Every Smart Home Hub Compared: Which Brain Runs Your House? (2026)
By SmartHomeWorkflow Team · Last updated 2026-08-10
The hub is the decision every other smart-home purchase inherits. It’s why our compatibility checker starts by asking what runs your home. The nine in our library split into two species that get confused constantly: voice-first command centers that deepen one ecosystem, and protocol hubs that bridge radios for whichever ecosystems you use. Every cell renders live from sourced records, all facts and catches, no rankings.
YoLink Hub — the catch, per ecosystem ~$23.59 at time of research — $23.59 read from YoLink's own storefront structured data (SKU YS-HUB-FBM, in stock) on 2026-08-17. ⚠ A PROMOTIONAL figure, disclosed rather than laundered: the same storefront carries a compare-at price of $29.99, so $23.59 is a sale price and $29.99 is the vendor's own reference. Never treated as a live price.
✓ Amazon Alexa: works — 'Alexa' is named in YoLink's own compatibility list for the hub. YoLink lists the platform without enumerating which behaviours cross over, so this records a documented first-party path rather than a verified feature set.
✓ Google Home: works — Named as 'Google' in YoLink's own compatibility list — the vendor does not distinguish Google Home from Google Assistant, and neither does this record.
✗ Apple Home: doesn't work — An evidenced absence rather than a silence: YoLink's compatibility list for this hub enumerates Alexa, Google, IFTTT, Home Assistant and Raedius — an actual list, on the hub's own page — and Apple Home appears nowhere in it, nor does Matter. For an Apple household that is decisive, because the hub is the only route any YoLink sensor has to the outside world; there is no per-device workaround behind it.
✗ SmartThings: doesn't work — Same enumerated absence as Apple — SmartThings is not among the five platforms YoLink names on the hub's own page.
✓ Home Assistant: works — 'Home Assistant' is named directly in YoLink's own compatibility list, which is more than most hub vendors on this shelf will commit to in writing. ⚠ Recorded from YoLink's word alone: no Home Assistant documentation was read in this pass, and the mechanism — cloud API or local — is not stated by the vendor, so the transport axis stays unknown rather than being guessed from the LoRa architecture.
Connection: Wi-Fi · Ethernet · Lora · Hub for full use: No — verified that none is needed · Works offline: No — the core function depends on the vendor's servers
Aqara Hub M100 — the catch, per ecosystem ~$29.99 at time of research — never treated as a live price. Corrected 2026-08-07 from a rounded 30 to the exact published 29.99, read from Aqara's own US storefront product record.
✓ Amazon Alexa: works — no catch on record
✓ Google Home: works — no catch on record
✓ Apple Home: works — no catch on record
✓ SmartThings: works — no catch on record
✓ Home Assistant: works — no catch on record
Connection: Thread · Matter · Zigbee · Wi-Fi · Hub for full use: Yes (No — this device is the hub, and it is one of the hubs other Aqara devices in this catalogue need. Aqara documents it as a Matter controller and bridge, a Thread border router and a Zigbee hub.) · Works offline: Partly — some of it keeps working without the internet and some of it does not
◐partialHome Assistant: partial support — see the catch
Matter · Wi-Fi · Bluetooth
No
?
—
Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen, 2022 release) — the catch, per ecosystem ~$49.99 at time of research — 'Buy New $49.99' on Amazon's own listing (Charcoal), read browser-rendered 2026-08-17. Amazon is this product's manufacturer AND retailer, so the listing is first-party. Echo pricing swings hard on promo days; never treated as a live price.
✓ Amazon Alexa: works — This IS an Alexa device — the voice assistant is the product. Wake word, mic-off button, and Amazon's privacy-hub controls are described on the listing; routines can trigger from the built-in motion and indoor-temperature sensors.
✗ Google Home: doesn't work — Single-ecosystem speaker: the listing describes the entire control surface as Alexa and Google appears nowhere in it — the same completeness basis as this shelf's other ecosystem speakers.
✗ Apple Home: doesn't work — No AirPlay and no Apple Home support appear anywhere on the listing; Bluetooth audio streaming from a phone (A2DP) is the only Apple-device path described, and the listing even notes hands-free voice control is not supported for Mac OS X devices.
✗ SmartThings: doesn't work — The listing describes Alexa as the entire smart-home surface; no SmartThings statement exists in either direction on the page.
◐ Home Assistant: partial — Home Assistant's alexa_devices integration (🏆 Platinum quality, Cloud Polling) names 'Amazon Echo Dot' in its supported list and controls it as a media/notify device — routines, media player, announcements, do-not-disturb, lists. Partial rather than full because the surface is scoped and the path is Amazon's cloud with app-based multi-factor login, polling every five minutes by default.
Connection: Matter · Wi-Fi · Bluetooth · Hub for full use: No — verified that none is needed · Works offline: Not checked — we have not established whether this keeps working without the internet
✗doesn't workAmazon Alexa: verified: does not work
✓worksGoogle Home: works
✗doesn't workApple Home: verified: does not work
✗doesn't workSmartThings: verified: does not work
◐partialHome Assistant: partial support — see the catch
Thread · Matter · Wi-Fi +1
Yes
Partly
Optional*
Google Home Speaker (2026) — the catch, per ecosystem ~$99.99 at time of research — never treated as a live price
✗ Amazon Alexa: doesn't work — Google ecosystem device — Google's spec sheet lists 'Works with Google Home' and a Matter-hub role only, and as a Matter controller (not an accessory) there is nothing for Alexa to pair with.
✓ Google Home: works — This IS the Google Home hub — Thread border router + Matter controller
✗ Apple Home: doesn't work — Google's spec page lists 'Works with Google Home' and a Matter-hub role for Google Home only — no AirPlay and no Apple Home support are documented; Google documents no Bluetooth audio path either: the specification page lists 'Bluetooth® 5.4' as a radio and never says what it carries, so we do not tell Apple households to fall back on it.
✗ SmartThings: doesn't work — Requires the Google Home app for setup and lists only Google Home compatibility on Google's spec page; Samsung's SmartThings-Nest integration covers Nest thermostats, cameras, and doorbells while leaving Google speakers off the supported list.
◐ Home Assistant: partial — Media and broadcast control from HA via the official core Google Cast and Google Assistant SDK integrations. Its Thread border-router role exposes nothing to HA — Thread devices reach HA only by joining HA's Matter integration directly via multi-admin.
Connection: Thread · Matter · Wi-Fi · Bluetooth · Hub for full use: Yes (No — Google lists this model as a Wi-Fi and Thread hub, and this record's provider block records it as a Matter controller with a Thread 1.3 border router built in.) · Works offline: Partly — some of it keeps working without the internet and some of it does not
✗doesn't workAmazon Alexa: verified: does not work
✓worksGoogle Home: works
✗doesn't workApple Home: verified: does not work
✗doesn't workSmartThings: verified: does not work
◐partialHome Assistant: partial support — see the catch
Thread · Matter · Wi-Fi +1
Yes
?
Optional*
Google Nest Hub (2nd gen) — the catch, per ecosystem ~$99.99 Google Store US list, re-checked 2026-08-13 — never treated as a live price. Unchanged at $99.99, and all four colours (Chalk, Charcoal, Mist, Sand) are still marked 'Out of stock'. That is now roughly 25 days of continuous unavailability across every colour, first recorded 2026-07-19, with still no discontinuation notice published.
✗ Amazon Alexa: doesn't work — Google's spec page scopes the hub role explicitly to 'Works as a hub for Google Home', and Google publishes no Alexa compatibility for its own display hardware. Evidence is absence of a vendor claim rather than a vendor denial — verified 2026-07-19 against store.google.com/us/product/nest_hub_2nd_gen_specs.
