13 Best Smart Home Hub in 2024

There’s a wide range of smart home hubs to choose from today, which can make the choice somewhat confusing. So which is the best smart home hub? But picking the most suitable smart home hub is not as challenging as you would imagine. You simply have to decide the kind of automation you want for your home and choose accordingly. If you’re new to automation or smart home hubs, you can go with any service, although it makes sense to carefully weigh each option to eventually help you pick the best option.

We’re going to talk about a few of these smart home hubs today in an attempt to make your hunt easier. So which are some of the best smart home hubs you can get today? Well, let’s have a look.

Best Smart Home Hub

1. Samsung SmartThings Hub 3rd-gen

This is arguably one of the most popular options among smart home hubs, and with good reason. Samsung has been in this game for quite some time now, and although the likes of Amazon and Google are better-known offerings today, there is no doubt that the 3rd gen Samsung SmartThings Hub is the best choice for your home. Here’s why.

This particular smart home hub can connect with devices from over 40+ partner brands while also letting you extensively automate and control your home including appliances like switches, speakers, cameras, sensors, lights, and a whole lot more. This hub can connect to your Wi-Fi, thus negating the need for a separate Ethernet connection. If you’ve previously invested in Samsung’s SmartThings sensors or outlets, you will be pleased to know that this product is backward compatible with those devices.

This hub comes with voice control assisted by Google Assistant as well as SmartThings. Moreover, the SmartThings (Samsung Connect) app can help you set up the hub in your home for the first time, thus taking away the hard work out of the setup process. You can choose to get 24/7 app alerts for any intrusion in your home, although this also requires additional home monitoring sensors.

Users can also enable compatibility with Alexa by adding an Echo device like the Echo Dot, thus adding to the versatility of this hub. Moreover, customers can teach the hub their routines like Good Morning, Goodbye, Goodnight, etc to automatically turn off/on appliances depending on your schedule. Samsung offers a bunch of bundles with this SmartThings Hub, which is definitely worth checking out as well.

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2. Wink Hub 2

This is yet another alternative to enable smart home automation wherever you please. Although it is compatible with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, it will require a device to enable compatibility with these voice assistants. This smart home hub can help you connect and control a wide range of devices from brands such as Nest, Philips, Ring, Ecobee, Go Control, Schlage, Sonos, Arlo, Yale, and Chamberlain, thus covering pretty much every major manufacturer of home automation products. In terms of connection protocols, the Wink Hub 2 supports Bluetooth LE, ZigBee, Z-Wave, Kidde, and Lutron Clear Connect, making this a comprehensive solution for home automation.

Further, customers can also choose to connect this with a conventional Ethernet cable or 5 GHz Wi-Fi, thus leaving the choice at the hands of the customers. Naturally, users will also get access to the Wink app which can let you create customized schedules to turn your appliances on or off as you please. This can theoretically allow your thermostat to be automatically activated when your front door is unlocked (requires compatible equipment).

This is also an excellent option if you’re simply looking to control the lighting or the smart switches in your home. It seamlessly brings all your smart devices under one roof, which makes it an easy choice on this list. The hub requires to be plugged into an AC adapter for it to function. If you’re looking to automate your home with minimal effort, this is the best place to start.

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3. Hubitat Elevation

This is a unique smart home hub that comes with support for a wide range of products and services. This hub is updated frequently with support for more devices, making it ever-growing in terms of compatibility. The company mentions that this can work with lights, speakers, smoke/water detectors, locks, thermostats, sensors, and more, thus helping you automate your entire home using this hub. This device is compatible with services like Alexa, Google Home, Iris, Zigbee, Z-Wave, Lutron, and several others, offering compatibility with a wide range of home automation services currently available in the market.

What makes this different from the rest is the combination of local automation processing with cloud connectivity, giving you the best of both worlds for seamless automation of your home. Hubitat also offers an Android and iOS app to help you connect and manage your devices accordingly. It is worth mentioning that after the initial setup process, the Hubitat Elevation can work completely without an internet connection. This can take the pain away from a low-speed connection as well as latency issues.

