What Is a Smart Home Hub?
Z-Wave vs. ZigBee vs. Bluetooth

Do You Need a Standalone Hub?

A standalone hub is a smart home device with the main purpose of connecting and coordinating your smart home and IoT devices. The Samsung SmartThings hub is an example. However, you don’t necessarily need a dedicated hub because multi-function (hybrid) gizmos like the Amazon Echo Dot and Google Nest Hub exist. 

These hybrid hubs don’t connect to IoT devices locally; instead, they talk over the internet. Since IoT devices already connect to the internet in the first place, instead of talking together locally in your home, a hybrid hub coordinates their actions in the cloud. 

For instance, the Echo Dot lets you set routines. A morning routine might include the gradual turning on of lights in your bedroom, the playing of music on your smart speaker, and the starting of the coffeemaker. Those devices aren’t connected to the Echo Dot locally, but they talk over the Internet. 

So in short, you don’t need a standalone hub. Any device or system that can connect multiple smart devices together and create automations through schedules, routines, and rules can function as a hybrid hub. Just remember that hybrid hubs have limitations, such as their inability to work during internet outages since they rely on cloud-based connections.

The reality is that plenty of people want peace of mind with their home automations—that they’ll work as they should and when they should. Many folks also need compatibility with a wide mix of IoT products. To that end, the Samsung SmartThings Hub v3 (which is, sadly, no longer offered) is a great option. While some of its automations are stored in the cloud, the majority of its Z-Wave and ZigBee devices can run locally (not in the cloud).³ Planning ahead ensures that most or all of your automations still work when the internet goes kaput.

Another hub, the Hubitat Elevation, offers even more room for customization and works even if your internet connection goes down.

Overview of Top Hub Products

Samsung SmartThings Hub v3/Aeotec Smart Home Hub

Fulfills most hub mandates. Great for people needing extensive automation to fit different routines and scenarios, and who have many devices to connect (as long as they’re not Nest devices). Currently unavailable, but Samsung partnered with Aeotec, which now manufacturers a standalone hub similar to SmartThings.

Automation is one area where the Samsung SmartThings Hub v3 and its replacement the Aeotec Smart Home Hub shine, and simultaneous automations are possible. Lock your door, play music, adjust the thermostat and turn on your lights all at the same time. Ditto if you want your smart speaker to make a certain sound if your water sensor gets wet and a different sound if a security camera detects motion.

The hub lets you create routines and set device responses according to the location of a family member, the time of day, and the status/behavior of another device. As the SmartThings website explains, “you can set connected lights to turn on and off at the touch of a button, at the same time each day, when you open doors and windows, when motion is detected in your home, or when you say ‘Turn on the kitchen lights.' “⁴

The SmartThings website lists the products that work with its system, and as of July 2022, it is chock-full of big names in the smart home space, including Philips Hue, Arlo, Lutron, and so much more. Even brands like Mercedes Benz are there.

Voice control is possible too, through Alexa and Google Assistant. Your SmartThings, ZigBee, and Z-Wave devices can be connected from as far as 50 feet to 130 feet away. Some act as wireless repeaters to “hop” signals to devices farther away.

This hub is definitely one to consider, as it is versatile and allows for a wide range of scenarios.

Alternatives to SmartThings

Samsung Connect Home Pro

One alternative is the Samsung Connect Home Pro that also functions as a mesh router. As the Samsung website explains, the Pro “is designed for heavy usage Wi-Fi homes that stream on multiple devices all at the same time.”⁵

The Connect Home Pro features easy setup along with Wi-Fi, ZigBee, Z-Wave, and SmartThings compatibility. You can establish smart home conditions for your devices based on time of day, location, device status and Scenes.

It is a bit pricey at about $280, but one Pro should work for 1,500 square feet. If you have more house to cover, look into Connect Home mesh units. All in all, you can obtain coverage for up to 7,500 square feet. Any device you connect (such as a security camera or garage door opener) must be within 20 feet of the Pro or an extension to work.

Samsung Connect Home

A second alternative is the Samsung Connect Home (no Pro). It works well for small apartments and homes where the residents don’t intensively use the internet.

Hubitat Elevation

A third option is the Hubitat Elevation. It costs about $100 and is great for tech lovers who desire intricate control of their automations—more than the SmartThings hub offers. Plus, as mentioned earlier, the Elevation works even if your internet connection is out.

Some reviews online may scare you (steep learning curve, no mobile app, etc.). However, these reviews were published before the Hubitat Elevation got its companion app, so the learning curve is easier and the hub is more accessible. However, you must plug the Elevation into your home router (the SmartThings connects via Wi-Fi, so finding a central location is easier).

