FACT WIKI · Technology
Smart home hub
Smart home hub
A smart home hub is a centralized control system that lets smart home components communicate and respond to one another through a central unit or application.
Roles and functions
A hub brings together configuration, automation and monitoring by communicating with and controlling devices such as home appliances, sensors, relays and robots.
How it works
A smart home hub can take the form of a dedicated computer appliance, a software appliance or software running on computer hardware.
A smart speaker with a virtual assistant can often provide speech input to a smart home hub.
Scope and limitations
Compatibility varies between hubs: some support a broad range of components, while others specialize in particular product groups or wireless technologies such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Z-Wave or Zigbee.
A smart home may use one hub, several hubs or no hub. When several hubs are used, connecting them to one another is sometimes possible.
Hub software may be open source or proprietary. Separately, its application programming interface—the interface through which software interacts with the hub—may be public or closed.
References
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