Big Test: Best smart home hubs
Smart home products are being launched in a fast phase. All of a sudden, you realize that there are a lot of apps and products to keep track of in your home. In order to take advantage of all their purchased products, it is beneficial to control them in one app. This is usually what a smart home system with hub is for. With a hub (electric controller, controller as it is also commonly called) you can create so-called flows that are designed to automate your connected gadgets in the home. What you want to achieve with so-called home automation is a reduced burden on hands, energy efficiency and a simpler everyday life.
What is a smart hub?
A smart hub connects your smart gadgets at home. It ensures that the right device executes the right command at the right time. It also sits on the whole logic and makes the necessary calculations. In a hub, you usually write your own feeds. Flows are pre-programmed events that are executed on demand. The advantage of a good smart hub is that you, as a user, can program your own feeds yourself without needing prior programming knowledge.
Why use a smart home system with hub?
A smart hub increases the chances that you can connect different brands to automate everything under one roof. We recommend getting a smart hub if you are a user who wants to take full control of your home. One advantage of buying a smart hub is that the logic often takes place locally, so you don't have to send unnecessary data to any company in the cloud to light a light. If your internet is down, this will not affect your lights.
Read more: Get started with your smart home in 5 easy steps
This is how a flow works (also called routine and automation)
Some event must start the flow itself, this can be a button press, a clock, someone comes home, a window opens, etc. This is called a “trigger”.
When your hub receives this trigger, it executes one or more commands that you have chosen before.
An example: You have a smart lock installed in your door. When you get home and unlock the lock, this is used as a trigger to start your feed. Your smart hub then tells your hall light to turn on and then go off 2 minutes later. An easy way to save both time and energy.
What should be considered when choosing a hub/gateway?
There are many aspects to consider when choosing a smart hub/controller. As we often talk about, it's about doing your needs analysis first.
In the less advanced user, a hub may not even be needed. Many make it a long way on lights that talk to a cloud service and settle for it. If you belong to those users who do not like restrictions and are willing to spend a little time and money on their system, it may be a good idea to invest in a hub. By far the biggest advantage of a good hub is that you can connect different brands under the same roof and include them in one and the same flow.
Think about how you will want it in the future and choose a hub that will cope with this goal.
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Homey Pro 2023
Homey Pro has received a lot of updates. Processor, memory, storage, Wifi, Bluetooth and Z-wave have all been upgraded.
New additions include Thread, Matter and and the ability to connect your Homey Pro wired to your network using an ethernet adapter for 349kr.
With Homey Pro, you get access to over 50,000 apps written both by enthusiasts and verified apps by manufacturers. With built-in antennas for most protocols, the Homey Pro becomes one of the most powerful controllers on the market. The possibilities for automating your home are endless. Homey Pro is for the most advanced users.
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Homey Bridge
This is Athom's attempt to make Homey accessible to everyone with the software in the cloud. Homey Bridge consists only of antennas (unlike its predecessor Homey and Homey Pro) to bring down the price of its hardware and become available to a larger market. A good option for the less advanced user.
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Aeotec Smart Home Hub
Aeotec, Samsung, Smartthings? Last year, Samsung made the decision to stop manufacturing hardware for the smart home. Aeotec has since taken over the hub which still looks the same on the inside. If you are an Android user and own a Samsung TV, this is a good choice. With hundreds of affiliated brands and thousands of compatible products, you can do the most with this hub.
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Aqara Camera Hub G3
The Aqara Camera Hub G3 offers a combination of monitoring and integration with other smart home products. The camera supports 2K video resolution, which provides high-quality image reproduction. With a viewing angle of 110° and the possibility of pan and tilt control (340° horizontal and 45° vertical), it offers comprehensive coverage of the area it is aimed at, even with night vision.
You can easily automate flows and scenarios with other Aqara devices. With its NPU processor, the camera can recognize faces, pets and gestures. These can then be used for various automations. For example, you can set your TV to silent by holding your hand up, partly thanks to the device's built-in IR lamp.
Installation and configuration of the Aqara Camera Hub G3 is relatively simple. The app interface is user-friendly, and allows users to remotely control the camera, view live streams and review recordings.
The Aqara Camera Hub G3 can store its recordings in more ways. With Aqara's proprietary cloud storage, you get 30 days of 2K resolution encrypted video storage and no storage limitation. With Apple Secure Video, you store your movies in iCloud. You can also store your movies on a microSD card in the camera (up to 128gb).
The Aqara Camera Hub G3 is a versatile and powerful smart home camera that offers high-quality monitoring and integration with the Aqara ecosystem. While its features and performance are impressive, you should consider the ecosystem compatibility and total cost before purchasing.
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Aqara Hub M2
Aqara has released a sequel to the M1S. Some improvements can be found but if you are an owner of the M1S, we would not say that it is worth upgrading.
The built-in bluetooth function creates some question marks as to what it should be used for as Aqara currently does not have any devices with bluetooth.
The M2 hub is claimed to be able to handle up to 128 devices. This is true only if you add repeaters. Each powered repeter, in turn, can handle 16 devices. So you could, in theory, hook up 128 devices.
So what is the difference between Aqara Hub M2 vs M1S? The big difference is that the M1S has a led lamp and lacks an ethernet connector.
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Google Nest Hub (2nd gen)
Google launched its updated version of the Nest hub in March 2021. “Sleep tracking” and “gesture controls” are two new features added. With Google Assistant, this hub becomes a fairly user-friendly product that will fit in some kitchens as well as bedrooms. It recognizes your voice for better family functions. Due to the fact that the system is relatively locked and the ability to create routines is limited to the language you have set, it remains mostly a good voice assistant.
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Apple HomePod Mini
After the less successful launch of the HomePod, Apple now wants to compete with Google and Amazon with this slightly smaller and cheaper speaker made from recycled plastic. Like AppleTV, HomePod Mini acts as a hub for your HomeKit gadgets. It also acts as a so-called Thread Border Router which allows access to your smart home via the cloud.
The sound in the HomePod Mini is surprisingly good. If you buy more units, you can pair these together for stereo. HomePod Mini comes into its own when you use the entire Apple ecosystem. Especially when you are a family where everyone has Apple gadgets. The intercom feature allows you to easily send voice messages between your devices to notify someone else in the family. For example, you can use Siri to send voice messages from CarPlay or your Apple Watch, either to all your HomePod Mini's or a select one. So who should buy the HomePod Mini? If you are a faithful user of Apple products and live in a larger home with several rooms, this may be for you. If you only use HomeKit and Apple Music, it's almost a clear choice.
