Smart Home Hub or Nah? When and How to Use a Hub 

I know I’m just scratching the surface on hubs but I hope this bridges some gaps to more advanced automations I will be doing soon. Ferris Bueller had some pretty impressive automations for a high school senior. I wonder what his smart home set up would look like... 🤔

like the features, setup was difficult for some of my devices (August Door lock, ru-vid.comUgkxhB5YOMNj04GuoAosExygP4cH-dKeb4aB Bose speaker)... but all switches and outlets (5), thermostat, tankless water heater. Unfortunately all I can do is turn on/off Bose. It doesn't support volume or changing channels, but I believe that is due to the particular speaker I have.... Worth getting if you already have other devices to use it with... I don't sit around and ask Alexa questions much so that doesn't really matter to me....

*I like the old style Echo Dot because it's small also **Newest.Technology**, gives out decent sound and doesn't take up a lot of shelf space if you want to put it on beam in the workshop or shed.*

Our house guests are usually my in-laws, so the more annoying I can make it, the less time they stay...win win.

WHAT! Still using a tennis ball and string for your car stop? No lasers or smart parking sensors for the SmartHomeSolver family? I'm disappointed, Reed. lol

Thank you for making these videos. I am the only person I know that’s into smart home stuff and I find myself watching a lot of your videos lately

I just realized yesterday how important hubs are after the internet went out (my router had a problem). Most of my smart devices didn't work and the light was dimmed to 5%. I had no way to change that to 100%. My phone had no internet either, so I had to buy data. This is the first time I experienced this and it made me think a lot.

Home Assistant is by far the best hub i've tried. A little confusing to begin with but once you get your head around it you won't go back.

Love these because im trying to upgrade to some smart things

Thanks for the video, was very comprehensive on why you need a hub ; My question is, if you already have a hub, such as Echo Plus 2nd gen, then you get a smartthings hub, those devices such as Samsung sensors, Axis blinds, that are already managed by the Echo plus thru Zigbee, do you unpair them, then repair them with the new smartthings control instead i.e. you can only have one 'hub' controller ? Also another quick question : Does smarthings allow you to do more with 2019/2020 Samsung TV's, currently you have basic on/off/mute functionality, does smartthings allow you to do more such as selecting a particular app etc.. ?

With Samsung, you can use any of their Smart TV's released in or after 2022 as a Hub, and that's what I do now, and it works identically to having a hub, except without needing to buy one (I had the TV before deciding to go smart)

My wife and I are getting ready to move into our new house and we're planning on making our first smart home. Your videos have been invaluable for us to learn about different products and if we actually need them or not. Thank you!

Hi! Is there a desktop application for SmartThings? I'd much rather control and program everything from my PC than from my phone. Thanks! Aloha 🤙🏽

I love how I have a SmartThings hub yet have 6 WiFi outlets 😅

Reed, any tips on how to add a Wifi device, in my case a GE Wifi Switch, to Smartthings hub? Is that even possible?

Hello. what is different between SmartThings WiFi and SmartThings Hub V3? If I want to lock and unlock the gate with my phone, do I need hub or wifi? Thank you

What I've been trying to figure out is, can I use something like the google nest hub or amazon Alexa, ect and connect all my devices to them, then only have the nest/alexa connect to the wifi in order to limit the amount of connected devices to my router?

I recently bought many Smart Home trackers. I do have a Samsung Smart TV 2019 with Smart Things installed. Do I still need to buy the smart hub?

Can i use this hub to airthings wave plus?

Great thoughts, now let’s talk about garage automation!

Watching this video after dumping wink and his subscription BS.

scenes just seem like groups in alexa? two main reasons for hubs seems to be multiple if conditions and switch variables.

I have some diveces that works with Tuya app, but dont are compatible with smartthings, Can I do that diveces compatibles with a Hub?

Thanks for your videos - they have been really helpful! I'm trying to find a hub to start my smart home (currently running on Google rather than Alexa) and am wanting a SmartThings hub upon the recommendations of yourself and many others. However it’s out of stock everywhere (in Canada) and has been for many months. I'm trying to decide if it's worth waiting or to go with another alternative such as Hubitat (I am an IT guy but prefer a more elegant interface / setup process). Any thoughts on this are most welcome! Cheers & thanks again for the excellent content!

I love smart stuff so I love your vids!.

