More importantly, a smart home hub lets you connect all those smart home devices together. For instance, when you lock your smart lock, a smart home hub can tell your lights to turn off, and your thermostat to go into eco mode. It’s a key gadget for creating an automated smart home. That’s just one of the things a good smart home hub can do, but some are more capable than others. That’s why we’ve tested the smart home hubs on the market to let you know which is best.
What are the best smart home hubs?
If you’re looking for more deeper integration among your smart home devices, the best option is the Aeotec Smart Home Hub, which works with Samsung’s SmartThings platform. It allows for more granular control from one device to another, and lets you create more sophisticated routines. It’s also very easy to use. In the first quarter of 2023, the Homey Pro ($399, available for preorder (opens in new tab)) will start shipping. This hub will have Wi-Fi, BLE, Zigbee, Z-Wave, 433MHz, IR, Matter and Thread connectivity, will support more than 50,000 smart home devices, as well as Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri. It will also show you how much energy your connected devices are using, and will have advanced automation features. Read on for all the best smart home hubs.
The best smart home hubs you can buy today
For years, the Samsung SmartThings hub was one of our top picks for the best smart home hubs because it had both Zigbee and Z-Wave inside, so you can connect to hundreds of devices, more than most other hubs. What’s more, the SmartThings app is loaded with functionality, which lets you create a wide range of different scenarios for all of the gadgets in your home. Best of all, SmartThings now works with Nest products, making it a truly complete smart home hub. However, Samsung is no longer making its SmartThings Hub, so to use its SmartThings platform, you’ll need the Aeotec Smart Home Hub, which replicates all of the same functions. It’s essentially the same hardware, but with a different logo on the front, and in our testing, it worked just as well. Read our full Aeotec Smart Home Hub review. We actually think that Apple’s HomeKit smart home platform is better than Google’s. Even though HomeKit supports fewer devices (check out our list of the best HomeKit devices), it allows for greater complexity when creating smart home routines. And, we don’t have to worry as much what Apple is doing with our data. The HomePod mini is not only an affordable smart speaker, but it also acts as a HomeKit hub, letting you connect locks, lights, and other low-power devices directly to it. The HomePod mini also has Thread built in; while there are relatively few smart home gadgets that have this technology, we expect it to increase in popularity, as it’s supported by both Apple and Google. Read our full Apple HomePod mini review. At just $49, the Echo Dot is half the price of most of the other best smart home hubs, making it an inexpensive investment for those just getting into smart home automation. While it lacks Zigbee or Z-Wave, if your smart home devices have Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, this shouldn’t be a problem. And, via the Alexa app, you can create some surprisingly powerful routines; we especially like Alexa Guard, which can activate smart home devices if it hears fire alarms or glass breaking. The Starling Home Hub does one thing, and does one thing well: It connects Nest devices — such as the Nest Learning Thermostat and the Nest Protect — to Apple’s HomeKit smart home platform. (Sadly, Apple and Nest have never played well together). This means if you’re using Apple’s smart home platform, you can use some of the best smart thermostats and best smart smoke detectors. Even better — the Starling Hub also lets you view your Nest security cameras in the Apple Home app, and even use HomeKit secure video for supported Nest cameras — the Nest Cam (wired), Nest Cam (battery), and Nest Cam with Floodlight. However, you’ll need to subscribe to Nest Aware, so the costs can add up. Starling also released an iOS app, so you no longer have to use a web interface to adjust settings or connect new devices. Read our full Starling Home Hub review. Because of its steep learning curve but incredibly granular controls, the Hubitat Elevation is the best smart home hub for power users. Homeowners who want to create incredibly specific rules and situations for when their smart home devices activate will appreciate all that you can do from within Hubitat’s web interface. The Hubitat Elevation itself is very small — the size of a thick coaster — but packs in both Zigbee and Z-Wave antennas. However, it lacks Wi-Fi, so you’ll have to plug it into your router in order to use it. When we first reviewed the Hubitat Elevation, it lacked a smartphone app, so you had to control everything through a web interface. Since then, the company added a mobile app for both Android and iPhones, making it easier to monitor your smart home on the go. Read our full Hubitat Elevation review. While you can use a variety of Apple products as a HomeKit hub—an iPad and the HomePod also work—the Apple TV 4K is the least expensive method. Plus, it’s one of the best streaming devices around, letting you watch 4K HDR content from a large number of sources via an easy-to-use interface. We’re not fans of its remote, though. Read our full Apple TV 4K review. The Google Nest Hub Max is an excellent smart display: It has a spacious 10-inch screen which can be used for watching YouTube and Netflix, looking up recipes, news, and more; its dual speakers are powerful; and its 6.5MP camera is great for Google Duo video calls, and will even “follow” you as you move across the room. Connectivity-wise, it has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Thread, a new smart home networking protocol that Google has been trying to popularize for a few years. The Nest Hub Max’s display can be used to view live footage from Google Assistant-compatible home security cameras, video doorbells, and baby monitors, and on-screen controls let you adjust smart light levels. And, the best Google Home compatible devices are nearly as numerous as those that work with Alexa. However, as a smart home platform, Google Home doesn’t have nearly the same sophistication as Alexa or HomeKit. However, that should be changing soon, as Google is updating Google Home to allow for more advanced smart home integrations. Read our full Google Nest Hub Max review.
