Hubs & Network

The key to a truly connected smart home lies in a seamless and reliable network.

Our Hubs & Network category covers everything you need to know about the leading smart home ecosystems such as Alexa, Google Home & Assistant, and Apple Homekit & Siri.

Learn about the benefits of wireless protocols like Zigbee, Z-Wave, Wi-Fi, Matter, and Thread, and how they work together to create a stable and flexible smart home network.

Find the perfect hub and network solutions that fit your unique needs.

A Guide to Wi-Fi in the Smart Home

Wi-Fi plays a crucial role in the modern smart home as it is the only wireless solution for high-power, high-bandwidth devices to communicate. (For example Smart TVs and media streaming devices, security cameras and video doorbells, smart speakers and displays, and more) This has been recognized by the industry, which is why Wi-Fi is an integral part of the Matter 1.0 standard…

A Guide to the Matter Standard

Building a smart home can be a confusing and frustrating experience, especially when trying to connect devices from different manufacturers. In addition, having smart devices dependent on a cloud server dramatically slows things down as well as poses numerous privacy and security risks. Matter has the potential to change all of that, by establishing a unified standard for device manufacturers to adopt.…

A Guide to Thread Networks

If you’re interested in smart home technology you will probably have heard about the Matter standard, which aims to unify the smart home ecosystem with a common application layer for devices.  Matter-over-Thread is a key element of this, designed for connecting low-power, low-data-rate applications together in a mesh network. Coupled with Matter-over-Wifi for high-data-rate devices, you will soon be able to easily…

Zigbee vs Thread: Which is Better?

If you’re just beginning your smart home journey and unsure which technology stack to choose, then you’re in the right place! In this post, I deep dive into two leading smart home communication protocols: Zigbee and Thread.  I discuss their key features, differences, and how they fit into the new, interoperable Matter standard.  By the end of this post, you should have…

The A to Z of Alexa

Ready to discover the full potential of your Alexa device? Look no further than my ultimate guide to Alexa! If you’re new to this smart assistant, let me walk you through the basics, from setting up your device to customizing its settings. And for those who already have some experience with Alexa, we’ve got plenty of tips and tricks, such as creating…

Does Alexa Need Wi-Fi?

Do you own Amazon Echo or Echo Dot speakers or are thinking about buying them? If so, you must be asking yourself, does Alexa need Wi-Fi? Check out this article to answer all your questions about your Alexa devices.