If you need any help setting up the device or the app, the company offers a customer support team to guide you through the entire process. Given that this is designed for the American markets, this product will not work outside of the U.S. and Canada. It also comes with an Ethernet cable that allows you to connect directly to internet sources like routers or modems. Be sure to have a closer look at this product on Amazon.

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4. Logitech Harmony Hub

This is yet another highly functional smart home hub that comes with a wide range of features to make it compatible with pretty much every smart home automation system out there. One of its key functions is bringing together multiple devices like remotes and other controls to one convenient app known simply as Logitech Harmony. This is a free download and is available on the Google Play Store as well as the iTunes App Store. Logitech mentions that this hub allows you to pair up to 8 remotes and “countless apps” under the aforementioned app, making this an easy to use hub overall.

The Harmony Hub also allows you to operate devices that are closed behind a cabinet, offering maximum versatility with regards to device control. The beauty of any smart home hub is its ability to customize actions depending on your preferences. Users will be happy to know that the Harmony Hub can do all of this, and more. For example, you can assign a specific command for something like watching your favorite movie on Netflix or simply starting up your compatible Bluetooth speakers. It can also control lights and other smart switches in your home, thus offering the complete package.

It must be said, however, that the Harmony Hub is better suited for the control of media devices at your home. Users can also choose to add Alexa compatibility by simply pairing this with any of Amazon’s Echo devices, while you stand to save a bit by purchasing the Harmony Hub along with the Echo Dot. This hub requires a lithium-ion battery to work and comes included with Logitech’s 1-year limited warranty.

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5. Amazon Echo Show 5

This is a slightly unconventional product given what we’ve discussed so far, but every bit as capable. The Echo Show 5 has a beautiful 5.5-inch display to help you get quick updates on the weather, view TV shows, movies, or simply connect with your friends and family over video calling. It comes with a dedicated mute button to shut off the microphone and camera completely, thus giving you privacy when you require it. This device can also be used to adjust the lights at your home or even use it as a viewfinder for your security cameras or smart doorbells. As you would expect, the Echo Show 5 allows you to leverage the big display and customize it as per your liking.

In addition to calling your friends and family over the Alexa app or another Echo device, users can also talk to their contacts using third-party apps like Skype. Given that this is an Echo device, Alexa is front and center here, allowing you to perform various tasks using nothing but your voice. The company offers the Echo Show 5 in Sandstone and Charcoal colors, and it requires a power adapter to remain functional. This is a common feature among most smart hubs, so it’s not necessarily a concern for the customers.

Amazon mentions that this uses a 1.65-inch full-range speaker for optimum sound performance. Users will also find a 3.5mm headphone jack here, allowing you to connect external devices like your smartphone or another speaker. The company offers a limited 1-year warranty with the Echo Show 5.

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6. Google Nest Hub Max

It’s hard to leave Google out of any list, particularly one that pertains to smart home hubs. The Nest Hub Max by Google is a stellar device, giving you the ability to automate your entire home with just one unit. What makes this stand out is the presence of a massive 10-inch WXGA display, making this more of a tablet than a smart home hub. It also comes with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, making it easier to pair with compatible devices or a wireless network near you. The big display also means it comes with its own smart home hub, allowing you to control lights, speakers, appliances or switches at your home. The device comes with a Far-Field Microphone system that allows you to pass commands from a significant distance.

While this can be rested easily on a table, customers can also choose to wall mount this hub for maximum visibility from a distance. The magic begins when you download the Google Home app, which lets you extensively control the functioning of this smart hub. You can choose to add devices or even manage your list of appliances from this one app. As you would expect, this device also comes with the goodness of Google Assistant built-in, so not only can you automate your home, but also learn something new each day with the intuitive Assistant interface.

Also worth mentioning here is support for some of Google’s core apps like Google Duo. This allows you to initiate a video or audio call with pretty much any Google Duo user out there. This particular feature, coupled with the fact that it can also offer seamless home automation makes this one of the best smart home hubs you can get right now. This hub is backed by Google’s 1-year limited warranty.