How to choose the best smart home hub for you
When choosing a smart home hub that’s best for your needs, you first have to ask yourself what you want to do with it, and what you want to control. If all you have is one set of smart lights, then you probably don’t need a smart home hub. But, if you have smart lights and a smart lock, and want the lights to turn on when the lock opens at night, then you might need a smart home hub. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, or Z-Wave? Every smart home device will use some sort of wireless technology to communicate with others. Smaller devices, such as door and window sensors and motion detectors, will generally use Zigbee or Z-Wave, as they’re low power, and don’t need to transmit a lot of data. That’s why these sensors can be built so small; however, they need to link to a bridge (such as a smart home hub) if you want to connect them to the internet. Traditionally, smart locks have also used this technology, but increasingly are switching over to Wi-Fi. You can read our explainer on Zigbee, Z-Wave, Thread and WeMo for a deeper dive. Larger devices, and those that can draw from a steady power source, generally use Wi-Fi, as it can transmit more data, and doesn’t require a bridge or a hub. Devices in this category include home security cameras, smart thermostats, and video doorbells.
How we test smart home hubs
We test every smart home hub by installing them in a real-world scenario (our house, to be exact). The first criteria is to determine how easy they are to set up; those aimed at novice smart home users should be simpler to understand than advanced smart home hubs. We also look at the number of devices that can connect to a smart home hub. After all, if there aren’t that many things that can work with a hub, its usefulness is rather limited. After that, they key to any smart home hub is determining how complex you can make the interactions between various smart home devices. For instance, if a hub only lets you create rules based on the time of day or when you speak a command, then that’s pretty limited. The best smart home hubs will let you do much more, such as changing their status based on your location or what happens when another smart home device turns on or off. We look to see how sophisticated we can make these rules and routines, and the ease with which we can create them. Lastly, we test the routines we create to see how well they work. For more information on our testing methodology and ratings, please check out the Tom’s Guide how we test page.
title: “The Best Smart Home Hubs Of 2023” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-12” author: “Clarissa Buchanan”
More importantly, a smart home hub lets you connect all those smart home devices together. For instance, when you lock your smart lock, a smart home hub can tell your lights to turn off, and your thermostat to go into eco mode. It’s a key gadget for creating an automated smart home. That’s just one of the things a good smart home hub can do, but some are more capable than others. That’s why we’ve tested the smart home hubs on the market to let you know which is best.
What are the best smart home hubs?
If you’re looking for more deeper integration among your smart home devices, the best option is the Aeotec Smart Home Hub, which works with Samsung’s SmartThings platform. It allows for more granular control from one device to another, and lets you create more sophisticated routines. It’s also very easy to use. In the first quarter of 2023, the Homey Pro ($399, available for preorder (opens in new tab)) will start shipping. This hub will have Wi-Fi, BLE, Zigbee, Z-Wave, 433MHz, IR, Matter and Thread connectivity, will support more than 50,000 smart home devices, as well as Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri. It will also show you how much energy your connected devices are using, and will have advanced automation features. Read on for all the best smart home hubs.