The Hubitat Elevation works with ZigBee, Z-Wave, IFTTT, Lutron, LAN, cloud-connected and Wi-Fi devices, along with Alexa and Google Home. Consider it if you might benefit from complex scenarios and automations, but if you want something simple, efficient, not to mention popular, check out our next entry, the Amazon Echo Dot.

Many people don’t need to set up deeply complicated scenarios, so let’s move on to a popular hub, the Amazon Echo Dot.

Amazon Echo Dot (third generation)

Great for folks on a budget, a good beginner or standard hub

Amazon sells several devices that can function as hubs, for example, the Echo Dot, the Echo Plus, and the Echo Show. The best of the three (as far as features + price) is the Echo Plus, but the Echo Dot is more affordable—and still gets a lot done.

Look for “Works with Alexa” devices on Amazon (more than 400 and counting as of mid-August 2020 but has grown a lot since). After you purchase, install and link these IoT gadgets, the Echo Dot helps you execute various smart home tasks such as turning off the bedroom lights, setting the temperature, locking the doors, opening the garage door, switching the fan on, and telling the Roomba to start cleaning. ZigBee and Z-Wave devices don’t work with the Echo Dot.

To create routines, go into the Alexa app. Choose “When This Happens” to set triggers and add the action you want to occur. A “getting home” routine might look like this:

• Turn on lights
• Set thermostat to pre-selected temperature
• Get your favorite tunes going
• Let everyone in the house know you’re home (especially nice with a bigger house or multiple floors, but extra Echo devices may be necessary)

Do you have children? You can set a routine for Echo speakers to let the kids know when it’s time to get ready for sports practice and how to dress (via the weather report).

It’s also possible to set “Wait” conditions. Suppose you do not want the bedroom lights to come on right away in the morning. So, you could set the Echo Dot to play music at a specific time, and five minutes later, slowly turn the lights on. No rude awakenings!

Alexa Guard, for when you’re away, can integrate with Ring or ADT security systems. Your Echo Dot (and other Echo devices) listen for smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms, and glass breaking, and alerts you when necessary. It can also turn smart lights on or off to give the impression that someone is home.

Important: Amazon recommends one Echo device per room or space. Compatible gadgets include Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Plus, Echo Show, Echo Spot, and Echo Input. However, you may want to take that suggestion with a grain of salt, as these devices can easily pick up voice commands shouted from an adjacent room. Take it one Echo device at a time.

As for whether Guard is a sufficient security system, it does provide extra peace of mind. However, it isn’t a security system all by itself. (Do remember that it can integrate with Ring or ADT systems. Plus, many homes don’t have security systems in the first place, so Guard is better than nothing.)

Alternatives to Amazon Echo Dot

Amazon Echo Show 10

The Amazon Echo Show 10 costs as much as $250 but uses the ZigBee protocol, so it can connect to Zigbee devices locally in addition to what the Echo Dot can do. Because of that, there’s more potential for routines and IoT devices, especially sensors (sensors mean more options for home security).

The Echo Show works well as a smart home hub, but the price is too high unless you want to emphasize home security and/or its other features excite you (touchscreen, video calling, streaming TV, seeing who is at the door, playing music, etc.).

Amazon Echo Plus

This hybrid hub, at $150, costs less than the Echo Show and “speaks” ZigBee while the Echo Dot does not. The Amazon Echo Plus is the best voice-assisted hub and is a great middle-ground between the Echo Dot and Echo Show.

Google Nest Hub Max

The Google Nest Hub Max starts from $229 and is great for folks who prefer Google Assistant to Amazon Alexa.

Similar to the Amazon Echo Show, the Google Nest Hub Max features a screen and can be used for streaming media and making video calls, among other things. It works with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Thread protocols. (Thread is a protocol Google has been trying to popularize for low-power devices, but not many gadgets use it.) There’s no ZigBee, unlike with the Echo Show. The Nest Hub Max works fine as a smart home hub but does come at a high price.

Apple TV 4K

Great for folks who use HomeKit (Apple) home automation devices

An iPad or HomePod can serve as the hub for your HomeKit protocol devices. However, the Apple TV 4K costs $180, while the HomePod runs about $300 and the mini version is $99. An iPad costs $300 or even more. Bottom line, the HomePod mini is the most affordable, but owning one is exactly like an Echo Dot for double the price and fewer integrations. The Apple TV 4K is probably the best option, as it’s also a TV box.

HomeKit protocol devices include switches, thermostats, cameras, light bulbs, and sprinklers, among others. Some products from brands such as Honeywell and Philips are supported. There aren’t as many HomeKit gadgets available as for, say, a SmartThings hub, but you should be able to find something for just about anything.

