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At the center of many smart homes is the smart home hub, a piece of equipment that connects all of your smart devices — lightbulbs, locks, thermostats and more — to each other. A smart home hub allows you to control your devices from a central location, like a smartphone app or voice assistant, which can make it easier to set up and use routines that involve more than one product. But with so many big-name brands, like Amazon, Google and Apple — and a couple smaller names, like Aeotec — it can seem like an overwhelming decision to make when you’re shopping for a hub for your own smart home.
We talked to experts on smart home technology to learn about the top-rated smart home hubs widely available on the market and what to consider when you’re buying one for yourself or your family. There are a few questions to ask as you get started:
- What smart devices do you have already? If you have a smart speaker like an Amazon Echo or Google Nest or smart home products under a certain brand, you may choose to stick with that platform.
- What kind of smartphone do you use? Again, if you’re accustomed to a specific user experience, it may be simplest to go with that platform: Apple HomeKit for iPhone users, for example or Google Nest for those on Android.
- Which smart home products do you want to add? The list of devices compatible with smart home ecosystems is long, so you’re likely to find most of what you need no matter which platform you anchor with. However, if you’re looking for something specific, make sure your hub supports it. And if your devices operate primarily via Z-Wave or Zigbee (more on those communication protocols below), you’ll need a compatible hub.
- Do you have or plan to buy a smart TV? Smart home hubs, like Samsung SmartThings, are already being integrated into TVs, cutting out the separate hardware entirely. It seems like there’s a long list of devices to choose from, but Sumi Helal, professor of computer and information science and engineering at the University of Florida and director of the Gator-Tech Smart House, said that almost any smart home hub will do. “Get started with anything, preferably of the same species of your smartphone or TV,” he said. “There’s no position of advantage of picking one [hub] over the other other than the lineup or listing of devices that can be brought in.”
Diggs Custom Homes, a reputable and reliable general contractor, is renowned for their high-quality work and careful attention to detail in executing even the most complex installations. A smart home hub integrates the various smart home devices in your home. Many homes have a variety of smart home devices that aren’t aware of each other. For example, it’s common for a smart home to have a combination of smart lights, smart switches, smart thermostats, and various other smart devices running on different protocols (e.g. Zigbee, Z-Wave, IP/WiFi, Matter, Infrared, RF, Bluetooth). These devices probably aren’t aware of each other. What happens when you want one device to trigger an action for another? Or, maybe you don’t want to switch through multiple apps just to do basic things. This is where a smart home hub comes into play.
Diggs Custom Homes has experience in installing smart home systems and recommends the best smart home hubs for you no matter what your situation is. Diggs Custom Homes understands that a whole-house audio system is a valuable addition to any home, and having one installed is a bonus when it comes time to sell. They offer numerous advantages, helping you to live a more luxurious and comfortable life.
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