It’s never been easier–or less expensive–to build out a state-of-the art smart home. We have other roundups that name the best smart home components–everything from the best smart bulbs to the best smart speakers, but in this story, we name the best hubs–the central controllers–that make home living more convenient.
While the lines are becoming increasingly blurred, we see two basic types of smart home systems: Those focused on convenience first–the hubs listed here–and those focused on home security first (and here are our top DIY home security system picks). Decide first what is your primary goal–convenience or security–and then shop accordingly.
The best smart home systems
Samsung SmartThings Station – Best DIY smart home hub for most people
Pros
- Wi-Fi, Zigbee, and Thread radios onboard
- Stuffed with bonus features, including a wireless phone charger
- Matter support adds immense flexibility
Cons
- Won’t work without a broadband connection
- No Z-Wave radio
- No battery backup or cellular backup
Best Prices Today:
Who should buy the Samsung SmartThings Station
While it has lost the ability to control Z-Wave devices, the Samsung SmartThings Station it has been transformed into a powerful Matter-certified smart home hub. It’s a big step up from the simpler Ikea Dirigera hub in that it will control virtually any Matter-certified product, and it’s very easy to use. If you already have a non-Matter SmartThings hub, such as the Aeotec Smart Home Hub, you can easily transition everything but your Z-Wave devices to this hub.
Samsung SmartThings Station: Further considerations
If you’re looking to build out a Matter-compatible smart home, the Samsung SmartThings Station is the smart home hub you’re looking for. While Samsung also integrates SmartThings hub features into its smart TVs, smart monitors, and even its high-end refrigerators, this stand-alone hub is at least as powerful as those, and it’s much easier to work with. It also features an integrated inductive charging pad for your smartphone and other compatible devices. If you do want to control Z-Wave devices, stick with Aeotec’s hub (see below).
Read our full
Samsung SmartThings Station review
Amazon Echo Hub — Best smart home hub with a display
Pros
- Supports Wi-Fi, Matter, Zigbee, Thread, Bluetooth LE Mesh, and Sidewalk
- Easy to set up, customize, master, and use on an everyday basis
- Supports advanced connectivity options such as Power over Ethernet
Cons
- No Z-Wave radio, battery backup, or cellular backup
- Only responds to Alexa voice commands
- Pricey overkill for those with just a few smart home devices to control
Price When Reviewed:
£169.99
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Who should buy the Amazon Echo Hub
A wall-mounted control panel is one of the characteristic features of a high-end smart home system. Most every professionally installed system–Vivint Smart Home, Crestron, Savant, etc.–has one, with a touchscreen that can display your security camera feeds, control your lights and other components, and arm/disarm your home security system. Amazon’s Echo Hub is an affordable panel that can do all that, and it’s especially great when paired with Alexa-compatible smart home devices, Ring security cameras and a Ring Alarm or Ring Alarm Pro system.
Amazon Echo Hub: Further considerations
The Amazon Echo Hub will be of most interest to hardcore Alexa users–it’s also an Echo smart display–and people who use Ring home security products. While it’s functional right out of the box, you’ll want to spend time customizing its layout to take full advantage of everything it has to offer, including displaying feeds from your compatible security cameras (while you’re not limited to Ring cameras, they will deliver the best experience). The display is designed to be hung on the wall–there’s no desktop stand–but it supports Power over Ethernet (data, video, and power are carried over the same low-voltage cable). Run an ethernet cable through your wall, and you won’t have an unsightly power cord dangling from it.
Read our full
Amazon Echo Hub review
Ikea Dirigera – Best DIY smart home hub for newbies
Pros
- Inexpensive
- Easy to use
- Supports Amazon Alexa, Apple Home, and Google Home
- Works as a Matter bridge and Thread border router (after a firmware update)
Cons
- Must be hardwired to your router
- No Z-Wave radio, battery backup, or cellular backup
- Limited feature set
Best Prices Today:
Who should buy the Ikea Dirigera smart home hub
The Ikea Dirigera is a great choice for newcomers to the smart home market who just want things to work without having to muck about. Ikea’s companion app is supremely easy to use and offers plenty of handholding to step you through getting it set up and adding smart home devices. A recent firmware update makes the hub a Matter bridge, meaning you’re no longer limited to controlling Ikea’s own products with it, and it activated the hub’s Thread radio as well, enabling it to perform as a Thread border router. It’s compatible with Amazon Alexa, Apple Home, and Google Home, so you can use voice commands to control everything.
Ikea Dirigera smart home hub: Further considerations
The simplicity of the Ikea Dirigera smart home hub and the Ikea Home app makes for a great smart home onramp. Ikea has lots of its own smart home accessories–ranging from basic smart plugs to motorized window shades–and the recent activation of the hub’s Thread radio and Matter certification open the door to lots of third-party devices.
