A smart hub is the control center for all your smart home automation systems.
It ties all your systems together to ensure a cohesive experience.
If you are considering automating your home, do you need more than one smart hub?
You need more than one smart hub to enhance compatibility with your smart home devices. Different hubs are compatible with specific devices, making it impossible to use one hub for all your devices. For instance, Apple Homekit hubs connect to Apple devices unless bridged.
In the rest of this article, I’ll discuss the situations where you need more than one smart hub.
I’ll also discuss how to choose the best smart home hub and the pros and cons of using these devices.
Read on!
Situations where you need more than one smart hub
One smart hub is enough to manage your smart home devices. However, Samsung’s Support states that you may not be able to control one device with multiple hubs.
Some situations may need more than one smart hub for efficient operation.
Such situations include:
#1: Multiple smart home devices from different brands
One hub is all you need if you only have a few light bulbs and one thermostat from the same brand.
However, many people have multiple smart home devices from different brands.
For example, you might have an Amazon Echo, Philips Hue lights, a Nest thermostat, and an Insteon Smart Lock.
Since these devices are from different brands, they likely won’t be compatible with the same smart home hub.
In this case, you’ll need more than one smart hub to manage all your devices.
#2: Home automation protocols
Smart hubs use protocols to communicate with connected devices.
There are both wired and wireless home automation protocols in use today. The most common ones include:
- Insteon. Insteon uses radio frequency and electrical wiring.
- Z-Wave. This allows wireless communication and also connects to WiFi.
- Zigbee. This protocol is best for short-duration wireless communication.
- Universal Powerline Bus (UPB). This is a wired protocol that transmits signals using electrical wiring.
Smart hubs use different combinations of these protocols, so you must ensure that your hub is compatible with the protocol you want to use.
You might need more than one smart hub that uses different protocols to manage all your devices.
#3: You want to cover an extensive range
You may need more than one smart hub if you have a large home that covers an extensive area.
Smart home hubs have different range capabilities.
In most cases, these hubs work well in homes with few physical obstructions, such as walls.
Most smart hubs have a range of between 164 and 328 ft (50 and 100 m).
If your home is larger than this, you might need more than one smart hub to manage all your devices.
How to choose the best smart home hub
Choosing a smart home hub can be overwhelming due to the many brands on the market.
You’ll find Google, Apple, Insteon, and Amazon, among others, all selling these devices.
When choosing a smart home hub, you should consider the following factors:
#1: The number of connected devices
The first consideration is the number of devices you want to connect to your hub.
Do you have many devices or just a few?
Smart hubs vary in the number of devices they support, so you need one that can support all your devices.
For instance, while the Insteon hub supports up to 100 devices, its Z-wave counterpart supports up to 232.
Therefore, if you have more than 100 devices, you should consider getting the Z-wave hub.
#2: The range
As mentioned earlier, smart hubs have different ranges.
The average range is between 50 and 100 meters. However, others like Insteon have a limited range that can cover up to 150 ft (45.7 m).
Therefore, if you have a large home with many rooms and thick walls, you should get a hub with an extended range.
This ensures you comfortably control all these devices without moving the smart hub from its location.
#3: The protocols supported
Home automation protocols are either wired or wireless.
The most common wireless protocols are Zigbee and Z-wave.
You should get a hub that uses these protocols if you have many devices.
On the other hand, if you only have a few devices, you can go with a wired hub, such as the UPB.
Insteon is a popular protocol that uses both wireless and wired connections.
You should get a compatible hub if you want to use this protocol.
#4: Compatibility with other devices and systems
When choosing a smart home hub, you must consider its compatibility with other devices and systems.
For instance, Apple Homekit hubs are mainly compatible with Apple devices.
Connecting Apple Homekit hubs with devices from other brands like Amazon is a tedious and lengthy process.
You may not even succeed if you don’t have the knowledge.
The best hub is one that’s compatible with as many devices as possible. This allows you to connect different types and brands of devices to the same hub.
A general rule of thumb is to choose a smart hub compatible with your devices.
For instance, Amazon Echo is mainly compatible with Amazon devices.
Thus, you should have other Amazon devices if you want to use this hub.
Pros of smart home hubs
#1: They provide centralized smart home automation
Smart hubs unite smart devices so you can operate and manage them from a central point.
#2: They allow for remote access and control
You can control all your devices from anywhere within the home.
For instance, you don’t have to leave your bedroom to turn off the lights in the living room.
Cons of smart home hubs
#1: They require an internet connection
Most smart hubs rely on an internet connection to function.
This means you might not be able to control your devices if there’s a problem with your internet connection.
#2: There’s a possibility of data breaches
Since these devices are connected to the internet, they are prone to data breaches.
Hackers can easily access your devices and misuse them.
#3: They can be expensive
Smart hubs are not cheap.
You need to spend a good amount of money to get a top-quality device.
Final thoughts
You’ll need more than one smart hub if you have a large home, many devices, or if you want to use different protocols.
Therefore, considering the number of devices, the protocols supported, the range, and compatibility with other devices is crucial in choosing the right smart hub for your home.