The hub is the center of operations in a smart home. This is where the sensors and peripherals all speak to each other allowing all of that wonderful smart home goodness. Over the years some come and go so it’s important to understand just what you want from a hub. There are three main things that you should consider: protocols, local control, and ease of use.

Protocols

You want to make sure the hub you pick speaks to the protocols you intend to use. While there aren’t many protocols at the moment, you have to make sure your hub can talk to your devices. Some hubs may only have a Z-Wave receiver and not Zigbee so if you have both in your system, this hub will not work for you. If you are building your own hub you can buy the appropriate USB dongle for your situation. One controller that I recommend is the HUSBZB-1 from GoControl. It is a combo unit with both Z-Wave and Zigbee receivers built in.

Local Control

Local control means that you can still use your system within your home, even if the hub loses contact with the cloud. Some hubs require constant contact with their own cloud services so even if your internet is working, the company may have issues with their cloud services rendering your smart home useless. Even if the cloud services are working, if your internet is down so is your hub. Some hubs, such as Home Assistant, can run entirely local without the use of cloud servers meaning all of your information stays local also.

Ease of Use

Having to learn new software can be daunting and the learning curve in smart home hubs are no different. There is a trade off with most systems. If the software is very user-friendly, it might not be as robust as you would want. If the software is very robust, it’s not going to be the most user-friendly. It will all be down to personal preference so make sure whichever hub you choose has the ability to do what you want.