✓ Google Home: works — Acts as a Google Home hub, a Matter controller and a Thread border router (802.15.4 at 2.4GHz) per Google's own spec page. The asterisk is directional: Gemini for Home permanently replaces Google Assistant home-wide, and Google documents no way back.
✗ Apple Home: doesn't work — Not an Apple Home accessory — the Hub is a controller for Google's own fabric, and Google lists no Apple Home compatibility. Evidence is absence of a vendor claim rather than a vendor denial — verified 2026-07-19 against store.google.com/us/product/nest_hub_2nd_gen_specs.
✗ SmartThings: doesn't work — Google's spec text scopes the hub role to Google Home only, and no SmartThings path is published. Evidence is absence of a vendor claim rather than a vendor denial — verified 2026-07-19 against store.google.com/us/product/nest_hub_2nd_gen_specs.
◐ Home Assistant: partial — Chromecast is built in, so Home Assistant can cast dashboards and media to the display. There is no Google-documented Home Assistant control path, and the Thread border router is bound to Google's Matter fabric. This level rests on the Chromecast spec line, not on any Google statement about Home Assistant.
Connection: Thread · Matter · Wi-Fi · Bluetooth · Hub for full use: Yes (No — this device is the hub. Google's own specification page for it reads "Thread border router built-in" and lists Matter support, which is what this record's provider block records.) · Works offline: Not checked — we have not established whether this keeps working without the internet
◐partialAmazon Alexa: partial support — see the catch
◐partialGoogle Home: partial support — see the catch
◐partialApple Home: partial support — see the catch
◐partialSmartThings: partial support — see the catch
◐partialHome Assistant: partial support — see the catch
Thread · Matter · Zigbee +2
Yes
Yes
—
IKEA DIRIGERA Hub — the catch, per ecosystem ~$119.99 at time of research — never treated as a live price
◐ Amazon Alexa: partial — Connects as a Matter bridge: bridged IKEA Zigbee device types (lights, plugs, blinds, remotes, motion/open-close sensors, air-quality devices) appear in Alexa, but IKEA scenes stay in the IKEA app and water-leak sensors were not bridged over Matter as of the July-2025 controller update. The legacy Alexa cloud skill was removed for new setups around November 2025; existing links keep working but cannot be re-established. Checked again 2026-08-10: IKEA's product page still says you 'can connect to Amazon Alexa… through integrations in the IKEA Home smart app', which is the withdrawn route — the page contradicts the vendor's own statement, and this cell follows the statement.
◐ Google Home: partial — Same Matter-bridge basis and device-type limits as Alexa; the legacy Google Home cloud link was removed for new setups around November 2025 — existing links keep working but cannot be re-established. Checked again 2026-08-10: IKEA's product page still advertises connecting to Google Home 'through integrations in the IKEA Home smart app', the withdrawn route; this cell follows the vendor's dated statement over its sales copy.
◐ Apple Home: partial — New setups connect through the Matter bridge with the same device-type limits; DIRIGERA's original native HomeKit pairing is reported among the integrations retired in IKEA's Matter-only shift — the platform names come from the reporting, not from IKEA's quoted statement, which names none. Checked again 2026-08-10: IKEA's product page still advertises connecting to Apple Home 'through integrations in the IKEA Home smart app', the withdrawn route. When set up via iOS, the hub's Thread border router joins an existing Apple Thread network rather than creating a parallel one.
◐ SmartThings: partial — No SmartThings-specific integration has ever been documented by IKEA; the path is the generic Matter bridge ('compatible with any Matter-enabled ecosystem' per IKEA's 2024 announcement), with the same bridged-device-type limits.
◐ Home Assistant: partial — No dedicated core integration exists for DIRIGERA (HA's TRADFRI integration covers only the old gateway and states this). The supported path is HA's official Matter integration consuming DIRIGERA as a Matter bridge (bridge support since hub firmware 2.615.8, September 2024), with HA's docs listing the bridged device types; a fuller-featured community integration exists outside official support.
Connection: Thread · Matter · Zigbee · Wi-Fi · Ethernet · Hub for full use: Yes (No — this device is the hub, and it is the hub IKEA's own Matter and Thread range points at. It is a certified Matter controller and bridge with a Zigbee 3.0 radio and, since firmware 2.805.6, an active Thread border router.) · Works offline: Yes — the core function runs on the device or your home network
?inconclusiveAmazon Alexa: we researched this and the evidence does not settle it — the profile has the sources
?inconclusiveGoogle Home: we researched this and the evidence does not settle it — the profile has the sources
✓worksApple Home: works
?inconclusiveSmartThings: we researched this and the evidence does not settle it — the profile has the sources
✓worksHome Assistant: works
Matter · Wi-Fi · Bluetooth +1
No
?
—
SwitchBot Hub 3 — the catch, per ecosystem ~$119.99 at time of research — $119.99 for the 1-Pack, read from SwitchBot's own US storefront structured data (SKU 810150544053, available) rather than the rendered page. Multi-packs are strictly linear at the same unit price (2-Pack $239.98, 4-Pack $479.96), so there is no bulk discount to disclose. Never treated as a live price.
? Amazon Alexa: inconclusive — Not established from what we read, and deliberately not assumed from SwitchBot's wider reputation. The product description names Apple Home, Home Assistant and Fire TV as destinations for its Matter bridging and does not name Alexa in that list — but SwitchBot's storefront copy is marketing prose rather than a compatibility table, which is the same reason we refuse to read a short marketing list as a complete one. We read no Alexa statement for this model, so the question stays open rather than becoming a no or an inherited yes.
? Google Home: inconclusive — Same position as Alexa: we read no Google statement for this specific model, and the maker's marketing description is not a complete platform list. Recorded as unknown.
✓ Apple Home: works — Claimed by SwitchBot in its own words and with the mechanism named, which is why this cell is stronger than its siblings: 'Bridge your SwitchBot devices to Apple Home or Home Assistant with Matter'. The path is Matter bridging rather than a native HomeKit accessory — meaning your SwitchBot curtains and sensors appear in the Home app through this box, and what appears is limited to what Matter's device types can express.
? SmartThings: inconclusive — Not established. SwitchBot's description for this hub names Apple Home, Home Assistant and Fire TV without mentioning SmartThings, and no per-model statement was found in either direction. ⚠ Worth knowing generally rather than assuming here: a Matter bridge is in principle reachable by any Matter controller, SmartThings included — but 'in principle' is not evidence, and this catalogue does not publish protocol theory as a compatibility claim.
✓ Home Assistant: works — Named directly by SwitchBot, on the same line and by the same mechanism as Apple Home: 'Bridge your SwitchBot devices to Apple Home or Home Assistant with Matter'. That is unusually explicit — most vendors on this shelf leave Home Assistant unmentioned — though as with Apple, what crosses over is bounded by what Matter's device types can express, not by what the SwitchBot app can do.
Connection: Matter · Wi-Fi · Bluetooth · Infrared · Hub for full use: No — verified that none is needed · Works offline: Not checked — we have not established whether this keeps working without the internet
✗doesn't workAmazon Alexa: verified: does not work
✗doesn't workGoogle Home: verified: does not work
✓worksApple Home: works
✗doesn't workSmartThings: verified: does not work
◐partialHome Assistant: partial support — see the catch
Thread · Matter · Wi-Fi
Yes
?
—
Apple HomePod mini — the catch, per ecosystem ~$129 at time of research, read from Apple's own storefront structured offer data — $129.00 across all five colours (SKUs MTJT3LL/A, MJ2E3LL/A, MY5H2LL/A, MJ2D3LL/A, MJ2C3LL/A). Never treated as a live price.