Excelent video, thanks for sharing your experience. I had the doubt of adding a hub or not to my smart home. For a beginner that hub models would be a good investment: Samsung SmartThings Hub 3rd Generation / Philips Hue Smart Hub / Hubitat Elevation Home Automation Hub. Thank's

Great video. Thanks for sharing. You provide a lot of information with interesting examples, in a way that is hard to find elsewhere. I have a lot of plans for automation, but I'm moving by "baby steps". I would love to see a future video on keeping the light constant in a room by combining a curtain and a few light sources, optimizing power usage. E.G. for a reading scene during sunset.

Thanks so much for the video, could you do a video on how to turn off the automation such as motion sensors? I currently have my whole home automation set up under Smart Lighting in SmartApps. When I created the virtual device, I don't have the option to choose not to control these Smart Lighting automations. I also have routines set up in google home such as "Shower Time" where it dims my lights, plays music and turns on the fan. But because my Smart Lighting automation is set to turn off the lights after 1 minute, it would either turn ogg the lights or the brightness would go back up if it detects motion, which is very annoying. I'm trying to set it up in a way where I can say o my Google Assistant, "turn off motion sensors" or "shower time" and have the motion automations turned off and lights would stay on.

i have kasa smart plugs and i notice my wifi been lagging ever since i add too many smart plugs. it wasn’t the internet because a modem reboot solve the issue right away. is there a hub for smart plugs?

3:38 I love how he blocked out alexa for all the alexa users out there XD

Thanks for showing great videos instead of sitting there and flailing your hands around like most annoying RU-vidrs are doing now.

Can the Smart Things Hub also work as a WiFi to RF interface? i.e. control an RF fan or RF blinds.

I had connected IKEA Tradfri Dimmer to Smartthings(ST) to control my HUE lights. It worked fine. Two days back by mistake I removed my ST HUB V3 from the APP. However when I set that up by resetting it. The IKEA Dimmer Switch will connect to ST but no button actions are registered in the APP and I am also not able to control anything with these paired IKEA Dimmers. How can I solve this?

In France, we only have the Phillips hue hub...that's it !

I’m so disappointed with my SmartThings hub. It doesn’t support the few smart devices I have so far! I bought C by GE bulbs and a plug, Govee light strips and a Wyze cam which NONE are supported by the hub! Ugghhhh! I still don’t understand why I need a hub if the devices I have are supported by my voice assistant (Google). I understand it supports Z Wave and Zigbee which are common in a lot of inexpensive smart devices, but our home just isn’t big enough to where I need motion sensors and a bunch of cameras and lights and stuff. I don’t know. I’m just so frustrated. All the research I’ve done and I still don’t understand what I need. Hell my Philips Hue BT bulbs won’t even connect to my Google home OR SmartThings!!! I bought a freaking Philips Hue Bridge hoping the BT bulbs will at least connect to that and then MAYBE I can connect them to my Google Minis but damn, I shouldn’t have to! I’ve just realized that all these devices have issues and the “resolution” to then is to unplug or cut off and plug back in or cut back on, reboot it or do a FACTORY RESET?! That’s all these different devices tell you and if that doesn’t work you’re screwed!! We even doubled our internet speeds just to be able to accommodate building a smarthome, and I feel like my hours and hours of time and research were for nothing. Everything’s just so dang jumbled. 😭😖😭

As a newbie, would a hub save you from having to reconnect all your devices should your home router change? And can an old router be used as a hub that is connected to say, my home Virgin router?

Biggest benefit of having a hub of some sort I see is that you are independent.. - of whatever screwed the morning of XYZ company's CEO that he decided to dump whole smart things project. - of XYZ's CFO that he decided that customers now have to pay $.10 for every single use of let's say switch, or if they need more than 10 devices. Making you immune to corporate cr@p and greedy decisions.

Everything you mentioned can be done in the cloud based smart life app ecosystem. And there are lots of Wi-Fi based devices made to work in smartlife.

Question: there are so-called multi - mode hubs. Can those deal with Zigbee devices and non-Zigbee devices like the Tuya/SmartLife devices I already use? Some expert feedback is very appreciated 😊

Question though, how many hubs do i need? Just 1 for the entire house? Floor?

Hey man thanks alot you have been of great help on me setting up my smarthome. I also wanted to know whats the difference between a 2nd gen hub and the new one?? I was considering bying a used one due to my budget and from what am seeing the 2nd gen is relatively cheap

Hi. I already have a yeelight hub, a SPC hub, a Xiaomy hub.and several Google home devices. Do Samsung hub or Homey integrate all that hubs? They don’t talk each other and it is very annoying. What do you prefer Samsung smarthings hub or Homey? Thank you

I have a few questions: 1a) How do Smart hubs actually communicate with devices - do they talk them via your router (assuming they are wifi devices) or do they form a direct connection to the devices themselves? 1b) Following on from 1a, do Hubs create their own "wifi network" that the wifi devices connect to, or do the wifi devices all still connect to your home wifi network. 1c) Also linked to the first two: If you have a mesh wifi system for your home internet, so that all your devices around your house get a good connection, does a smart hub render this redundant for your smart devices (i.e. if the smart hub communicates directly with the devices instead of via your home mesh wifi network). 2) How are devices added to hubs - do the devices first have to be added via the manufacturer's own software, and then linked in to the hub?