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7. Securifi Smart Home Hub

This is an exciting home automation system that comes with its own touchscreen display to help you navigate its features better. It also has three Ethernet ports and a single USB port, allowing you to add USB dongles to enable Z-Wave connectivity. The product comes with a built-in ZigBee radio as well as a programmable siren to help boost home security. The onboard touchscreen also makes it easy to set up the hub without needing a CD or going through the user manual. This is one of the best features of this smart home hub, although we wish to have seen a bigger display like the Echo Show 5 or the Google Nest Hub Max.

The company mentions that this hub can help you control devices that support Phillips Hue, Nest, Yale, Amazon Echo, and several others, so it’s no different from any other ZigBee smart hub out there. You can also choose to bolster your home security with Securifi thanks to support for a wide range of surveillance devices including cameras, motion sensors, and more. You can connect multiple smart home devices and control them all using the convenient and free Almond app (Android and iOS). If you have an Alexa device at home, this hub can smartly pair with it and offer seamless voice-guided assistance throughout your home.

The manufacturer mentions that one Securifi unit can cover an area of around 1,300 square feet, so you may need to add more units for bigger houses or complexes. The company recommends using three units for homes larger than 2,600 square feet. The company is known for its excellent customer service, and the product is backed by a limited 1-year warranty. Be sure to check it out.

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8. Amazon Echo Plus (2nd gen)

While this may seem like a standard Amazon Echo, it’s definitely not. This product comes with a built-in Zigbee hub that makes it compatible with a wide range of home automation services and devices. Naturally, the speaker also comes with the goodness of Alexa voice commands, allowing you to use your voice to control the appliances, lights or switches at your home. The speaker is powered by Dolby Play 360°, offering optimum sound quality and dynamic bass for the entire room. Given the size of this device, Amazon recommends using this in common spaces like living rooms. It can also perform the standard suite of Echo functions such as streaming music from your favorite services like Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, Sirius XM, and so on.

If you have more than one Echo device at home, you can use this device as a walkie-talkie of sorts to send a message through to other speakers in the house. Users can also choose to call or message anyone they like using only voice commands. Naturally, you can also choose to teach your speaker new skills or choose from the existing set of skills offered by Amazon. As is the case with any other Echo device, this one also comes with multiple layers of security, including the ability to electronically shut off the microphone or remove your Alexa recordings from the device.

Once the Echo Plus is set up and ready to go, you simply have to pass a command like “Alexa, discover my devices” and the Echo Plus will cleverly locate all the compatible devices in the household. If you’re looking for a smart home hub that can also bring additional Alexa-specific features, the 2nd gen Echo Plus is an excellent choice. Amazon offers a limited 1-year warranty with this product.

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9. VeraPlus Smart Home Hub

This smart home hub can work with a wide range of devices including Nest, Schlage, Yale, Kwikset, First Alert, and several others, making this as capable as several other smart home hubs we’ve discussed today. One of the best parts about the VeraPlus is the fact that it operates entirely on the device, and doesn’t rely on cloud services. This basically means that the hub can work even if there’s no internet connection at home, making it a convenient smart hub to have at your home. The hub also comes with an Ethernet port as well as a cable, allowing you to connect it directly to your router or modem for internet connectivity if necessary.

This is a good choice to get notifications from accessories like motion sensors or siren alarms. You can also choose to add the Vera VistaCam to view what’s happening at your home when you’re away, while it can also make for an excellent pet monitoring system. Naturally, the company also offers a mobile app that lets you view all your smart connected devices and manage them accordingly. While it lacks Bluetooth connectivity, the VeraPlus can be paired with a Z-Wave Plus system using an additional accessory.

The company mentions that this one hub can let you control up to 75 devices at a time, which isn’t as big a number as some of the other hubs we’ve discussed but will still get the job done if you’re looking to control the lighting and appliances of your home. The company offers a 12-month warranty and a promise of replacing or repairing your device for free if it fails within the specified timeframe.

