What is a smart home hub?

All about the smart hub

A smart home hub, sometimes called a "smart hub," "gateway," "bridge," "controller," or "coordinator," is a control center/center for a smart home. A smart hub (sometimes called a home automation hub) is the control center - the brain, if you will - of a smart home or smart apartment. It is the portal that connects all the lights, light bulbs, smart locks, doorbells and playlists on a home network.

Instead of flipping light switches and changing thermostat settings, a smart hub "digitizes" the manual steps involved in operating these devices. With a Smart Hub, a resident can schedule, manage and control everything from a central interface (usually a touchscreen).

What does a smart hub do?
A single point of control:

A Smart Hub acts as a central hub for all your smart devices. That means you don't have to jump back and forth between different apps to control different devices. Rather, a Smart Hub has its own app with dedicated controls for each connected device.

Coordinated functions:

Generally, smart devices work with one of three different protocols - Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ZigBee or Z-Wave. This can make communication between devices difficult.

A smart hub acts as a translator between these protocols, allowing them to "speak" the same protocol language and perform useful functions commonly referred to as "routines."

A smart hub is also necessary, for example, if you have multiple smart lights from different brands in a room and want them to work together seamlessly.

How does a smart home hub work?
Hubs are generally network devices that act as convergence points for data from one or more devices and then forward the data in one or more other directions.

A smart home hub typically has a built-in switch that manages the information needed to determine how and where data is routed. The devices may also have computing resources to perform some processing tasks before the data is forwarded.

Smart home app

The associated smart-home app acts as a "universal remote" for all smart-home devices, allowing users to monitor the elements of the smart-home network and automate, schedule and control tasks.

Smart home hubs can control many smart home and IoT-enabled devices and systems, including smart sensors on thermostats, light bulbs, outlets and switches, door locks and sensors, doorbells, garage door openers. You can also control motion sensors, flood and leak sensors, smart radios and speakers, security systems and cameras, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, irrigation controllers, and fans, water heaters and other home appliances.

Dedicated hub vs. proprietary hub

Many smart home devices come with their own proprietary hubs, but these systems often can't integrate with other smart home systems, so the devices can't communicate with each other - for example, if a smoke detector detects a fire, it can't tell the smart locks to unlock the door to facilitate fire department access. In this case, a dedicated smart home hub can provide a centralized control option. If a homeowner uses smart light bulbs from different manufacturers, each of them can have its own hub with its own app. A dedicated smart home hub can combine and simplify the use of the different hubs.

Although a dedicated smart home hub provides a central command center, it does not mean that the proprietary hubs become obsolete. A dedicated smart home hub does not replace the hubs that come with the devices, but connects them all in one central location. Not using proprietary hubs can limit the functionality of the device or system.

Advantages of the smart home hub

A smart home hub provides the foundation for a connected and reliable smart home. Application commands and automations are received centrally by the hub as a signal and relayed to the devices in the smart home.

The biggest advantage is that users can operate the devices compatible with the hub uniformly with an app, even while on the move. Those who decide against a complete smart home system and thus also against a hub, usually have to deal with different apps or have no control option at all with the smartphone. This allows little comfort and can be annoying especially with a collection of so-called stand-alone solutions.

Convenience - By integrating your smart home devices, you can control all aspects of your home environment with simple voice commands. You can dim the lights and turn on your favorite movie while wrapped in a blanket on the couch. Customization options allow you to create a home schedule for added freedom.

Security - Remote access to smart home devices provides some peace of mind, knowing you can set up alerts and notifications for things like home security cameras and doorbells, motion detectors, and even window and door sensors. Not sure if you closed the door before you left for the airport? With a few taps on a smartphone, you can make sure your home is secure.

Potential Savings - Automation has the potential to create a more energy efficient home, especially with smart light bulbs. These devices can be automated to only work when you want them to.

Überlegungen zum Smart Home Hub
Beim Kauf eines Smart Home-Hubs sollst du einige Dinge beachten:

Sprachsteuerung: Wenn du dein Smart Home-System per Sprache steuern möchtest, solltest du prüfen, ob das Gerät mit deinem Smart Speaker (z. B. Amazon Alexa oder Google Home) integriert werden kann.

Integrationen: Einige Smart Home-Hubs bieten mehr Integrationen als andere. Außerdem kann die Anzahl der verfügbaren Integrationen durch den Hub begrenzt sein; Logitech Harmony beispielsweise kann nur bis zu acht Smart Home-Geräte verbinden.

Kompatibilität mit dem Betriebssystem: Die meisten Systeme sind zwar mit iOS und Android kompatibel, aber das solltest du vor dem Kauf prüfen.

Verbindung: Einige Smart Home-Hubs benötigen eine direkte Verbindung zu deinem Router, wie z. B. der Smart Things Hub, während andere über W-LAN verbunden werden.

Kompatibilität: Informiere dich über die Standards (Zigbee, Z-Wave, Bluetooth, W-LAN), die deine Smart Home-Geräte verwenden, und stelle sicher, dass der Hub diese unterstützen kann.

Smart Home-App: Die meisten Smart Home-Hubs werden über eine Smartphone-App gesteuert. Es gibt auch einige Optionen, die über einen PC oder Mac verfügbar sind.

Fazit:
Es ist schwer zu sagen, welcher Smart Home-Hub am besten ist. Verschiedene Smart Home Hubs haben unterschiedliche Vorteile. Denkst du darüber nach, die Beleuchtung in deinem Haus zu automatisieren? Willst du, auch wenn du nicht zu Hause bist, die Sicherheit deines Hauses auch dann im Auge behalten? Willst du deine Smart Home Geräte über eine mobile App oder per Sprachbefehl steuern? Wenn ja, dann sollte ein Smart Home Hub in dein Leben treten.

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