With so many devices in home automation it can get quite cumbersome. This home automation thing was suppose to make life simple right? This is where a smart home hub or home automation hub helps out.
What is a Smart Home Hub?
A hub is the center of activity and relays data communications between devices. It is in a sense, your smart home’s manager. It serves as the bridge between you and “the cloud” of devices in your home.
Why Would One Need a Home Automation Hub?
Since home automation and smart homes are still in their infancy, it can get quite confusing to know which devices play well with others. Smart home hubs help bridge that gap as well.
The best smart home hubs will support multiple wireless protocols such as Bluetooth, ZigBee, Z-wave, and many more. Because smart home devices may only support one or two protocols, a hub is needed to provide better integration. Rather than fingering through a library of apps on your smartphone turn to a smart hub.
What Can One Do With a Smart Hub?
Basically, a smart home hub allows your devices that don’t share the same language (protocol) talk to one another. This allows users to automate the home’s thermostat, lighting, security cameras, door locks and more. You can create action based triggers to automate your home. For example, when you unlock your front door at night the lights in the home turn on. Voice activated smart hubs would allow you to adjust the temperature or activate a security system all with a simple command.
Some smart smart hubs also support geofencing. Geofencing creates actions based on location. Users can set rules for their home based on their location. If you’re outside an area, you may want to lower the temperature in your home. Additionally, when you pull in the drive way, wouldn’t it be nice to have the garage door open without pressing a button?