If you’re like most people, you probably don’t have a lot of time to spend on setting up and managing your home’s various devices and systems. That’s where a hub comes in handy- it’s a device or app that manages all of your connected devices, making it easier for you to control everything from one place. There are a number of dedicated hubs on the market, but which one is right for you? Here are some factors to consider:

  1. What Devices Do You Already Have? If you already have a few smart devices in your home, then a hub may not be necessary. However, if you have many different types of devices (like an Echo speaker, Nest thermostat, and Philips Hue lightbulbs), then a hub can make it easier for you to control them all from one place.
  2. How Much Time Do You Have? A dedicated hub can take some time to set up and get used to, but once it’s installed it can make managing your home’s systems much easier. If time is an issue for you, then consider an app- many of these also offer quick setup options.
  3. How Much Money Are You Willing To Spend? Dedicated hubs can range in price from around $30-$100+, but they also offer more features than apps do. If money is an issue for you, then consider an app instead. Apps tend to be cheaper and offer more flexibility than dedicated hubs do. ..

Matter Is Moving Smart Home Beyond the Hub

If you’ve been in the smart home game for any length of time, you’re more than familiar with the smart home hub model.

Hubs both serve as a way of controlling your smart home gear and as gateways for smart home devices to communicate with the rest of your network and the greater internet.

In some cases, a hub is just for a particular ecosystem. You need the Philips Hue Hub, for example, to link together all your Philips Hue smart lights and accessories for neat effects like syncing your lights to your PC or using the Hue Sync Box for colorful real-time ambient lighting while watching TV.

In other cases, hubs aren’t eco-system-restricted and serve to link together multiple products from multiple vendors like the Aeotec Smart Home SmartThings Hub. Because of the versatility of such Swiss-Army-knife type hubs, historically, it’s been quite easy to argue that a proper smart home needs such a hub.

For really serious smart home enthusiasts with very diverse smart home ecosystems (and older smart home hardware in the mix), it’s likely to remain true that a dedicated smart home hub will remain a necessity.

But the Matter smart home protocol is moving the smart home market toward a hubless existence where consumers are no longer required to go shopping for a dedicated hub for their smart homes unless some compelling use case pushes them to do so.

In the Matter home, you’re free to mix and match your hardware, your devices, and even the software interface you use to control them all.

Manufacturers Are Building Matter Hubs Into Their Products

It’s not entirely true to say that there is no hub in the Matter smart home universe. In fact, Thread border routers fulfill the hub function.

The key difference, and one that is both consumer-friendly and bodes well for the widespread adoption of the Matter standard, is that the Thread border routers are built into a myriad of devices that people are already buying on their own merits—and not because they’re actively shopping for a Matter hub.

Google has a similar spread of router and smart speaker offerings. The Nest Wi-Fi routers will function as Matter hubs, as will the second generation Nest Hub and the Nest Hub Max.

Apple’s second-generation Apple TV 4K sports a built-in hub, as does the HomePod Mini.

While different smart lighting companies have signed on to support Matter—the Philips Hue Hub will update to support Matter but won’t be a Thread border router—Nanoleaf has jumped in feet first with Matter hubs built into its Elements, Shapes, and Lines Light Panels.

These are just examples of products that are already prepped for Matter and will have day-one support. As time goes on, we’ll continue to see Matter controllers built into consumer smart home products, all offering a seamless way to introduce Matter into your home—no stand-alone hub purchase required.