you can set the lamp parameters using the message on the input node as follows:</p>
+    <ul>
+    <li>msg.lamp sets the lamp ID</li>
+    <li>msg.color sets the lamp color (e.g., msg.color="DF0101" will set the color to red)</li>
+    <li>msg.brightness sets the lamp brightness (e.g., msg.brightness=50)</li>
+    <li>msg.payload is used to se the lamp status (on/off/alert) (e.g., msg.payload="alert" will flash the Lamp once</li>
+    </ul>
+
+    <p>Please note, by setting the status to AUTO on the node configuration, the rest of the node parameters are ignored, you need to set all parameters through the message input.</p>
 </script>
 
 <!-- Finally, the node type is registered along with all of its properties   -->
diff --git a/hardware/hue/104-hue_manage.js b/hardware/hue/104-hue_manage.js
index e01f4be5..9d1374f2 100644
--- a/hardware/hue/104-hue_manage.js
+++ b/hardware/hue/104-hue_manage.js
@@ -92,27 +92,30 @@ function HueNode(n) {
                     if(node.lamp_status=="AUTO") {
                         var color;
                         var brightness;
-                        //check for lamp ID in the topic
-                        if(myMsg.topic.length>1) {
-                            var tmp_status = myMsg.topic.split(":");
-                            myMsg.topic = tmp_status[1];
-                            lamp = tmp_status[0];
+                        
+                        //get lamp id from msg.lamp:
+                        lamp = myMsg.lamp;
+
+                        //get brightness:
+                        brightness = myMsg.brightness;
+
+                        //get colour either from msg.color or msg.topic
+                        if(myMsg.color!=null && myMsg.color.length>0) {
+                            color = myMsg.color;
+                        } 
+                        else if(myMsg.topic!=null && myMsg.topic.length>0) {
+                            color = myMsg.topic;
                         }
 
-                        //check for brightness & color:
-                        if(myMsg.payload.length>1) {
-                            var tmp_topic = myMsg.payload.split(":");
-                            color = tmp_topic[0];
-                            brightness = tmp_topic[1];
-                        }
 
+                        //check the payload for on/off/alert:
                         //case of ALERT:
-                        if(myMsg.topic=="ALERT"){
+                        if(myMsg.payload=="ALERT" || myMsg.payload=="alert"){
                             api.setLightState(lamp, state.alert()).then(displayResult).fail(displayError).done();
                         }
 
                         //case of ON:
-                        if(myMsg.topic=="ON") {
+                        if(myMsg.payload=="ON" || myMsg.payload=="on") {
                             api.setLightState(lamp, state.on().rgb(hexToRgb(color).r,hexToRgb(color).g,hexToRgb(color).b).brightness(brightness)).then(displayResult).fail(displayError).done();
                         }
                         else {