Automations are possible according to action, time and location. For instance, you can set the living room lights to come on at 75% when you arrive home. Scenes let you control multiple accessories, like if you want all the lights in your home to turn on and the front door to unlock when you get home.

Alternatives to Apple TV 4K

HomePod

Perhaps the most obvious alternative is the HomePod smart speaker. Third-party streaming may potentially be available soon, so if you don’t care about TV but prioritize music, consider this instead. Still, it’s a hefty price tag for a music player and hub.

Further, the HomePod hasn’t caught on much and may account for only 6% of the smart speaker market share in the United States.⁸ Apple could introduce a lower-priced version at some point and is working on third-party streaming.⁹ Either way, the uncertainty about the HomePod's future is another reason to go for the TV instead.

iPad

If your iPad serves as your hub, you’ll have to keep it at home. However, that’s no different from the Amazon Echo Show and Google Nest Hub Max. You can use the iPad similarly to make video calls and stream TV.

Home Security Hubs

Some hubs are marketed as home security systems. For a DIY system, look into the Abode Home Security Starter Kit. It uses Wi-Fi, Z-Wave, and ZigBee, along with cellular radio, IFTTT applets, and Alexa voice control. It’s compatible with Apple HomeKit, too. You can do “non-security” stuff on it—it’s just marketed as a security system.

Another security/home automation system is the Vivint Smart Hub. It offers security monitoring, as do Ring Alarm and SimpliSafe.

Z-Wave vs. ZigBee vs. Bluetooth

Home automation protocols are “languages” that IoT devices such as thermostats and lightbulbs speak. Three common protocols are Z-Wave, ZigBee, and Bluetooth. A hub such as the Samsung SmartThings v3 that “speaks” these three languages (plus others) is more versatile than a hub that speaks only one or two.

Wi-Fi is critical, as well. A hub needs to connect to the internet to offer you remote control. With the increasing number of IoT devices that talk over the internet instead of locally, a Wi-Fi-connected hub can help you future-proof your smart home.

From a practical standpoint, there isn’t much difference between Z-Wave and ZigBee for the everyday consumer. They’re both open standards, although this is a huge, recent change for Z-Wave amid fears it was getting left behind. With this move, Z-Wave’s existing advantages such as extended range and lower radio frequency become even more attractive.

Z-Wave

• More than 3,300 IoT devices
• The more Z-Wave devices on the network, the stronger it becomes
• Low radio frequency means Z-Wave doesn’t interfere with microwave ovens, Wi-Fi signals, and portable phones
• Up to 232 devices on one network, which is more than enough for most situations
• Became an openly licensed standard in second half of 2020; more new IoT products should be compatible with Z-Wave
• Mesh networks help extend range (each device passes signal on to the next device in the network)
• 4 hops (signal passes) allowed from device to device
• Works better than ZigBee for larger homes and buildings
• More reliable than ZigBee

ZigBee

• More than 2,500 devices
• Mesh networks help extend range
• The more ZigBee devices on the network, the stronger it becomes
• Faster than Z-Wave
• Can support 65,000+ devices vs. Z-Wave’s 232 devices (rarely an issue for everyday people)
• Open standard, high level of compatibility
• Range is less extensive than Z-Wave’s
• Higher radio frequency means possible interference from 2.4GHz Wi-Fi devices
• No limit on hops (signal passes)
• Uses just a bit less power than Z-Wave

Bluetooth

• Nearly all IoT devices have it
• Easy to install and use
• Superior energy efficiency compared with Wi-Fi
• Limited range at about 30 feet
• Popular use is in devices controlled locally via a mobile/smartphone app
• Runs on the 2.4GHz band along with baby monitors, garage door openers, and many other household devices

A few more words: Wi-Fi is a power drain, and you risk overloading your network if you throw too many Wi-Fi devices on it. So, while it’s fine for the hub itself to have Wi-Fi switched on, the smart devices themselves are better off “speaking” through Bluetooth, ZigBee, or Z-Wave.

Due to the popularity of hubs such as the Amazon Echo Dot, consumers may have IoT devices that speak Wi-Fi and Bluetooth but not Z-Wave and ZigBee. In many cases, that’s fine. However, there’s no denying that the range with Bluetooth is shorter and more dependent on your internet connection staying up.

Interference can be an issue if you have too many 2.4GHz devices in your home. Meanwhile, Z-Wave devices communicate merrily on their 800-900 MHz frequency range.

Additional Resources

Z-Wave: FAQs from Silicion Laboratories, the Developer of Z-Wave

Hubitat Elevation Tutorials: Connecting to Amazon Alexa Devices and More

Amazon Smart Home Forum: See Discussions around Smart Home Family Devices