When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Your home is only as smart as the hub that orchestrates everything behind the scenes. We'll help you pick the right system for your home-automation needs. It's never been easier-or less expensive-to build out a state-of-the art smart home. We have other roundups that name the best smart home components-everything from the best smart bulbs to the best smart speakers, but in this story, we name the best hubs-the central controllers-that make home living more convenient. While the lines are becoming increasingly blurred, we see two basic types of smart home systems: Those focused on convenience first-the hubs listed here-and those focused on home security first (and here are our top DIY home security system picks).

If you don't already have a strong smart home hub, the Aqara Doorbell Camera Hub G410 can kill two birds with one stone. Describing the Aqara Doorbell Camera Hub G410 as just another video doorbell is like dismissing the quirky VW ID. Sure, it will keep an eye on your front porch, but it can also control all the other smart devices in your home, thanks to the presence of Bluetooth, Thread, dual-band Wi-Fi, and Zigbee radios; Matter support; compatibility with Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings, IFTTT, and Apple's HomeKit Secure Video; and a 24/7 recording option with RTSP support for hardcore users. One caveat: Its Zigbee support is limited to Aqara's own Zigbee devices. It's still a massive step up from the Aqara Smart Video Doorbell G4 that TechHive reviewed in the spring of 2024, addressing nearly every criticism leveled at that earlier product.

The Tessan Remote Wall Outlet is a simple and reliable way to wirelessly control lamps and small appliances. Some will value its independence from the internet; but for a similar price, a smart plug with app and voice control offers far more versatility. The Tessan Remote Wall Outlet is a no-frills way to control lamps, fans, and other household devices without getting off the couch. Instead of relying on Wi-Fi, an app, or a voice assistant, it uses a simple remote to turn a plugged-in light or small appliance on and off. That makes it an easy option for anyone who wants wireless control without dealing with smart home hubs, apps, or the accounts associated with them.

It may be a while still before we see the smart home hub Apple is rumored to be working on. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the company has postponed the announcement of the upcoming product due to the issues it's run into developing its "smarter" Siri. Gurman reported last month that the release of Apple's upgraded Siri may be delayed, and Apple confirmed as much in a statement to Daring Fireball last week, saying it expects to roll out Siri's more personalized features "in the coming year." The smart home hub, according to Gurman, "to an extent, relies on the delayed Siri capabilities." Gurman previously reported that the first version of the smart home display could be revealed as soon as March.

The Aqara G5 Pro Wi-Fi delivers impressive security and connectivity features, making it ideal for tech-savvy users looking to seamlessly extend their smart-home ecosystem outdoors. The G5 Pro is Aqara's newest outdoor security camera, designed to protect your home while extending your smart-home network outdoors. It pulls double duty, providing real-time monitoring and connecting your Aqara and many third-party smart devices in one integrated hub. Sitting at the higher end of Aqara's camera lineup, the G5 Pro emphasizes ease of use, solid image quality, and smooth integration with popular smart-home ecosystems. We review the Aqara G5 Pro Wi-Fi here; a power-over-ethernet (PoE) version is also available for about 20 more.

LG has introduced a smart home hub called ThinQ ON that has the technology to control not just LG-branded appliances but also other smart home devices. It comes with a built-in speaker that gives you a way to talk to LG's AI voice assistant, so you can use it to look up information, as well as to control your smart devices with spoken commands. LG says its technology can "understand the context of conversations" and can determine your preference for a specific device. It could, perhaps, tell your preferred temperature for the thermostat or the washer cycle you typically use. And it can notify you when a task is done, such as when the dryer cycle is finished.

It's no secret that Amazon Prime Day is one of the best times of the year to pick up an Echo speaker. That was true for the main sales event in July, and it's true again for October. Most of Amazon's smart speakers and smart displays are down to record-low prices, or close to them, so Prime members can pick them up for some of the best prices we've seen all year. If you've wanted to add to your smart home setup, or build one from scratch, now's a great time to get an Alexa-enabled device. Here are all of the best Prime Day deals on Echo Dots, Echo Show displays and more.

The brushless motor that almost silently spins its 10.1-inch HD display around a 350-degree arc is the feature that will grab your attention when you take it out of the box, but you'll quickly discover many more things to get jazzed over when you set about exploiting its capabilities to the fullest. This is a fantastic feature whether you're following a recipe, engaging in a video call, or watching a movie on Netflix. And Amazon gives you full control over how motion occurs: You can disable it entirely, enable it only for some activities--such as when making video calls, watching a video, or following a recipe--or you can activate/deactivate it on demand by saying things like "Alexa, follow me," "Alexa, turn right," or "Alexa, turn off motion." If you place the Echo Show next to a wall or in a corner, you can adjust how far it will rotate so that it doesn't bump into anything as it spins. The display apparently has a clutch or a similar mechanism that automatically disengages the motor while at rest, allowing you to manually turn the display left or right even if motion is enabled.

Nationwide stay-at-home orders prompted many of us to upgrade our homes with comfort, convenience, and security devices this year. And the smart home industry was all too happy to help us indulge those instincts. But not every product on this list was introduced in 2020. We're not going to avoid recommending a great product just because it hit the market earlier than January 1, 2020. We have more than one product in some categories, differentiated by price or feature set.

One way to build out a smart home is to buy lots of components--sensors, smart bulbs, security cameras, speakers, and whatnot--and connect them all to a hub that helps them communicate with each other and with you, via your smartphone. But let's be real: That can involve spending a lot of money and investing a lot of time. If your wants and needs are simpler, just a few relatively inexpensive products will deliver most of the conveniences a high-end smart home can deliver, and on a much more modest budget. And if you make sure those smart home products are compatible with each other, you'll build a solid foundation that you can expand over time. The key is knowing which smart home products don't depend on a smart home hub to operate.