✗ Amazon Alexa: doesn't work — Apple-ecosystem by design: setup requires an iPhone or iPad, AirPlay receives audio from Apple devices only, and its Thread radio serves 'HomeKit- or Matter-enabled Thread accessories only' per Apple's specs — it is a controller for Apple Home, not an accessory Alexa could pair.
✗ Google Home: doesn't work — Set up and controlled only through Apple devices per Apple's spec page; it acts as a Matter controller/Thread border router for Apple Home, not a Matter accessory, so Google Home cannot add or control it.
✓ Apple Home: works — Apple Home hub + Thread border router
✗ SmartThings: doesn't work — Apple documents no non-Apple platform support; it is not a Matter accessory SmartThings could onboard and does not appear in Works with SmartThings partner materials.
◐ Home Assistant: partial — Community projects only, and unverified: no official home-assistant.io integration names the standalone HomePod (HA's Apple TV integration covers Apple TVs; HomePods appear only as volume targets attached to one). As a home hub it is Apple-internal — HA cannot use it as a controller.
Connection: Thread · Matter · Wi-Fi · Hub for full use: Yes (No. Apple publishes an enumerated System Requirements list for this model and there is no hub in it: “HomePod mini with the latest version of software”, “iPhone SE, iPhone 6s or later, or iPod touch (7th generation) with the latest iOS; or iPad Pro, iPad (5th generation or later), iPad Air 2 or later, or iPad mini 4 or later with the latest iPadOS”, and “802.11 Wi-Fi internet access”. A phone is the setup instrument rather than a hub in this catalogue’s sense — none of the six provider types appears anywhere in the list. The relationship runs the other way on this record: the HomePod mini IS an Apple Home hub and a Thread border router, which is what its provides block records.) · Works offline: Not checked — we have not established whether this keeps working without the internet
◐partialHome Assistant: partial support — see the catch
Thread · Matter · Zigbee +2
Yes
?
—
Aeotec Smart Home Hub (SmartThings Hub v3) — the catch, per ecosystem ~$134.99 at time of research — never treated as a live price
✓ Amazon Alexa: works — Cloud-to-cloud linked skill, not local — Alexa control stops if the SmartThings cloud or account link is down. Alexa controls hub devices (lights, switches, thermostats, locks) and can trigger SmartThings manual Routines; motion/contact sensors are status-only.
✓ Google Home: works — Cloud-to-cloud account link via the Google Home app, not local. Google only sees devices registered to the one SmartThings location you pick during linking, and sensor coverage is status-check only.
✗ Apple Home: doesn't work — No SmartThings-to-Apple Home path exists: the hub is a Matter CONTROLLER (inbound only) and does not bridge its Zigbee, Z-Wave, or hub-connected devices into Apple Home. The only cross-platform mechanism Samsung documents is per-device Matter multi-admin sharing, which applies solely to devices that are themselves Matter and needs Apple's own home hub — your Zigbee/Z-Wave gear and SmartThings automations never appear in Apple Home.
✓ SmartThings: works — This IS the SmartThings hub: a Samsung-listed Matter controller and Thread border router, on a platform that added Matter 1.5 (camera) support rolling out from January 2026. It cannot bridge its own Zigbee/Z-Wave devices out to other Matter ecosystems.
◐ Home Assistant: partial — The official HA integration is cloud-push, not local — it rides Samsung's cloud API and needs a Samsung account. HA's own docs warn that free API access is phased out starting October 2026: keep it working by paying Samsung's $4.99/mo Personal Plan, or migrate Zigbee/Z-Wave devices off the hub before then.
Connection: Thread · Matter · Zigbee · Z-Wave · Wi-Fi · Hub for full use: Yes (No — this device is the hub. Aeotec's own tech specs for model GP-AEOHUBV3 describe it as a Z-Wave Plus, Zigbee, Thread and Matter gateway, and this record's provider block records all four of those roles. Nothing sits between it and the devices it controls.) · Works offline: Not checked — we have not established whether this keeps working without the internet
?inconclusiveHome Assistant: we researched this and the evidence does not settle it — the profile has the sources
Matter · Zigbee · Wi-Fi +2
No
Yes
—
Philips Hue Bridge Pro — the catch, per ecosystem ~$139.99 at time of research — $139.99 on Signify's own US Philips Hue product page for model 046677582111, read 2026-08-17. Never treated as a live price.
✓ Amazon Alexa: works — Named in Signify's own compatibility list for this product. Hue's Alexa relationship is one of the oldest and deepest in this catalogue, but the page lists the platform without enumerating behaviours, so the depth is not certified from this source.
✓ Google Home: works — Listed by Signify as 'Google Assistant' rather than Google Home — the voice layer named rather than the smart-home platform. The distinction is not resolved anywhere on the page, so it is recorded as stated.
✓ Apple Home: works — 'Apple Home' is named directly in Signify's compatibility list. The bridge is the thing that puts Hue lights in the Home app; no HomeKit-specific limitation is stated on this page.
✓ SmartThings: works — 'Samsung SmartThings' is named in Signify's own compatibility list for this model — a first-party per-product statement, which is rarer than it sounds: most SmartThings cells in this catalogue rest on Samsung's partner directory, which enumerates no models for US readers.
? Home Assistant: inconclusive — Not established for this model, and deliberately not inferred from the platform's reputation. Signify's compatibility list for the Bridge Pro names Apple Home, Alexa, Google Assistant, Samsung SmartThings, IFTTT, Klikaanklikuit, Matter and Sonos — Home Assistant is absent, but a commercial vendor omitting a community platform is weak evidence in either direction, and no Home Assistant documentation naming the Bridge Pro specifically was read in this pass. Recorded as unknown rather than converted into a none.
Connection: Matter · Zigbee · Wi-Fi · Bluetooth · Ethernet · Hub for full use: No — verified that none is needed · Works offline: Yes — the core function runs on the device or your home network
Aqara Hub M3 — the catch, per ecosystem ~$159.99 at time of research — never treated as a live price
✓ Amazon Alexa: works — Aqara Zigbee children reach Alexa via the M3's Matter bridge — but not every Aqara Zigbee device type has a Matter mapping, only one IR AC can be bridged, setup starts in the Aqara Home app, and Thread devices join Alexa directly via Matter (the M3 does not re-bridge them). Advanced Aqara automations stay in the Aqara app.
✓ Google Home: works — Zigbee children surface in Google Home through the M3's Matter bridge; not all Aqara Zigbee device types can be exposed to Matter, only one IR AC bridges, setup requires the Aqara Home app first, and Thread devices join Google Home directly via Matter rather than through the bridge.
✓ Apple Home: works — Two paths: native HomeKit (setup code on the hub, Works with Apple Home certified) plus the Matter bridge — core functions work in Apple Home while firmware updates and advanced settings stay in the Aqara app; only one IR AC can be exposed via Matter.
✓ SmartThings: works — Reaches SmartThings as a Matter bridge (plus Matter controller); not all Aqara Zigbee device types can be exposed to Matter, one IR AC max, the Aqara Home app is required for initial setup, and Thread devices join SmartThings directly via Matter — the M3 does not re-bridge them.
✓ Home Assistant: works — The official path is Home Assistant's Matter integration consuming the M3 as a Matter bridge — Aqara is a Works with Home Assistant partner for Matter, and there is no dedicated Aqara-hub integration in HA core. Same bridge limits apply (not all Zigbee types exposed, one IR AC), and initial hub setup still happens in the Aqara Home app.
Connection: Thread · Matter · Zigbee · Wi-Fi · PoE · Hub for full use: Yes (No — this device is the hub, and it is one of the hubs other Aqara devices in this catalogue need. Aqara documents it as a multi-protocol Matter controller, Thread border router and Zigbee hub.) · Works offline: Partly — some of it keeps working without the internet and some of it does not
?inconclusiveHome Assistant: we researched this and the evidence does not settle it — the profile has the sources
Thread · Matter · Zigbee +3
Yes
?
