จริงๆ แล้วเราคิดว่า Apple แพลตฟอร์มสมาร์ทโฮม HomeKit นั้นดีกว่าของ Google แม้ว่า HomeKit จะรองรับอุปกรณ์จำนวนน้อยลง แต่ก็ช่วยให้มีความซับซ้อนมากขึ้นเมื่อสร้างกิจวัตรบ้านอัจฉริยะ และเราไม่ต้องกังวลมากว่า Apple กำลังทำอะไรกับข้อมูลของเรา
HomePod mini ไม่ได้เป็นเพียงลำโพงอัจฉริยะราคาไม่แพงเท่านั้น แต่ยังทำหน้าที่เป็นฮับ HomeKit ให้คุณเชื่อมต่อล็อคได้ , ไฟและอุปกรณ์อื่นๆ ที่ใช้พลังงานต่ำโดยตรง HomePod mini ยังมีเธรดในตัว ในขณะที่มีอุปกรณ์สมาร์ทโฮมค่อนข้างน้อยที่มีเทคโนโลยีนี้ เราคาดว่าจะได้รับความนิยมเพิ่มขึ้น เนื่องจากทั้ง Apple และ Google รองรับ
บ้านสตาร์ลิ่ง Hub does one thing, and does one thing well: It connects Nest devices — such as the Nest Learning Thermostat and the Nest Protect — to Apple’s HomeKit smart home platform. (Sadly, Apple and Nest have never played well together). This means if you’re using Apple’s smart home platform, you can use some of the best smart thermostats and best smart smoke detectors.
But that’s all that the Starling Hub does, and it doesn’t let you view Nest security cameras on HomeKit. You can’t have everything, but for what the Starling does, it’s really handy.
+Works with Zigbee and Z-Wave devices+Allows for complex interactions between smart home devices+All smart home logic stored locally
Reasons to avoid
–Steep learning curve–Hub has to be plugged into router
Because of its steep learning curve but incredibly granular controls, the Hubitat Elevation is the best smart home hub for power users. Homeowners who want to create incredibly specific rules and situations for when their smart home devices activate will appreciate all that you can do from within Hubitat’s web interface.
The Hubitat Elevation itself is very small — the size of a thick coaster — but packs in both Zigbee and Z-Wave antennas. However, it lacks Wi-Fi, so you’ll have to plug it into your router in order to use it. When we first reviewed the Hubitat Elevation, it lacked a smartphone app, so you had to control everything through a web interface. Since then, the company added a mobile app for both Android and iPhones, making it easier to monitor your smart home on the go.
Works With: Zigbee, Nest, Philips Hue, SmartThings, IFTTT, WeMo, Honeywell
Ports: microUSB
Battery Backup: No
Reasons to buy
+Excellent audio with bass+Convenient smart-home hub+Two-way doorbell and camera audio
Reasons to avoid
–Very large–Expensive
One of the best smart home hubs and smart displays in one device, the third-generation Amazon Echo Show 10 can now turn to face whoever is asking Alexa questions. It ensures that you get the best view of the screen, but as a result, requires a lot more room than previous models.
Like the Amazon Echo Plus, the Echo Show has Zigbee built in, so you can connect smart home devices directly to the Show. It also has Amazon Sidewalk, a new networking technology that connects low-power devices to the Internet at greater distances. However, at $249, it’s one of the more expensive smart home speakers around. We’d recommend purchasing it for its other features before considering it as a smart home hub.
A HomeKit smart home hub with a streaming TV platform
Specifications
Size: 3.9 x 3.9 x 1.9 inches
Works With: HomeKit
Ports: Ethernet, HDMI, microUSB
Battery Backup: No
Reasons to buy
+Fantastic 4K HDR content+Intuitive home screen+Simple iOS and macOS integration
Reasons to avoid
–Fiddly remote–No digital audio or USB ports
Apple’s HomeKit smart home platform isn’t as popular as Google’s or Amazon’s, but it is very powerful for what it offers, namely, a fairly sophisticated setup of interactions between your smart home devices. However, these devices all have to be connected through a smart home hub.
While you can use a variety of Apple products as a HomeKit hub—an iPad and the HomePod also work—the Apple TV 4K is the least expensive method. Plus, it’s one of the best streaming devices around, letting you watch 4K HDR content from a large number of sources via an easy-to-use interface. We’re not fans of its remote, though.
+Excellent performance+Home automation hub+Mesh extensions available
Reasons to avoid
–Requires two apps–Short range
Available in a three pack for $289 (or $120 per device), the Samsung SmartThings Wifi is the best mesh Wi-Fi system we’ve reviewed at this price. But more than just a mesh router, the SmartThings Wifi also acts as a smart home hub, letting you create automations for connected home devices, such as timers for smart lights and powered window shades, and deep integration with Samsung’s own smart home products.
It’s one of the best mesh Wi-Fi options for anyone who is into home automation, and an economical way to fill just about any home with Wi-Fi while satisfying demanding users.
A great smart display, but limited smart home hub capabilities
Specifications
Size: 9.9 x 7.2 x 4 inches
Works With: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Thread
Ports: None
Battery Backup: No
Reasons to buy
+Great display+Excellent audio+Lots of entertainment options+Good camera for video chats
Reasons to avoid
–Google Home has limited smart home capabilities
The Google Nest Hub Max is an excellent smart display: It has a spacious 10-inch screen which can be used for watching YouTube and Netflix, looking up recipes, news, and more; its dual speakers are powerful; and its 6.5MP camera is great for Google Duo video calls, and will even”follow”you as you move across the room.
Connectivity-wise, it has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Thread, a new smart home networking protocol that Google has been trying to popularize for a few years. The Nest Hub Max’s display can be used to view live footage from Google Assistant-compatible home security cameras, video doorbells, and baby monitors, and on-screen controls let you adjust smart light levels. However, as a smart home platform, Google Home doesn’t have nearly the same sophistication as Alexa or HomeKit.
When choosing a smart home hub that’s best for your needs, you first have to ask yourself what you want to do with it, and what you want to control. If all you have is one set of smart lights, then you probably don’t need a smart home hub. But, if you have smart lights and a smart lock, and want the lights to turn on when the lock opens at night, then you might need a smart home hub.
Consider the products you want to connect. If they’re all on Wi-Fi, then you can use a smart home hub like the Amazon Echo Dot, and use the Alexa app to control everything. If you have other types of devices — Zigbee and Z-Wave, for instance — you’ll need to purchase a smart home hub that can receive those signals.
How we test smart home hubs
Testing smart home hubs involves us installing the hubs in a real-world scenario, and seeing how well they perform. How easy is it to set up, both in terms of the hardware and the software? How simple is it to connect other smart home devices to the hub?
After that, they key to any smart home hub is determining how complex you can make the interactions between various smart home devices. For instance, if a hub only lets you create rules based on the time of day or when you speak a command, then that’s pretty limited. The best smart home hubs will let you do much more, such as changing their status based on your location or what happens when another smart home device turns on or off.
We look to see how sophisticated we can make these rules and routines, and the ease with which we can create them. Lastly, we test the routines we create to see how well they work.