I moved into a home and a hub was left behind. My home apparently has lights,doorbell camera,thermostat, door handle. I contacted the hub manufacturer and apparently it's a paid service?? Can I just get a different hub to use all these things?

I'm just starting in the home automation world. I an an Alexa user. What would be the best type of hub to purchase that would allow me to connect switches, Ring cameras, Feit door sensors, etc.? Thanks!

You can only use IF THEN automation features if you have a HUB? is that correct? I simply want to trigger something that says - IF i turn on one device THEN turn on the others. Trying to figure out if i need a HUB for that simple task

I got one those free from the city when I was on a short house arrest (for reckless driving 160MPH) I'm and sure glad it's gone, yet you actually want this and are willing to buy it. I think that's crazy but that's your choice and your right. Soon will be smart toilet to tell you when to Pee. I'll wait until it can just take a Piss for me.

Hello. I don't get the idea of a Hub, I mean, I can create scenes (with all the advanced feature that you mentioned) on my phone with Samsung Smarthings. Why would I need to buy another device to do the same? (And by the way a really expensive one)

Unfortunately, Samsung smartthings was discontinued.

Hello. My router is giving me wifi speed and conecction problems because i have 20+ wifi smart devices. If get the hub will my router see all my smart devices connected to smartthings as only one device? Or i need to change my wifi router anyways?

Hi i am in the process to buy a hub and i am looking for the Aeotech smart home hub i would like to know if it is possible to control IP camera Axis M3116-LVE the camera is not wireless is there a trick to make it work?

So, because my better half works 3rd shift and I work 2nd shift, if I were to come home early but I don't want the lights to turn on would I need a hub if the app I'm using to automate my lights for my location isn't working properly to know the difference between night and day to keep the lights off even if I have the automation in the app set to keep the lights off during a sunny day even if I come home?

This guy is brilliant very informative info have followed

So basically a Smart-things Hub is used in place of a traditional router? Hope so. Ever since I bumped up my internet speed to 200mbps it appears my current Router isnt able to handle it.

I am thinking about buying a hub (December 2020) but it looks like the smarthings hub is sold out and I am hearing rumors of there not being more, which hubs work with the smartthings app?

Wow. Finally a simple and straight to the point explanation of the real benefits of having a smart hub. Your videos are the best. Can I make the Wyze door sensors work with the SmartThings hub? Can you explain to us in a separate video all the benefits on why we would want to flash devices such as sonoff ones with Tasmota as opposed to using their skill in Alexa? I love the fact that you read and reply to our comments. Looking Forward. Thank you.

Can the wifi hub with Plume be used ONLY as a hub for smart home? I have a brand new router that I really like and I don't want to use the wifi router part of the ST hub. Can that be done? Thank you!

Probably a dumb question but is a cellphone necessary, I don't have, never did or like cellphones ?

what about switch bot do they have a good powerful app like this that would have the agility to create advanced automations. I simply cant afford the smartthings one any suggestions or alterative?

is it possible to add motion detectors in different locations of the house that it triggered would turn on the Samsung frame TV? This particular TV shows art on the display what he great to have a showing the art before you walk into the particular room with the frame tv

I have added a second bridge to control outdoor lights but now cant use it with google home automation because my indoor one is registered with hue account...this is such a disappointment..any idea if samsung bridge could help with this scenario ?

You never said any about control wifi AND IR units at the same time via button. The hub you show, did not have IR

Can i control the hub by connecting by Bluetooth. The Internet is not available for my project and no WiFi modem ?

If I buy a smartthings hub will it colate all my smart stuff across all the apps in one place because I have stuff that isn't compatible with smarthings app on my phone??

The best is the switch, wire ... light bulb ... Fuck all that nonsense that only brings trouble

Hi thanks for the video :) One basic question: is it true that hub can take over the need of connecting the smart device to the wifi instead it can be connected directly to the hub and save the wifi traffic?

Could you test The ikea trådfri smart bulbs and how they compare to more expensive smart lights?

Is there any way to operate light using QR code? I need to manage inventory using automation?

Smart home solver putting out videos faster than I can watch them! Great content again sir!