—
Amazon Echo Hub — the catch, per ecosystem ~$179.99 price at time of research (2026-08-08) — never treated as a live price
✓ Amazon Alexa: works — Purpose-built Alexa control panel + Matter controller + Zigbee hub + Thread border router — all four roles documented by Amazon.
✗ Google Home: doesn't work — Amazon documents the Echo Hub as an Alexa control panel whose Zigbee/Thread/Matter support is 'as a controller only' — it is not a Matter accessory Google Home could pair, and neither Amazon nor Google documents any Google Home path.
✗ Apple Home: doesn't work — No HomeKit certification, and Amazon documents its Matter support as 'controller only,' so Apple Home has no accessory to pair; no Apple Home mention anywhere on Amazon's product page.
✗ SmartThings: doesn't work — Matter controller only — Amazon documents the Echo Hub as a Matter administrator, not a Matter bridge, so Zigbee/Thread devices connected to it are never re-exposed to SmartThings. Matter devices can sit in both ecosystems via multi-admin, but that is a capability of the device itself, not any Echo Hub path.
? Home Assistant: inconclusive — Documented in neither direction: Home Assistant's official Alexa Devices integration lists its supported Echo families without naming Echo Hub, and the community Alexa Media Player claims Echo products generally — Echo Hub-specific support is unverified either way.
Connection: Thread · Matter · Zigbee · Wi-Fi · Bluetooth · Amazon Sidewalk · Hub for full use: Yes (No — this device is the hub. Amazon's own developer documentation names the Echo Hub as a Matter administrator, as a Thread 1.3 border router, and as a device with a built-in Zigbee hub, which is what this record's provider block records.) · Works offline: Not checked — we have not established whether this keeps working without the internet
?inconclusiveSmartThings: we researched this and the evidence does not settle it — the profile has the sources
?inconclusiveHome Assistant: we researched this and the evidence does not settle it — the profile has the sources
Thread · Matter · Zigbee +1
No
?
Optional*
Amazon Echo Show 8 (2025 release) — the catch, per ecosystem ~$179.99 at time of research — $179.99, from Amazon's own launch announcement: 'Echo Show 8 will be available for $179.99, and Echo Show 11 will be available for $219.99.' ⚠ Sourced from an announcement rather than a live storefront, because Amazon's retail pages answer this catalogue's fetcher with a page shell carrying no product body — the documented behaviour of that surface, not a new finding. Never treated as a live price.
✓ Amazon Alexa: works — This is an Alexa device, and it is the smart-home hub itself rather than something that plugs into one. The limit is the paid Alexa+ tier, which is what unlocks the more conversational and proactive features. What that tier costs is left blank here on purpose — the Amazon page carrying the price would not open for us, and we do not repeat a price we have not read ourselves.
✗ Google Home: doesn't work — No Google Home path. The basis is architectural rather than an explicit denial: Amazon documents this exclusively as an Alexa device whose built-in hub serves Alexa, and a competing ecosystem's controller is not an accessory another ecosystem adopts. Recorded the same way as on the sibling Echo Show 11, and for the same reason.
✗ Apple Home: doesn't work — No Apple Home or HomeKit path. ⚠ The Matter badge invites exactly the wrong assumption here and it is worth stating plainly: being a Matter CONTROLLER does not make this device a Matter ACCESSORY. It commissions other products into Alexa's fabric; it does not expose itself to Apple Home.
? SmartThings: inconclusive — Not established. Amazon says nothing either way. The Zigbee, Thread and Matter radios in this device serve Alexa's own hub, and nothing we read points to a way of pairing it with SmartThings — but Amazon never actually rules one out either, so we leave the question open rather than call it a no on silence alone.
? Home Assistant: inconclusive — Not established, and deliberately NOT inherited from the sibling record. Amazon publishes nothing about Home Assistant for this device. ⊕ Worth knowing which direction the practical relationship runs, since it is the opposite of what people expect: Home Assistant cannot control an Echo Show as a device or borrow it as a Matter controller — a Matter controller commissions accessories INTO Alexa rather than exposing Alexa's fabric outward. The workable arrangement is Home Assistant exposing its own entities to Alexa so the display can voice-control them, which is a statement about Home Assistant rather than a documented capability of this product.
Connection: Thread · Matter · Zigbee · Wi-Fi · Hub for full use: No — verified that none is needed · Works offline: Not checked — we have not established whether this keeps working without the internet
◐partialApple Home: partial support — see the catch
✗doesn't workSmartThings: verified: does not work
◐partialHome Assistant: partial support — see the catch
Matter · Zigbee · Z-Wave +2
Yes
Yes
—
Hubitat Elevation C-8 Pro — the catch, per ecosystem ~$194.95 US (48 states) version at time of research — regional versions are separate SKUs
✓ Amazon Alexa: works — Official Amazon Echo Skill, one-way (Hubitat devices out to Alexa only) and cloud-linked through your Hubitat account. Covers switches, dimmers, locks, fan/garage-door/shade controllers, thermostats, and contact/motion sensors; plain button devices are not supported.
✓ Google Home: works — Official built-in Google Home app, one-way (Hubitat devices out to Google only) via Works-with-Google cloud account linking. The supported device list is narrower than Alexa's: switches, dimmers, thermostats, and RGB/RGBW/color-temperature bulbs — locks and sensors are not in Hubitat's supported list.
◐ Apple Home: partial — Via the free built-in HomeKit Bridge app, which is NOT certified (Apple Home shows a 'not a certified accessory' warning) and one-way (Hubitat devices out to Apple Home). Devices joined to Hubitat via Matter or Hub Mesh cannot be shared. The C-8 Pro's Matter support is controller-only — Hubitat states it is not a Matter bridge, so Matter is not the path into Apple Home.
✗ SmartThings: doesn't work — No official Hubitat↔SmartThings integration exists — SmartThings appears nowhere in Hubitat's complete built-in apps and integrations list. Community bridges (e.g., HubiThings Replica, on the SmartThings API) exist but are user-maintained, supported by neither Hubitat nor Samsung. The only official overlap is Matter multi-admin: a Matter device can be paired to both hubs independently, which shares nothing between them.
◐ Home Assistant: partial — No official integration on either side — home-assistant.io has no Hubitat integration (the URL 404s) and Hubitat ships none. The working path is the community HACS Hubitat integration, which has HA consume Hubitat devices over the hub's official local Maker API (HTTP); community-maintained, so it can lag platform updates.
Connection: Matter · Zigbee · Z-Wave · Wi-Fi · Bluetooth · Hub for full use: Yes (No — this device is the hub. Hubitat's own product page describes it as a Matter 1.5 controller with Zigbee 3.0 and Z-Wave 800 Long Range radios, which is what this record's provider block records.) · Works offline: Yes — the core function runs on the device or your home network
✗doesn't workAmazon Alexa: verified: does not work
✗doesn't workGoogle Home: verified: does not work
✓worksApple Home: works
✗doesn't workSmartThings: verified: does not work
◐partialHome Assistant: partial support — see the catch
Matter · Wi-Fi
Yes
?
—
Apple TV 4K (3rd generation) Wi-Fi — the catch, per ecosystem ~$199 at time of research, read from Apple's own storefront: $199.00 for the Wi-Fi model with 64 GB. Never treated as a live price.
✗ Amazon Alexa: doesn't work — Apple-only by design. This is a controller for Apple Home rather than an accessory another platform can add, and its hardware list carries no radio Alexa could use to reach it. An Echo and this box can each hold the same Matter accessory at the same time; neither can control the other.
✗ Google Home: doesn't work — Apple-only by design. Google Home has no path to add or control an Apple TV: the box is a Matter controller in its own right, not a Matter accessory, and Apple documents it only inside its own platform. Sharing one accessory between Google Home and Apple Home is a Matter feature and works; controlling this box from Google Home does not.