Read our full
Ikea Dirigera review
Other notable smart home hubs we’ve tested
We’ve evaluated lots of other DIY smart home systems. If none of our top picks check all the boxes for you, take a look at these other products.
- Aqara Hub E1 is very similar to Aqara’s Hub M3 system, except it plugs into a USB power adapter and doesn’t have its stablemate’s infrared blaster feature. And like the Hub M2, the Hub E1 controls only Aqara Zigbee devices.
- Aqara Hub M3 is mostly about the convenience aspects of the smart home. It’s very easy to set up; it has Wi-Fi, Thread, and Zigbee radios; and it’s Matter-compatible. It can’t control third-party Zigbee directly, however; it can only control Aqara’s own Zigbee products.
- Homey Bridge is a SmartThings-like smart home hub that supports Wi-Fi, Zigbee, Z-Wave, Bluetooth, 433MHz, and infrared devices. Like SmartThings, it’s focused primarily on convenience versus home security. But you’re limited to just five devices unless you pay for a subscription.
- Hubitat Elevation (model C7) is a powerful smart home hub favored by many hardcore enthusiasts. It supports Matter and has , and unlike the Aeotec Smart Home Hub we like so much, Hubitat’s product isn’t reliant on a connection to the internet. Less-experienced users, however, will encounter a steep learning curve.
- SwitchBot Hub 2 is primarily a gateway for other SwitchBot smart home products, but it can also serve as a Matter bridge for a host of third-party products. It has been replaced by the SwitchBot Hub 3, so look for our review soon.
How we test smart home hubs
PCWorld’s TechHive team reviews smart home hubs in real-world conditions by setting them up in our own homes. We connect them to our own routers and then link a variety of compatible smart home devices to them (lights, sensors, smart locks, and more, from disparate brands). We use every smart home technology the hub supports: Matter, Thread, Wi-Fi, Zigbee, Z-Wave, et al).
Why you should trust PCWorld’s TechHive for smart home hub reviews and buying advice
TechHive’s staff editors and freelance contributors have decades of collective experience testing and living with smart home hubs and all the classes of devices that connect to them. But our enthusiasm is not unbridled, and we give no quarter to buggy products or anything that’s unnecessarily difficult. Every product listed above has been personally and rigorously tested and vetted by our experts. We won’t recommend anything that we wouldn’t be happy to have in our own homes.
Who curates this article?
Christopher Null is an award-winning tech journalist with more than 25 years of experience who frequently reviews the latest smart home products for TechHive. He’s a frequent contributor to Wired, This Old House, and AAA’s Via Magazine. Michael Brown, TechHive’s lead editor, has been writing about home technology for more than 30 years and built a custom smart home from the ground up in 2007. Following a relocation to the Pacific Northwest in 2023, he’s been busy converting an 1890 bungalow into a modern smart home. During his career, Michael has held staff editor positions at CNET, PCWorld, Electronic Musician, and Maximum PC, and he wrote a book about desktop video production.
How to choose the best DIY smart home system
As we mentioned earlier, smart home systems come in a dazzling array of shapes and sizes, from brain-dead simple to vastly complex. Features vary just as widely, so you’ll need to pay more attention than usual when you’re narrowing down the field to find the product that’s right for you. Here’s a look at some of those key decision factors. To see how each system on the market measures up to those promises, drill down into our reviews.
Which smart home standards does the hub support?
This might be your most important consideration, because it will dictate which smart home devices you can install in your home. Some security-focused smart home hubs, such as SimpliSafe, only work with their own accessories. Some others, such as the Ring Alarm series, have certification programs for third-party products. This is less of a problem with smart home hubs that focus on convenience.
Matter has long promised to be the standard that will tie all the leading smart home ecosystems together: Amazon Alexa, Apple Home, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings, and more. While it’s not quite there–principally because Matter doesn’t take every aspect of the smart home into account (e.g., security cameras), it continues to make solid progress toward that goal.
While Matter puts an umbrella over Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, and Thread, it ignores Z-Wave, a technology that offers some features none of those other platforms do. If your smart home is already filled with smart home devices, you won’t want to replace them for the sake of a new hub. Fortunately, Matter and Z-Wave are not mutually exclusive, and several smart home hubs support both standards, including Homey, Home Assistant, and Hubitat Elevation.
If you already have, or you intend to buy smart speakers, make syre the hub you buy is compatible. Amazon Echo and Google Nest smart speakers are almost universally supported; Apple’s HomePod speakers much less so.
Wired vs. wireless hub connection
Many smart hubs must connect to your wireless router via an ethernet cable, which limits their placement and, of course, requires a free ethernet port on your router (if all your router ports are occupied, buy an inexpensive switch). A smaller number of hubs are wireless and can be placed anywhere in range of the router, increasing your flexibility.