The best smart home hubs you can buy today
For years, the Samsung SmartThings hub was one of our top picks for the best smart home hubs because it had both Zigbee and Z-Wave inside, so you can connect to hundreds of devices, more than most other hubs. What’s more, the SmartThings app is loaded with functionality, which lets you create a wide range of different scenarios for all of the gadgets in your home. Best of all, SmartThings now works with Nest products, making it a truly complete smart home hub. However, Samsung is no longer making its SmartThings Hub, so to use its SmartThings platform, you’ll need the Aeotec Smart Home Hub, which replicates all of the same functions. It’s essentially the same hardware, but with a different logo on the front, and in our testing, it worked just as well. Read our full Aeotec Smart Home Hub review. We actually think that Apple’s HomeKit smart home platform is better than Google’s. Even though HomeKit supports fewer devices (check out our list of the best HomeKit devices), it allows for greater complexity when creating smart home routines. And, we don’t have to worry as much what Apple is doing with our data. The HomePod mini is not only an affordable smart speaker, but it also acts as a HomeKit hub, letting you connect locks, lights, and other low-power devices directly to it. The HomePod mini also has Thread built in; while there are relatively few smart home gadgets that have this technology, we expect it to increase in popularity, as it’s supported by both Apple and Google. Read our full Apple HomePod mini review. At just $49, the Echo Dot is half the price of most of the other best smart home hubs, making it an inexpensive investment for those just getting into smart home automation. While it lacks Zigbee or Z-Wave, if your smart home devices have Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, this shouldn’t be a problem. And, via the Alexa app, you can create some surprisingly powerful routines; we especially like Alexa Guard, which can activate smart home devices if it hears fire alarms or glass breaking. The Starling Home Hub does one thing, and does one thing well: It connects Nest devices — such as the Nest Learning Thermostat and the Nest Protect — to Apple’s HomeKit smart home platform. (Sadly, Apple and Nest have never played well together). This means if you’re using Apple’s smart home platform, you can use some of the best smart thermostats and best smart smoke detectors. Even better — the Starling Hub also lets you view your Nest security cameras in the Apple Home app, and even use HomeKit secure video for supported Nest cameras — the Nest Cam (wired), Nest Cam (battery), and Nest Cam with Floodlight. However, you’ll need to subscribe to Nest Aware, so the costs can add up. Starling also released an iOS app, so you no longer have to use a web interface to adjust settings or connect new devices. Read our full Starling Home Hub review. Because of its steep learning curve but incredibly granular controls, the Hubitat Elevation is the best smart home hub for power users. Homeowners who want to create incredibly specific rules and situations for when their smart home devices activate will appreciate all that you can do from within Hubitat’s web interface. The Hubitat Elevation itself is very small — the size of a thick coaster — but packs in both Zigbee and Z-Wave antennas. However, it lacks Wi-Fi, so you’ll have to plug it into your router in order to use it. When we first reviewed the Hubitat Elevation, it lacked a smartphone app, so you had to control everything through a web interface. Since then, the company added a mobile app for both Android and iPhones, making it easier to monitor your smart home on the go. Read our full Hubitat Elevation review. While you can use a variety of Apple products as a HomeKit hub—an iPad and the HomePod also work—the Apple TV 4K is the least expensive method. Plus, it’s one of the best streaming devices around, letting you watch 4K HDR content from a large number of sources via an easy-to-use interface. We’re not fans of its remote, though. Read our full Apple TV 4K review. The Google Nest Hub Max is an excellent smart display: It has a spacious 10-inch screen which can be used for watching YouTube and Netflix, looking up recipes, news, and more; its dual speakers are powerful; and its 6.5MP camera is great for Google Duo video calls, and will even “follow” you as you move across the room. Connectivity-wise, it has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Thread, a new smart home networking protocol that Google has been trying to popularize for a few years. The Nest Hub Max’s display can be used to view live footage from Google Assistant-compatible home security cameras, video doorbells, and baby monitors, and on-screen controls let you adjust smart light levels. And, the best Google Home compatible devices are nearly as numerous as those that work with Alexa. However, as a smart home platform, Google Home doesn’t have nearly the same sophistication as Alexa or HomeKit. However, that should be changing soon, as Google is updating Google Home to allow for more advanced smart home integrations. Read our full Google Nest Hub Max review.
How to choose the best smart home hub for you
When choosing a smart home hub that’s best for your needs, you first have to ask yourself what you want to do with it, and what you want to control. If all you have is one set of smart lights, then you probably don’t need a smart home hub. But, if you have smart lights and a smart lock, and want the lights to turn on when the lock opens at night, then you might need a smart home hub. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, or Z-Wave? Every smart home device will use some sort of wireless technology to communicate with others. Smaller devices, such as door and window sensors and motion detectors, will generally use Zigbee or Z-Wave, as they’re low power, and don’t need to transmit a lot of data. That’s why these sensors can be built so small; however, they need to link to a bridge (such as a smart home hub) if you want to connect them to the internet. Traditionally, smart locks have also used this technology, but increasingly are switching over to Wi-Fi. You can read our explainer on Zigbee, Z-Wave, Thread and WeMo for a deeper dive. Larger devices, and those that can draw from a steady power source, generally use Wi-Fi, as it can transmit more data, and doesn’t require a bridge or a hub. Devices in this category include home security cameras, smart thermostats, and video doorbells.
How we test smart home hubs
We test every smart home hub by installing them in a real-world scenario (our house, to be exact). The first criteria is to determine how easy they are to set up; those aimed at novice smart home users should be simpler to understand than advanced smart home hubs. We also look at the number of devices that can connect to a smart home hub. After all, if there aren’t that many things that can work with a hub, its usefulness is rather limited. After that, they key to any smart home hub is determining how complex you can make the interactions between various smart home devices. For instance, if a hub only lets you create rules based on the time of day or when you speak a command, then that’s pretty limited. The best smart home hubs will let you do much more, such as changing their status based on your location or what happens when another smart home device turns on or off. We look to see how sophisticated we can make these rules and routines, and the ease with which we can create them. Lastly, we test the routines we create to see how well they work. For more information on our testing methodology and ratings, please check out the Tom’s Guide how we test page.