✓ Apple Home: works — This is the native case: the box is one of the devices Apple tells you to set up as a home hub, which is what gives you away-from-home access, automations that keep running when your phone is out, and the ability to add Matter accessories to the Home app. The one thing it cannot do is Thread. Apple's own hardware list for this 64 GB model names no Thread radio, and Apple's home-hub article names the Wi-Fi + Ethernet model, not this one, as the Thread-capable Apple TV. A Thread accessory still works in your home if a HomePod or another border router is on the network; with only this box, it has nothing to join.
✗ SmartThings: doesn't work — Apple-only by design. SmartThings can add Matter accessories, and this box is not one — it is the other side of that relationship, a controller Apple documents only within its own platform. Nothing Samsung publishes offers a way to add or control an Apple TV.
◐ Home Assistant: partial — Home Assistant has an official Apple TV integration and states it works with any generation, so you can control playback, send remote presses and type into search boxes from Home Assistant. What you do not get is the part this profile is about: the home-hub and Matter-controller roles stay inside Apple's platform, and Home Assistant cannot borrow them. Home Assistant runs its own Matter controller instead.
Connection: Matter · Wi-Fi · Hub for full use: Yes (No. This box is itself the hub. Apple's requirements for it name a television, an HDMI cable, internet access and an Apple Account for purchases — no hub of any kind. The relationship runs the other way: set up this way, it is the Apple Home hub that lets you reach your accessories from outside the house, run automations, and add Matter accessories to the Home app at all. One limit belongs in the same breath, because it is the thing people get wrong: this model has no Thread radio, so it cannot be the border router a Thread accessory needs. For those you need a HomePod, the Wi-Fi + Ethernet Apple TV 4K, or another border router on the network.) · Works offline: Not checked — we have not established whether this keeps working without the internet
Home Assistant Green — the catch, per ecosystem ~$199 at time of research — never treated as a live price
✓ Amazon Alexa: works — Full Alexa exposure of HA devices — but the easy path is Home Assistant Cloud ($6.50/mo after a 30-day trial); the free path is a DIY Alexa Smart Home Skill needing an AWS account, Lambda, and your instance reachable over public HTTPS.
✓ Google Home: works — Full Google Home exposure — the easy path is Home Assistant Cloud ($6.50/mo after a 30-day trial); the free path is a manual Google Assistant integration requiring a Google Cloud developer project and an externally accessible HTTPS instance.
✓ Apple Home: works — The built-in HomeKit Bridge is free and local — capped at 150 accessories per bridge, and it pairs as an 'Uncertified Accessory' (tap Add Anyway). HA cannot expose devices outward via Matter.
✗ SmartThings: doesn't work — Works the other direction only: HA's official SmartThings integration pulls SmartThings devices INTO Home Assistant — no official path exposes HA devices into the SmartThings app, and HA states it cannot bridge devices out via Matter either.
✓ Home Assistant: works — This IS Home Assistant. The Green is Ethernet-only with no built-in radios, and the radio maths is the part that decides your real budget: the Home Assistant Connect ZBT-2 ($49) does Zigbee OR Thread — Home Assistant states plainly that it 'cannot do both Zigbee and Thread simultaneously' and that they 'strongly recommend dedicating a device to each protocol'. So a house that wants both needs TWO ZBT-2s, and Z-Wave is a third stick on top. The ZBT-1 (formerly SkyConnect) is discontinued and superseded by the ZBT-2.
Connection: Ethernet · Hub for full use: No — verified that none is needed · Works offline: Not checked — we have not established whether this keeps working without the internet
◐partialApple Home: partial support — see the catch
?inconclusiveSmartThings: we researched this and the evidence does not settle it — the profile has the sources
✓worksHome Assistant: works
Wi-Fi · Bluetooth
No
?
—
Sonos Era 100 — the catch, per ecosystem ~$219 at time of research — $219.00 from Sonos's own structured product data (schema.org Offer, availability InStock, US shipping), read browser-rendered 2026-08-17; Black variant SKU E10G1US1BLK, White sold at the same listing. Never treated as a live price.
✓ Amazon Alexa: works — Alexa is built into the speaker, not bolted on: the Tech Specs Voice row reads 'Works with Sonos Voice Control and Amazon Alexa. Availability of services varies by language and country.' The far-field mic array serves it, and a physical mic toggle disconnects it.
✗ Google Home: doesn't work — An evidenced absence under the completeness rule, not a silence: the Voice spec row enumerates this speaker's voice services in full — Sonos Voice Control and Amazon Alexa — and Google Assistant appears nowhere on the page. Buyers coming from older Sonos One-era speakers should notice: this generation does not offer Google.
◐ Apple Home: partial — AirPlay 2, by Sonos's own spec row: 'Works with AirPlay 2 on Apple devices iOS 11.4 and higher.' That is Apple audio streaming (and AirPlay-target behavior), recorded as partial because no fuller Apple Home relationship is documented on the page — the speaker is not described as a HomeKit accessory.
? SmartThings: inconclusive — Genuinely ambiguous on the day of research and recorded that way: Samsung's own partner directory lists Sonos under Works with SmartThings, but the brand's product list answered 'No products available in your region' to a US read, and no per-model statement was found in either direction.
✓ Home Assistant: works — Home Assistant's core sonos integration is classified Local Push — control over your LAN, not a cloud round-trip — at Bronze quality. One honesty note: HA's page scopes the integration to 'your Sonos wireless speakers' as a line, rather than naming the Era 100 specifically; the Era 100 is squarely that, but the statement is brand-scoped.
Connection: Wi-Fi · Bluetooth · Hub for full use: No — verified that none is needed · Works offline: Not checked — we have not established whether this keeps working without the internet
?not checked yetSmartThings: not checked yet — not a claim about the product
◐partialHome Assistant: partial support — see the catch
Thread · Matter · Zigbee +1
Yes
?
Optional*
Amazon Echo Show 11 (2025) — the catch, per ecosystem ~$219.99 Amazon's stated price at time of research (2026-07-19) — never treated as a live price. Recorded for the standalone device (ASIN B0DC91H3JK); the higher-ranking '(2025 release)' listings are adjustable-stand bundles, not the base device.
✓ Amazon Alexa: works — Native Alexa device and the hub itself. The Alexa+ tier gates the advanced conversational and proactive features — free with Prime, $19.99/mo otherwise.
✗ Google Home: doesn't work — Amazon documents this exclusively as an Alexa device with an Alexa-only smart home hub, and no Google Home pairing path exists or is claimed. The basis is architectural — it is a competing ecosystem's controller — rather than an explicit 'we do not support Google' statement.
✗ Apple Home: doesn't work — No Apple Home or HomeKit path. Being a Matter CONTROLLER does not make the device a Matter ACCESSORY that another ecosystem can adopt — a distinction worth keeping straight, since the Matter badge invites the opposite assumption.
? SmartThings: not checked yet — NOT ESTABLISHED. Amazon makes no statement either way. The Zigbee, Thread and Matter radios serve Alexa's own hub and nothing indicates a SmartThings pairing path, but Amazon never affirmatively denies one, so this is recorded as unknown rather than inferred from silence.
◐ Home Assistant: partial — Home Assistant cannot control the Echo Show as a device and cannot borrow it as a Matter controller — a Matter controller commissions accessories INTO Alexa, it does not expose Alexa's fabric outward. The practical path runs the other way: Home Assistant exposes its own entities to Alexa, so the display can voice-control them. Amazon publishes nothing about Home Assistant; this level is inference and is flagged as low-confidence.
