Smart Home Hubs EXPLAINED - Beginner's Guide

[@AlexTeo]

some of the points explained are quite misleading, for eg. philips hue bridge, you still need if you like to have some philips hue products regardless of what systems you use, or an aqara hub you also need it if you are planning to use apple home. So I do think that all is depending on which smart home systems you want to use first

[@SmartHomeTheory]

Hi Alex, actually you don’t need the Hue bridge or Aqara hub to use Philips or Aqara devices with platforms like SmartThings, Hubitat, Home Assistant, etc. Apple Home can also be used without the proprietary bridge or hub, assuming you’re using the right universal hub.

[@AlexTeo]

@@SmartHomeTheory philips hue bridge - on smartthings definitely, in home assistant it is possible to use zha or mqtt but its not reliable, most people use the hue integration if I am not wrong. Aqara hub - you mean homekit users don't need the aqara hub? then where does the zigbee connectivity come from? If you are saying homekit users use 'universal hub', then they are not technically a homekit apple smart home anymore

[@SmartHomeTheory]

Why can you be an Apple HomeKit smart home through an Aqara hub but not through Home Assistant? You’re effectively just swapping out one hub for another, but you still need that hub in either case. Correct me if I’m misunderstanding you.

[@AlexTeo]

@@SmartHomeTheory because aqara is simply just a device manufacturer, same as philips hue, switchbot, tuya which you have rightfully explained, they all have proprietary hubs meant for their own products. HA on the other hand is a smart home system, like smartThings, like Google Home, like Apple home

[@SmartHomeTheory]

Sorry, I’m still not sure where exactly you think I’m misleading people. The points I made in the video all hold true from my perspective.

[@Chris-zu4es]

9:20 you say m3 hub will let you connect non aqara devices, but doesn't the M2 also do that? I'm confused it say Zigbee on the box.. so what's the difference? I'm thinking of buying the home assistant but I don't own a computer is that required? I was looking at the GREEN version

[@adambezark2293]

Very helpful explanation, thank you! One big question that I’m still trying to understand: if I have a larger house, do I need multiple hubs to get complete coverage? How big is the range on each hub? Or do they use other protocols like Thread to extend their range, meaning I only need one hub for the whole house?

[@SmartHomeTheory]

Glad it helped! No, you wouldn't use multiple hubs. Instead, you would focus on using a mesh protocol like Zigbee, Z-Wave or Thread with a hub that supports those protocols. That way, each smart device that's plugged into mains power will act as a repeater and extend the signal further away from your hub. Hope that makes sense? Let me know if you have any other questions about this, happy to help.

[@adambezark2293]

@@SmartHomeTheory thanks for the quick response! So the individual devices serve as mesh extensions. I suppose the problem would be if I put a device in a remote part of the house that isn’t near any other devices or hubs? For instance, I set up Aqara locks for my front and back doors. The Apple HomePod Mini is near the front door, but the back door is pretty far from that HomePod and it doesn’t register in my system. Do I need to add another HomePod, an Aqara hub or a WiFi extender near that back door? Can I create a “trail” of devices from the front door to the back door?

[@SmartHomeTheory]

No problem! So your homepod wouldn't extend the signal because it doesn't use zigbee (which almost all Aqara products use) and it isn't part of the Aqara mesh network. You also only have one hub in a zigbee setup so you definitely don't need another Aqara hub. Instead, you'll want to use an additional Aqara device in between your door lock and your Aqara hub to "bridge the gap". Doesn't matter which device as long as it's plugged into an outlet. Hope that helps.

[@adambezark2293]

@@SmartHomeTheory Very helpful, thanks. Actually, we DON'T have an Aqara hub. The front door lock seems to be working fine using just the HomePod Mini. Perhaps it's using another protocol - WiFi or Bluetooth - to talk to the lock? Do we need an Aqara hub? I'm hoping to keep our home setup simple, with as few proprietary hubs as possible. Would I be better off getting something like the Homey Pro which can talk to more products?

[@SmartHomeTheory]

Ah, I see! In that case you're exactly right, and I believe it's using Bluetooth to talk directly to your HomePod. Bluetooth has very poor range so you would either have to get a hub that speaks to your locks over Zigbee (assuming the locks are Zigbee supported) or get another HomePod to place near the back of your house. If you're already considering a universal hub like the Homey Pro, that's probably your best bet at this stage - assuming you're not willing to dive into the depths of Home Assistant. ;)

[@timsbigadventure]

What about Homey Pro? It seems like that will provide the best option for connecting a wide variety of smart home products.

[@SmartHomeTheory]

Homey Pro is also a great option if you’re happy to pay a premium. I’d like to do a review on it at some point in the near future. Appreciate the comment. 👍

[@ahmedalmonthiry3420]

Well done, can you please give us more options for universal smart hubs that can support Zigbee and thread? Thanks

[@SmartHomeTheory]

Thanks. May I ask what is it you’re looking for that isn’t covered by the universal hubs mentioned in the video?

[@Anton_Johansson.]

Aqara Hub M3 support Matter. Does that mean that all devices that also support Matter can connect and be used with the hub?

[@ReggyRay289]

Wow! This was so informative! I'm thinking I'll get a aqara m3

[@curiousChoo]

Thank you for the great video.

[@SmartHomeTheory]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@vortexlisa]

My home is full of hubs lmao... I really need to try a universal one...

[@SmartHomeTheory]

Which one are you leaning towards?

[@vortexlisa]

@@SmartHomeTheory well I've always heard a lot about home assistant but I need a pi and... then I'm lost. I'm normally good at stuff... I really want more flexibility with stuff like automations.

[@vortexlisa]

Like I feel like if I could get past being an idiot about what to get for the first bit I could work it out. But that first thing always stops me. I'm always worried about getting the wrong thing. Even though guides probably tell me exactly what to get.

[@PartyBoizz]

Homey is the best and easiest

[@SmartHomeTheory]

I’d love to do a review on it! What, in your opinion, are the standout features of Homey that make it better than everything else?

[@PartyBoizz]

@@SmartHomeTheory Homey Pro on the other hand is designed to work right out of the box. With an easy setup, guided pairing processes, and intuitive Flow creations, Homey is the better plug & play smart home hub. Additionally Homey Pro offers direct customer service, cloud services, and voice control functions for its users with no additional costs. Homey Pro has 7 wireless protocols built-in, so you never need to go looking for any additional hardware or USB-dongles, unlike with Home Assistant.

[@SuperBOXmallix]

Hi Im Mallix from SuperBOX, an US android tv box brand into this business for >5yrs. We've just rolled out new product namely S6 ultra. It would be great if you can do a honest review video for the device to your audience, may I know how to contact and send offer to you? Thank you