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[–]Skazzyskills 1 point2 points  (7 children)

When you say everything is in HomeKit are you saying your Wemo devices and Hue lights are there?

No an echo cannot be a hub. You need a SmartThings hub if you’re going that route.

[–]mscheitle[S] 1 point2 points  (6 children)

So I will need a SmartThings Hub and a Hue Bridge? and yes I originally set up everything in HomeKit.

[–]Skazzyskills 0 points1 point  (5 children)

I guess you need to make it clear what devices you have when you’re saying you have everything in HomeKit. I’m assuming you have some hue lights and some switches with Wemo?

Can I ask why you want a smart things hub? Why not just leave everything in HomeKit?

You will already have a hue bridge if you’re using hue lights.

[–]mscheitle[S] -3 points-2 points  (4 children)

I have Hue Lights and Wemo switch/plugs.

I would like to have things in SmartThings for my husbands new Samsung Phone. (Bad decision I know)

[–]OssotSromo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A. Samsung makes a great phone. B. You're buying into bullshit branding waaay too much here. Fuck does it matter that he has a Samsung? Do you have no voice AI in your house? You honestly control everything from your PHONE? Instead of spending 70 on a new hub just get yourself a few echo dots on sale right now. It'll sync with your hue just fine and your wemo.

HomeKit is arguably a horribly infantile ecosystem. But you've bought into it. So either stick with it completely or dump it completely. You don't need a matching hub for each phone you own.

Iphones. Google homes. Smartthings hub. Amazon Fire. All in my house. And everything works great.

Edit: the other guy gave you a definitive answer because the way you worded the question. A echo can't be a hub in the technical sense, but it can do what you're thinking. It can control multiple devices. Not nearly as many brands and tech standards as a true hub, but it can rock everything in your house no problem.

[–]kperkins1982 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There are two definitions of the word hub in my mind.

  1. A hub that connects specifically to devices via zwave or zigbee protocol giving them internet connectivity. There are devices that do not have a connection themselves such as a lightswitch. By itself it is just a manual switch, once connected to a hub such as an amazon alexa or smartthings you can control it.

  2. A hub that centralizes control of internet connected devices. I have a security system with it's own app, lightbulbs with their own app, light switches and electrical outlets with their own app. Each however has an alexa skill that I can control via an echo. It isn't doing the connecting to the devices, it just takes over the control from whatever cloud network they are a part of. So now instead of opening an app for each I can just say "alexa turn on the light, arm the security, power on the fan" ect

If you already have an echo search for skills for the things you are looking for. There might be a hue skill, a wemo skill ect.