Connection: Thread · Matter · Zigbee · Wi-Fi · Hub for full use: Yes (No — this device is the hub. Amazon names the Echo Show 11 (2025 release) in its Matter, Thread border-router and Zigbee device lists, and the product's own specification table reads "Smart Home Hub Zigbee + Matter + Thread Border Router".) · Works offline: Not checked — we have not established whether this keeps working without the internet
✗doesn't workAmazon Alexa: verified: does not work
✓worksGoogle Home: works
✗doesn't workApple Home: verified: does not work
✗doesn't workSmartThings: verified: does not work
◐partialHome Assistant: partial support — see the catch
Thread · Matter · Wi-Fi +1
Yes
?
Optional*
Google Nest Hub Max — the catch, per ecosystem ~$229 $229 is Google's own US Store price on 2026-08-21, carried identically on the product page, the tech-specs page and the configurator, with '$229' and 'or $19.08/month with 12-month financing' shown beside it. ⚠ It cannot actually be bought from Google today: both colours on the configurator — 'Nest Hub Max (Chalk)' and 'Nest Hub Max (Charcoal)' — carry schema.org/OutOfStock in the page's own structured markup, and the product page shows the label 'Out of stock'. Google publishes no end-of-life notice anywhere on these pages, so the listing is live, the price is current and the stock state is the open question. Recorded as a listed-and-priced product rather than an unavailable one, per this catalogue's rule that unavailability means not sold in the US at all — never zero inventory.
✗ Amazon Alexa: doesn't work — No route. Google scopes the hub role in its own words to 'Works as a hub for Google Home', and a full-text scan of this model's Google Store product, tech-specs and Apps & Partners pages on 2026-08-21 returns zero occurrences of 'Alexa'. ⚠ Stated precisely: this is absence of a vendor claim rather than a vendor denial — Google does not say the two do not work together, it says nothing at all. For a competing platform's own display, absence is about as close to a denial as the market gets, but the distinction is recorded rather than smoothed over.
✓ Google Home: works — This is Google's own hardware and it is a hub, not just a client: a Matter controller and a Thread border router by Google's own spec row, named in both of Google's published hub lists. The asterisk is the assistant, and it is one-way. Google names this model among the displays getting 'the complete Gemini for Home voice assistant', and states that once a home switches, 'it can't switch back to Google Assistant'. The choice is made per home, not per device, so a single Gemini opt-in anywhere in the house takes this display with it.
✗ Apple Home: doesn't work — Not an Apple Home accessory. Apple Home admits third-party hardware through HomeKit or Matter as an ACCESSORY, and this device is a Matter controller — the other end of that relationship. It commissions Matter devices into Google's fabric; it does not join Apple's. The same keyword scan across Google's three pages for this model returns zero occurrences of 'Apple' and 'HomeKit'.
✗ SmartThings: doesn't work — No published path, and the same zero-occurrence scan for 'SmartThings' across Google's product, tech-specs and Apps & Partners pages for this model. Google's hub role is scoped to Google Home; a display that is a controller for one fabric is not a device another fabric can adopt.
◐ Home Assistant: partial — One direction only, and it is worth being precise about which. Google's spec row for this model includes 'Chromecast built in', which is what Home Assistant's Cast integration talks to — so Home Assistant can push dashboards and media TO the screen. It cannot drive the device's smart-home side: Google documents no Home Assistant control path, and the Thread border router is bound to Google's own Matter fabric rather than shared. Anyone buying a display specifically to be a Home Assistant control surface should understand they are buying a cast target.
Connection: Thread · Matter · Wi-Fi · Bluetooth · Hub for full use: Yes (No — this device is the hub. Google's own tech-specs page gives it a 'Smart Home Compatibility' row reading 'Matter' and 'Works as a hub for Google Home', and a Connectivity row reading 'Thread border router built-in (802.15.4 at 2.4 GHz)'. Google's Matter hub support article says the same thing from the other side, naming 'Nest Hub Max' in the list of hubs that support Matter over Wi-Fi AND in the shorter list of hubs that also work as a Thread border router. So a Matter-over-Thread device can join a Google home through this display with no separate bridge. What it will not do is act as a hub for anyone else's platform: Google scopes the role, in its own words, to Google Home.) · Works offline: Not checked — we have not established whether this keeps working without the internet
✗doesn't workAmazon Alexa: verified: does not work
✗doesn't workGoogle Home: verified: does not work
✓worksApple Home: works
✗doesn't workSmartThings: verified: does not work
◐partialHome Assistant: partial support — see the catch
Thread · Matter · Wi-Fi
Yes
?
—
Apple TV 4K (3rd generation) Wi-Fi + Ethernet — the catch, per ecosystem ~$249 at time of research, read from Apple's own storefront: $249.00 for the Wi-Fi + Ethernet model with 128 GB. Never treated as a live price.
✗ Amazon Alexa: doesn't work — Apple-only by design. This is a controller for Apple Home rather than an accessory another platform can add, and its hardware list carries no radio Alexa could use to reach it. An Echo and this box can each hold the same Matter accessory at the same time; neither can control the other.
✗ Google Home: doesn't work — Apple-only by design. Google Home has no path to add or control an Apple TV: the box is a Matter controller in its own right, not a Matter accessory, and Apple documents it only inside its own platform. Sharing one accessory between Google Home and Apple Home is a Matter feature and works; controlling this box from Google Home does not.
✓ Apple Home: works — The complete version of the Apple TV home-hub story, and the reason to choose this model over the cheaper one. Set it up as a home hub and you get away-from-home access, automations that keep running when your phone is out, and the ability to add Matter accessories to the Home app. Because this configuration carries the Thread radio, Apple names it as a Thread-enabled home hub, which means a Thread lock, sensor or shade has something to join without buying a HomePod as well.
✗ SmartThings: doesn't work — Apple-only by design. SmartThings can add Matter accessories, and this box is not one — it is the other side of that relationship, a controller Apple documents only within its own platform. Nothing Samsung publishes offers a way to add or control an Apple TV.
◐ Home Assistant: partial — Home Assistant has an official Apple TV integration and states it works with any generation, so you can control playback, send remote presses and type into search boxes from Home Assistant. What you do not get is the part this profile is about: the home-hub and Matter-controller roles stay inside Apple's platform, and Home Assistant cannot borrow them. Its own documentation notes a real consequence of mixing the two — updates it pushes to Thread accessories can fail when the only border router in the house is an Apple one.
Connection: Thread · Matter · Wi-Fi · Hub for full use: Yes (No. This box is itself the hub, and on this model it is both kinds at once. Apple's requirements for it name a television, an HDMI cable, internet access and an Apple Account for purchases — no hub of any kind. Set up as a home hub it gives you away-from-home access, automations, and the ability to add Matter accessories to the Home app; and because this is the model with the Thread radio, it is also the doorway a Thread lock, sensor or shade needs in order to reach your network at all.) · Works offline: Not checked — we have not established whether this keeps working without the internet
?inconclusiveAmazon Alexa: we researched this and the evidence does not settle it — the profile has the sources
✓worksGoogle Home: works
✓worksApple Home: works
?inconclusiveSmartThings: we researched this and the evidence does not settle it — the profile has the sources
✓worksHome Assistant: works
Matter · Wi-Fi · Bluetooth
No
?
Optional*
SwitchBot AI Hub — the catch, per ecosystem ~$259.99 at time of research — $259.99 for the AI Hub on its own (SKU 810150547146, available), read from SwitchBot's own US storefront structured data rather than the rendered page. ⚠ Three bundle variants sit beside it and the ladder is worth stating because it is not linear: 'PTC Plus 3K with AI Hub' at $299.99 and 'PTC Plus 3K *2 with AI Hub' at $339.99 both cost LESS than the 'Video Doorbell with AI Hub' bundle at $409.98. The recorded figure is the hub alone. Never treated as a live price.