So, will the hub still control smart bulbs and other smart appliances should the internet go out?

is there any door contact or door lock that can send me notification when i am at work? (mean no wifi conection of my phone just data). thank you

Hubs are great if you shop around for broadband every year, no hub then have to reconnect to WiFi for each brand or each light with hub just works.

with the smart hub from samsung we dont need something like google home correct? because we can triger on the phone the google assistant to control smart things ?

if you already have a bunch of wifi devices can you still use smartthings?

But if you do not have a hub can you use your phone to connect everything to the smartthings app and have your phone act as the hub>?

Is that an all black GAN cube? Thx for another great video! 😊

Will hub solves problem of not having a N wire in switch panel ?

Thank you for all those really helpful videos! It's really hard for me to get into all those possibilities of doing what I imagine. Just a question: is there any way to have the lights showing some breathing or colour changing effects? I have 2 hue bulbs and 2 cheaper WiFi bulbs atm. Do I need the hue Bridge for that?

If I start buying smart stuff to only use with Google Assitant and later want to integrate SmartThings hub... do I need to buy switches/cameras/bulbs that specifically " work with SmartThings" or any Wi-Fi or Z-wave device can be automated with the ST hub?

Hey, great video. Most of my smart home devices are smart life and I don't think that I can link them to smart thing hub. Is there any other hub which would work for me? Thanks, Tom

Let’s say i’m going to buy around 8 yeelight bulbs and want to spread them around the house and also buy around 4 mija body movement sensors (the small ones). Now all the 8 bulbs will have two tasks. 1- bright to 100% when someone pass the area. 2- dim to 20% when there’s no movements. The question is, do I need a hub for that ?

Hi guys I have a quick question for you I’m pretty new in the smarting home I just bought my SmartThings hub and my question is do I need to buy only the product that I can see in the SmartThings app such as LG Samsung and Cetra or I can use other product that are not in the list of the app ? when I’m searching for a new device in the app it show me bunch of companies that selling the product that I want such as lights bulbs the one that I bought from Amazon is not listed my question is if I can connect those products as well Or I need to go with the same product that I have in the list also I bought a SmartThings motion sensor but it’s not recognize my lights I bought from amazon The same thing with the light switch I don’t have it in the app list what to do????

How intuitive, flexible/interoperable and third party friendly smart devices have become....7.3.21

Hey Reed, I’m trying to find SmartThings Hub but can’t find it anywhere. Any thoughts?!? Is it being discontinued or getting an update ? Any help will be great.. thnx

Extremely insightful. Thank you for this :-)

i have problem, when i control all device with phone and connected wifi, everything ok.. but when i control with phone not connected with wifi (internet connection), everything 90% to late respon and 10% failed can't control

Hey so I've been doing home automation for a while now but use a lot of the cheap WiFi bulbs and LED strips which currently all connect straight to my Virgin Media router. But as you can expect my router is getting quite full. Can I use the Samsung smartthings hub to connect all my WiFi bulbs to limit the devices on my router? I currently use smartlife app to control them

What if I already have a bunch of wifi bulbs? My problem is at least once every other day one of the lights doesn't work. Thanks

Why is the hub $525. I thought it was less than $100.

I just bought the smartthings wifi mesh. If I want a fourth, should I buy an additional mesh router or the standalone hub? Why? Thanks in advance!

What do you consider a lot of devices? I have two smart bulbs, a wifi enabled a/c, three plugs, 2 switches and 2 water sensors, and I plan to get 3 more devices. is 12 considered a lot?

Where can you find a Samsung Smartthings hub?

And if you, in my case, have sworn to google, what would be a good choice regarding hub? Or dosent google need one? The ones google calls hubs, are the ones with the screens, but im not sure they have similar features as the samsung smartthings hub.

Does smart things control things that are zwave or zigbee?

Great video. Will a hub help me with this scenario.... Both my wife and I have bedside lamps with a smart plug. I want to be able to say alexa turn on my lamp, and then the routine knows who said it through the alexa voice profiles and turns on/ off the relevant lamp. Thanks!

Thank you for your videos! I love how informational they are and yet also interesting.

hi man , which one is better , get a google nest hub / echo show or get echo dot + smartThings ?? i'm just about to start automation and need your advice a little bit 😂 thanks before man

Does anyone know where to buy the cloud light at 1:18?

If I were controlling everything through a smart phone, does the hub need to be in range of the smart phone? Or can I put the hub in my media distribution panel via spare ethernet port in the basement switch/router and use smartphone anywhere else in the house via wifi to turn the lights on anywhere?

Will this change when connected home over IP gets going ?