4 Smarthome Hubs You’ve Never Heard Of (And Why You Shouldn’t Use Them)

Author: Josh Hendrickson / Source: How-To Geek

Hubs are often the backbone of the smarthome, and you can pick from an extensive list of hub manufacturers. But not all smarthomes are made equal, and not all are worth your consideration. Here’s a few to skip.

Smart Hubs Tie Together Your Devices

The first thing you should learn with smarthomes is that there is no single standard for communication between smarthome devices.

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Some smart devices use Z-Wave, some Zigbee, and others use either Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. When you want a Z-Wave smart light to work with a Wi-Fi outlet, you need something to bridge the gap. Right now smart hubs are one way to fulfill that role.

Wink and SmartThings are well known smart hubs, but there are numerous other options with varying features. While some of these alternatives may be fine, others you shouldn’t put into your home. They may not stay around for the long haul, or they may not be compatible with enough smarthome devices.

Iris By Lowe’s is an Abandoned Hub

Even products by big companies fail, and Iris by Lowes is no exception. Iris may have been one of the earliest smart hubs available, first launching in 2012, but despite being competent enough and supported by Lowe’s it never took off. Mistakes were made, including a $10 a month subscription for functionality other hubs offered for free and lack of support for multiple users—eventually, the hardware store wanted out.

Lowe’s first announced it wanted to find a buyer to take over the Iris product line, but later did an about-face and decided on a full shut-down. Iris hubs will not work after March 31st, 2019. You won’t find them in Lowe’s stores anymore, but if you see them for aftermarket sale, you should pass.