? Amazon Alexa: inconclusive — Not established. SwitchBot's own description for this hub names Home Assistant, Matter Bridge, Apple Home and Google Home — Alexa is absent from that list, but the list is marketing prose rather than a specification field, so the omission is recorded as an unknown rather than as an evidenced absence.
✓ Google Home: works — Named directly in SwitchBot's own integration list for this product, alongside Apple Home and Home Assistant. The mechanism SwitchBot names for the group is Matter bridging, so what reaches Google Home is bounded by what Matter's device types can express rather than by everything the SwitchBot app offers.
✓ Apple Home: works — Named directly in SwitchBot's integration list — 'Matter Bridge, Apple Home, and Google Home integration'. Bridged rather than native, so SwitchBot accessories appear in the Home app as their nearest Matter device type; anything without a Matter equivalent stays in SwitchBot's own app.
? SmartThings: inconclusive — Not established — SwitchBot's integration list for this model names Home Assistant, Matter Bridge, Apple Home and Google Home, and no SmartThings statement was found in either direction. A Matter bridge is reachable by any Matter controller in principle, but this catalogue does not publish protocol theory as a compatibility claim.
✓ Home Assistant: works — ⭐ The most unusual claim on this shelf, and it goes well beyond a bridge: SwitchBot says the device 'supports optional installation of Home Assistant directly on the device'. That is Home Assistant RUNNING ON the hub rather than talking to it — which, if it holds, makes this a Home Assistant box you can buy pre-built. SwitchBot also names Frigate AI compatibility and 'NVR-level security' alongside its support for standard camera streams. ⚠ We record this from SwitchBot's own words with nothing from the Home Assistant side to confirm it: we read no Home Assistant documentation naming this device, and 'optional installation' is doing real work in that sentence. Treat it as the maker's claim, not a verified way of setting it up.
Connection: Matter · Wi-Fi · Bluetooth · Hub for full use: No — verified that none is needed · Works offline: Not checked — we have not established whether this keeps working without the internet
?inconclusiveAmazon Alexa: we researched this and the evidence does not settle it — the profile has the sources
?inconclusiveGoogle Home: we researched this and the evidence does not settle it — the profile has the sources
?inconclusiveApple Home: we researched this and the evidence does not settle it — the profile has the sources
?inconclusiveSmartThings: we researched this and the evidence does not settle it — the profile has the sources
✓worksHome Assistant: works
Wi-Fi · Ethernet
No
Yes
—
Ubiquiti UniFi Cloud Gateway Max — the catch, per ecosystem ~$279 at time of research — $279.00 on Ubiquiti's own US store product page, read 2026-08-17. ⚠ THE PRICE IS A LADDER, NOT A NUMBER, because storage is a build option: the store's category listing shows this model 'From $199.00' and the product page offers 'No Storage / 512 GB / 1 TB / 2 TB'. The recorded $279 is the configured price the product page presented; a no-storage unit is cheaper and a 2 TB unit is dearer. ⚠ AND A NO-STORAGE CONSOLE IS A REAL TRAP FOR A CAMERA BUYER — Ubiquiti is explicit that a disk is what saves footage: 'Compatible storage disk is only required to save recordings and does not impact real-time playback.' Buying the cheapest configuration to run cameras gets you live view and no recordings. Never treated as a live price.
? Amazon Alexa: inconclusive — Not established. Ubiquiti names no voice assistant and no third-party smart-home platform on any of the three first-party surfaces read for this record. That is qualified silence rather than an evidenced absence — a vendor that publishes no compatibility list has told you nothing, not told you no. ⊕ Worth knowing about the architecture rather than guessing from it: UniFi Protect is designed as a self-contained local system with its own apps, which is the shape least likely to carry a cloud voice integration — but shape is not evidence.
? Google Home: inconclusive — Same position as Alexa — Ubiquiti says nothing about Google on any page we read.
? Apple Home: inconclusive — Same position — no Apple Home, HomeKit or Matter claim appears on any Ubiquiti surface read. Ubiquiti does not name Matter anywhere in its physical-security documentation, so there is not even a protocol-level route to reason about.
? SmartThings: inconclusive — Same position — SmartThings is not named on any Ubiquiti page we read.
✓ Home Assistant: works — ⭐ THE STRONGEST HOME ASSISTANT STORY OF ANYTHING WE COVER, and it comes from the Home Assistant side rather than from Ubiquiti. Home Assistant's official UniFi Protect integration carries its top quality rating and runs entirely on your own network with no round-trip to anyone's servers and no waiting for it to check — the top of both scales it is measured on. It covers 'cameras, floodlights, smart sensors, viewers, smart chimes, relays, sirens, and NVRs' with live streams, motion and object detection, event notifications and recorded footage. ⚠ Two conditions Home Assistant states outright: 'Only UniFi Protect running on a UniFi OS Console is supported' — which is exactly this product — and the 'Minimum supported software version for UniFi Protect is v7.1.0', with early-access builds explicitly unsupported and liable to break. So keep this box off the early-access channel if Home Assistant is part of the plan.
Connection: Wi-Fi · Ethernet · Hub for full use: No — verified that none is needed · Works offline: Yes — the core function runs on the device or your home network
✗doesn't workAmazon Alexa: verified: does not work
✗doesn't workGoogle Home: verified: does not work
✓worksApple Home: works
✗doesn't workSmartThings: verified: does not work
?inconclusiveHome Assistant: we researched this and the evidence does not settle it — the profile has the sources
Thread · Matter · Wi-Fi +1
No
?
—
Apple HomePod (2nd generation) — the catch, per ecosystem ~$349 at time of research — $349.00 in both colors (Midnight, White) on Apple's own buy page, read 2026-08-17. Never treated as a live price.
✗ Amazon Alexa: doesn't work — Apple ecosystem device — Siri is the voice layer and Apple Home is the smart-home surface; Apple's pages describe the control story in full and Alexa appears nowhere in it. As a hub/controller there is nothing for Alexa to pair with.
✗ Google Home: doesn't work — Same shape as the Alexa cell: Apple documents the full control surface (Siri, Apple Home, AirPlay) and Google appears nowhere in it.
✓ Apple Home: works — This IS the Apple Home hub — Thread-enabled home hub per the specs footnote, Matter-capable smart home hub per the buy page, and 'Use HomePod to easily control your HomeKit accessories with just your voice.' Setup and control run through Apple devices; the buy page's hub footnote notes accessories are sold separately.
✗ SmartThings: doesn't work — Apple's pages list only the Apple Home relationship, and no SmartThings statement exists in either direction — recorded as none on the same completeness basis as the other speaker records on this shelf: the control surface is described in full and SmartThings is not in it.
? Home Assistant: inconclusive — Checked, and honestly ambiguous: Home Assistant documents no HomePod control integration — its apple_tv integration (Local Push) mentions HomePod only as an Apple TV audio output ('All volume controls should work if the Apple TV is connected to a HomePod or HomePod stereo pair.'). Nothing affirmative was found in either direction for controlling the speaker itself from HA.
Connection: Thread · Matter · Wi-Fi · Bluetooth · Hub for full use: No — verified that none is needed · Works offline: Not checked — we have not established whether this keeps working without the internet
◐partialApple Home: partial support — see the catch
?inconclusiveSmartThings: we researched this and the evidence does not settle it — the profile has the sources
?inconclusiveHome Assistant: we researched this and the evidence does not settle it — the profile has the sources
Thread · Matter · Zigbee +4
No
?
—
Homey Pro (2026) — the catch, per ecosystem ~$449 at time of research — 'Available for $ 449' on Athom's own US Homey Pro page, read 2026-08-17. ⚠ Recently increased, and the vendor says so itself: Homey Pro (2026) launched at '$399 / €399', and Athom published both a news post ('Why we're raising prices on Homey Pro and Homey Pro mini') and a support article naming a 'Pricing update effective June 1, 2026'. The $449 is the post-increase figure. Never treated as a live price.