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10. Sengled Smart Hub

This hub is better suited for customers who have invested in the Sengled smart home ecosystem. This hub lets you control all those devices using an easy to use application (Sengled Home) available for Android and iPhones. The company mentions that this hub can let you control up to 64 Sengled smart bulbs and other accessories like smart switches. You can choose to add Alexa or Google Assistant based voice assistance to control the Sengled smart devices in your home. Understandably, this hub is fairly limited as far as functionality is concerned since it can only control its own devices. But given that Sengled has a large collection of smart home accessories, this hub can be put to good use by the customers.

The aforementioned app lets you perform a variety of functions on the hub as well as the lighting of your home. You can choose to control specific parts of the house like the living room and choose to turn on/off all the lights in the area at once. Users can also create custom schedules that allow the hub to automatically turn on lights after a specific time. Users can also monitor the energy consumption of each connected device directly from the application. Sengled offers an unprecedented 3-years of warranty coverage for this smart home hub. Be sure to have a closer look at this product on Amazon.

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11. Broadlink Smart Home Hub

This is yet another smart hub that offers a limited range of functions but can serve a specific demographic thanks to the features it’s packing. This device can control your home entertainment system using IR and RF signals. However, IR signals will require a clear line of sight to work and will falter when there are objects in its path. However, RF signals should have no problems with obstructions and can allow you to seamlessly operate the hub from anywhere in your home. Using the free to download IHC app, customers can set custom schedules for their entertainment system including the ability to turn the system on/off at a specific time of the day. One caveat with this hub is that it only supports televisions for the time being although support for more devices should be on the way.

Fortunately, the company has been mindful enough to support Alexa voice commands, allowing you to control your TV with a simple voice command to Alexa. The company also offers bundles with smart switches that can help you get started on home automation. While it’s somewhat limited in terms of features, the Broadlink Smart Home Hub does have its own appeal, particularly with TV users.

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12. Lockly Secure LINK Wi-Fi Smart Hub

For those unaware, Lockly makes some of the best Bluetooth locks available in the market today. This particular hub not only allows you to control compatible locks but also brings Wi-Fi connectivity to these devices. With this hub, customers can choose to receive notifications when their door is opened, although this requires users to invest in compatible smart locks, specifically the ones made by Lockly. Moreover, existing customers of Lockly can simply open the dedicated app and follow the on-screen instructions to setup automation. Users can choose to pair this with Google Assistant or an Alexa device to know if your front door is locked with a simple voice command.

One of the biggest features of a hub like this is its ability to control Lockly locks from practically anywhere in the world. This can be useful if you’re trying to let guests or family in when you’re not home. This hub is smaller than most smart hubs we’ve discussed today, which also means that its functionality is limited to Lockly devices. However, if you’re paranoid about home security like most of us are, a device like this can offer you the liberty to breathe easy in your home.

This device plugs into a standard power outlet and is ready to go as soon as you plug it in. This means the customers don’t have to worry about elaborate setup processes with this particular hub. The company offers a 1-year warranty with this product.

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13. SwitchBot Hub Plus

This is a versatile smart home hub that lets you control pretty much any appliance in your home that runs on a remote. This means that you don’t need existing smart home switches or appliances to use this hub. That’s because SwitchBot uses IR frequencies to control appliances like air conditioners, televisions, or pretty much any home appliance you can think of. All of this can be done conveniently using the SwitchBot app and doesn’t require any additional components. However, customers can choose to include Alexa or Google Assistant with compatible hardware, thus letting you control your appliances using only your voice. This hub allows users to control their home appliances from practically anywhere in the world.

Customers can also choose to integrate this with IFTTT, allowing you to schedule appliances and set triggers based on a specific function. The company mentions that this is an excellent choice for those who like to customize their routines and the schedules of connected appliances. The fact that you simply need this one device to enable automation across your home makes this a desirable product for many. SwitchBot comes with a 1-year limited warranty and is available in White. This hub also gives you the freedom to ditch those annoying IR remote control apps.

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