But not all smarthomes are made equal, and not all are worth your consideration.
Here’s a few to skip.
Some smart devices useZ-Wave, some Zigbee, and others use eitherBluetoothorWi-Fi.
Right now smart hubs are one way to fulfill that role.
WinkandSmartThingsare 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.
Iris hubs will not work after March 31st, 2019.
The problem is this has been the ongoing promise of an eventual project for years now.
Securifi’s last update on the product came viaTwitterpromising completion was near in April 2018.
It does offer the Almond 3 but describes that as a router thatmoonlights as a smart hub.
So the best step you could take is to avoid a product that already has a dubious track record.
Insteon will work with your Nest thermostat, Google Home, Amazon Echo, and your Logitech Harmony hub.
Eventually, IKEA added asmart plug, Alexa, and Siri support.
If you want to use a Z-Wave or Zigbee lock or sensor, you’ll still need another hub.
So it’s better toskip Tradfrialtogether.
Lowe’s
Unfortunately,far too many hubsalready exist and sometimes it seems like that list won’t stop growing.
If you are judicious in your choices,inexpensive smarthomeitems do exist.
But be careful not to go down a path that will force you to backtrack and start over.
Securifi
Insteon
IKEA