✓ Amazon Alexa: works — 'Amazon Alexa' is named on Athom's own product page. As with the other named platforms, Athom lists the ecosystem without enumerating which behaviours cross over, so this records a first-party documented path rather than a verified feature set.
✓ Google Home: works — Named as 'Google Assistant' on Athom's own page — the voice layer named rather than Google Home as a platform. The distinction is not resolved on the page, so it is recorded as stated.
◐ Apple Home: partial — ⚠ Read this one carefully, because it is the gap in an otherwise complete hub: Athom names 'Siri Shortcuts', NOT Apple Home or HomeKit. Siri Shortcuts is voice and automation triggering, not accessory publication — so Homey's devices do not thereby appear in the Apple Home app the way a HomeKit bridge's would. An Apple household should assume voice control and shortcuts, and verify anything more before buying. ⊕ Worth knowing beside it: the hub is a Matter v1.5 controller, and Matter is a route Apple Home speaks — but Athom does not describe that direction on this page, and this catalogue does not publish protocol theory as a compatibility claim.
? SmartThings: inconclusive — Not established. Athom's page names Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Siri Shortcuts and Matter, and SmartThings is absent — but a hub vendor's marketing list is not an exhaustive enumeration, and no per-model statement was found in either direction. Recorded as unknown rather than as an evidenced absence.
? Home Assistant: inconclusive — Not established, and worth stating plainly because the two products are natural rivals rather than partners: Homey Pro is itself the automation platform, so a household buying one is usually choosing it INSTEAD of Home Assistant. Athom names no Home Assistant relationship on the page read, and no Home Assistant documentation naming Homey Pro (2026) was checked in this pass.
Connection: Thread · Matter · Zigbee · Z-Wave · Wi-Fi · Bluetooth · Infrared · Hub for full use: No — verified that none is needed · Works offline: Not checked — we have not established whether this keeps working without the internet
No products in this category work with that ecosystem in our records yet. A Setup Check can research options outside our library.
Sorted by price, low to high — an objective order, not a ranking or a verdict. Tap any row’s ＋ (or a phone card) to read every catch. ✓ works · ◐ partial · ✗ doesn’t work (verified) · ? not checked yet · ? inconclusive — we researched it and the evidence doesn’t settle it. In the decision columns, ? means the same thing — we have not established it, which is never the same as “no.” *Prices at time of research — never live prices. Data last verified 2026-09-06; every fact links to its sourced profile.
Don’t see the exact model you own? Two options, and they’re different:tell us and we’ll add it to the research queue (free), or get aSetup Check — a personalized, human-checked report that researches your whole list, including products we haven’t profiled yet.
The voice-first commitments
The Echo Hub ($179.99), Google Home Speaker ($99.99), and HomePod mini ($129) are all Matter controllers and Thread border routers now, the quiet 2026 upgrade across the board. But read their ecosystem rows: each hubs its own platform and mostly nothing else (“it’s an Apple device; it hubs Apple Home and nothing else,” per the HomePod record). Choosing one is choosing an assistant. Two catches from the records worth repeating: Google’s new speaker is a brand-new platform pillar whose deepest features are creeping toward Home Premium subscriptions, and the Echo Hub deepens the Amazon commitment rather than keeping options open.
The protocol bridges
Aqara M100 ($29.99) is the cheapest full-marks row in the table: Thread border router, Matter, all five ecosystems. The catch that matters: its Zigbee bridges Aqara devices, not generic Zigbee.
Aqara M3 ($159.99) adds power over its network cable and local automation muscle; per its record it shines brightest with Aqara’s own cheap, excellent sensors.
IKEA DIRIGERA ($120) is the bridge for IKEA’s own budget gear: it carries IKEA Zigbee devices into any Matter ecosystem, and since a July 2025 firmware it’s also a Matter controller and Thread border router. Read its record’s catches before assuming parity with the rows above. A bridge only passes some device types, IKEA scenes stay in IKEA’s app, and the old Alexa and Google cloud links are gone for new setups. IKEA’s own product page had not caught up with that last one when we checked on 10 August 2026; it still offers those app integrations to buyers. IKEA also commits to three years of hub software support, against five for its devices.
Aeotec SmartThings v3 ($134.99) is the generic Zigbee + Z-Wave workhorse; its record flags Samsung’s October 2026 API pricing change as a real question mark over the platform’s long-term openness.
Hubitat C-8 Pro ($194.95) is local-first Zigbee + Z-Wave with deep automations; “power without polish, the UI assumes you like reading documentation.”
Home Assistant Green ($199) connects to nearly everything: it exposes your devices to Alexa, Google, and Apple Home, and pulls SmartThings devices in. The one ✗ in its row is honest — nothing sends HA devices back out to the SmartThings app. The trade is stated in its record: most powerful, most hands-on. Ethernet-only out of the box; radios are dongles.
How to actually decide
Start from your phones and what you already own; that’s the quiz’s logic. iPhone household with Apple ambitions: HomePod mini as the residency anchor, M100 if you need Thread + Aqara sensors on a budget. Alexa or Google household happy inside one assistant: their own hub device, eyes open about lock-in. Mixed household, Z-Wave gear, or a hatred of cloud dependencies: the protocol-bridge tier is where you shop, with Home Assistant as the ceiling for the willing. Then check any specific device against your choice in the checker. The lighting directory is a good first test drive, and the Thread border router guide explains the radio half of the decision.
Frequently asked questions
Do I even need a smart home hub?
Increasingly, only for two reasons: radios and residency. Radios — Zigbee, Z-Wave, and Thread devices need a bridge to your network. Residency — a hub gives automations a local home so they run when the internet doesn't. If everything you own is WiFi or Matter-over-WiFi, your phone apps and a voice assistant cover you without one.
What's the difference between a voice-assistant hub and a protocol hub?
Voice-first devices (Echo Hub, Google's speaker, HomePod mini) are commitments to one assistant — our Echo Hub record calls it 'an Alexa command center, not a neutral hub.' Protocol hubs (Aqara, Aeotec SmartThings, Hubitat, Home Assistant) are radio bridges that stay usable from multiple ecosystems. The table's ecosystem columns make the difference visible at a glance.
Which hub is the cheapest way into Matter and Thread?
The $29.99 Aqara M100 — Thread border router plus Matter with full marks across all five ecosystems in our records. Its catch: the Zigbee radio bridges Aqara's own devices, not generic Zigbee. For generic Zigbee plus Z-Wave, the Aeotec SmartThings hub ($134.99) or Hubitat C-8 Pro ($194.95) are the two-radio options.
What's the catch with Home Assistant?
Our Home Assistant Green record puts it plainly: 'the most powerful hub and the most hands-on — updates and integrations are on you.' It connects to nearly everything, with one honest exception our re-verification added: the SmartThings column now reads ✗, because the official integration only pulls SmartThings devices INTO Home Assistant — nothing sends HA devices back out to the SmartThings app. And it's a hobby you run, not an appliance you forget. The box itself is Ethernet-only; Zigbee/Thread radios are add-on dongles.
Sources for this guide
Product facts in this guide come from our provenance-tracked research records — every claim traces to a named source with the date we verified it. Dates matter: ratings, prices, certifications, and compatibility can change after we check them, so read anything time-sensitive as true as of the date shown, not guaranteed current. Spot something stale? Tell us and we'll fix it.
Aqara Hub M100 — record last verified 2026-08-11 · 16 sources, cited in full on its profile
Aqara Hub M3 — record last verified 2026-08-11 · 23 sources, cited in full on its profile
