How to Pick the Right Smart Home Hub for You
- Staff
- Jul 26, 2019
- 3 min read
If you like the idea of setting up an automated, app-controlled smart home, but aren't really sure where to begin, we're here to help. A good starting point is picking the right smart home hub.
But before we start, a clarification: Since any smart device you buy will come with an app to control it, you don't have to have a hub at the center of your smart home. However, if the idea of an (even more) app-crowded phone makes you shiver and you’d rather manage all your devices from a single app, then getting a home hub is a smart choice.
Apple HomePod
A smart speaker with superior audio capabilities is already cool enough, but when you get a HomePod you get more than that. This device is also a hub that supports HomeKit—the Apple-developed standard for smart home gear—and will allow you to control your devices from inside and outside your house.
As of recently, Apple opened this standard to other manufacturers, so anything that comes with a HomeKit badge on the box can be controlled through the Home app (available for iOS, iPadOS and macOS). Although the list of compatible kit is not as lengthy as some of the HomePod's competitors, it includes lights from Lifx, TVs from Samsung, locks from August, cameras from Netatmo, and more.
In the HomePod's favor, the Home app is very easy to use, and getting everything working together is simple. You can group devices into specific rooms, change configurations with a couple of taps (like a smart light’s color and brightness), and even have devices respond to you arriving or leaving home (like turning off the thermostat when you go out).
As you would expect, the HomePod was designed to play nice with other Apple products first, so it makes sense to opt for one if you are already heavily invested in the company’s ecosystem. If you’re an Android or Windows user, or want the biggest choice of smart home kit, you're better off looking elsewhere.
Samsung SmartThings
SmartThings by Samsung is more than just a hub: It's a whole ecosystem that includes bulbs, sensors and more. You can buy SmartThings-branded devices, as well as compatible third-party gear, which makes the platform very flexible and gives you plenty of choices when it comes to populating your smart home.
The SmartThings Hub itself sits at the center of operations and just as the HomePod, lets you manage everything from one spot. It has a broader set of automations to pick from, and of course, you don't need an Apple device to work it.
The list of compatible gear is one of the longest as far as smart home hubs go. It includes video cameras from Ring, thermostats from Ecobee, bulbs from Philips Hue and much more, as well as SmartThings' own bulbs, cameras, plugs, and sensors.
The SmartThings app (available for Android and iOS) is simple and straightforward, splitting your smart devices up into rooms, and letting you control them manually or automatically, individually or in groups.
The system easily integrates with the Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa, making it undoubtedly one of the most comprehensive options on the market. Put this high on your shortlist if you want a hub with a long list of both 'own-brand' and third-party devices.
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