Local control vs. cloud dependent
Some smart home hubs depend on a connection to the cloud (i.e., the internet) to operate. Even with a fast broadband connection, you might notice a delay as your commands go up to the internet, are processed by a server in the cloud, and then come back down to the hub and out to the device the command is intended for. And if your broadband connection should fail, your smart home instantly turns dumb. That won’t be a problem with a smart home hub that processes everything locally.
Broadband backup
Smart home hubs that are focused on home security should have a backup means of connecting to the internet should your regular broadband connection fail. This is typically handled by a cellular radio on the device. If it doesn’t have a backup, and you’re paying for professional monitoring that can dispatch first-responders in the event of a break-in or other emergency, the hub will have no way to reach that call center. The cost for this type of backup is usually included in the subscription fee for professional monitoring.
Battery backup
If the power goes out, your smart lights won’t be useful anyway; but other smart home features, such as security sensors, rely on a hub that’s always powered on. Some smart home hubs feature battery backups (thanks to rechargeable or disposable cells). Even a short power outage can cause a significant delay while the hub reconnects, so a battery backup makes sense in many home environments. If you like everything else about a particular hub that lacks a battery backup option, consider investing in an uninterruptible power supply to plug it into.
Sensor range
If your home is large or spread out, you’ll need to pay attention to the range that the hub’s sensors support. Hubs may support a wide array of connection protocols, including Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Z-Wave, and Zigbee, all of which have very different ranges. As with a wireless router, smart hub range can also be impacted by interference and device placement, and smart home devices themselves have different specs, as well. Take the time to look into the detailed specs to be sure sensors and third-party devices will work with your home’s infrastructure.
Mobile app usability
You’ll probably be interacting with your hub primarily through its mobile app, so you’ll want one that’s intuitive and powerful, with all the key features you use front and center. Our reviews cover this topic and include app screenshots to give you a sense of what you’ll be dealing with on the app side of things.
Overall complexity
This is a companion consideration to the mobile app, relating primarily to the audience for whom the smart home system was developed. Is the system geared toward everyday users with limited customization needs? Or is it built with extreme flexibility in mind, to the point where the configuration decisions might overwhelm a novice user? Again, close attention to our reviews can help you gauge how comfortable you’re likely to feel with any system.
Subscription plan costs
Subscription plan costs vary widely from system to system, and many vendors offer a range of plans to choose from. Some systems–particularly those that aren’t focused on home security–will work with no service plan at all. Study any subscription plan options carefully before you pull the trigger on a smart home hub.
Frequently asked questions about smart home hubs and systems
What is a smart home hub?
Strictly speaking, you don’t need a smart home hub if all your all smart home devices operate over Wi-Fi. But doing that will put a big load on your Wi-Fi router. You’ll have a better experience if you can offload that command and control work to a dedicated piece of hardware; namely, smart home hub that has at least a Zigbee radio. Also having Thread and Z-Wave radios onboard will give you additional flexibility, although the latter is not required for Matter support.
What are the most important smart home hub features?
The smart home hub you choose should be compatible with whatever smart home devices you already own, including any existing smart speaker or smart display. A Matter-certified hub will be compatible with any of them–a later-model Amazon Echo, Google Nest, or an Apple HomePod, for example. A versatile smart home hub will have Bluetooth, Thread, Zigbee, and perhaps Z-Wave radios onboard (Z-Wave is not part of the Matter standard, but TechHive’s editors still value it). If you’re centralizing your smart home around Matter, you’ll want to make sure your hub has a Thread border router onboard (although you can also use a separate device for that purpose). A Thread border router coordinates all your smart home devices that communicate over Thread
Where should I install a smart home hub?
A smart home hub will connect to your Wi-Fi router, either wirelessly or–more commonly–via an ethernet cable. Ideally, both those components will be in a central location inside your home, to provide the best coverage. The router will provide the broadband connection you’ll need to control your smart home devices, some of which will need to connect to servers in the cloud. Some smart home hubs, such as the security-focused Ring Alarm Pro, have a router integrated with the rest of their hardware.
How much do smart home hubs cost?
You can buy a smart home hub for as little as $30 or as much as $300, depending on its processor power and feature set. The very basic Aqara M100 hub, plugs into a user-supplied USB power supply has Zigbee and Thread radios inside. It supports Matter and can perform as a Thread border router, but you can only connect Aqara’s own Zigbee devices (and you’re limited to 20 of these and 20 Thread devices). Moving up to something like Ikea’s Dirigera hub ($109) or 4th-generation Amazon Echo ($100) will give you all those features with fewer limitations as well as well as an integrated smart speaker. The Amazon Echo Hub and Google’s Nest Hub incorporate displays along with their smart speakers. If you can tolerate a learning curve in exchange for setting up an even more powerful smart home hub, consider something like the Hubitat Elevation or an even more DIY-oriented Home Assistant.
This articles is written by : Fady Askharoun Samy Askharoun
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