What each kind of device needs
Start with the devices you have or plan to buy. Each kind needs something different:
- Wi-Fi plugs, bulbs and cameras: nothing extra. Your router is the hub, and the maker’s app does the rest.
- Matter over Wi-Fi: a Matter controller for the app you use, usually a recent smart speaker, display or streaming box.
- Matter over Thread, which covers many sensors and locks: a Matter controller plus a Thread border router. Many speakers are both.
- Zigbee sensors and bulbs: a Zigbee hub, either built into a speaker such as the Echo Dot Max, or a separate hub or bridge.
- Z-Wave locks and switches: a hub with a Z-Wave radio. Smart speakers don’t have one, and neither does the Aqara Hub M3.
- Apple Home automations and control away from home: a HomePod or Apple TV set up as a home hub.
When you don’t need one
If everything you own or plan to buy is Wi-Fi or Matter over Wi-Fi, you don’t need a separate hub: your router, plus a speaker or streaming box for Matter, does the job. Start there, as in our budget starter guide.
That covers plenty of homes. A few Kasa KP125M plugs and WiZ bulbs need nothing more than your Wi-Fi and their apps, and our sunset lighting guide shows they can even run schedules without a speaker.
Hub, controller, border router, bridge: what the words mean
Boxes and spec sheets use these words loosely. Here’s what each one does:
- Matter controller: adds Matter devices to Apple Home, Google Home, Alexa or SmartThings and runs them. Usually a speaker, display or streaming box.
- Thread border router: connects low-power Thread devices to your home network. Without one, a Thread sensor can’t reach your app.
- Zigbee hub: the radio that Zigbee devices pair with. Your phone can’t talk to Zigbee devices directly.
- Bridge: translates one brand’s or one standard’s devices for another, such as the Hue Bridge, or the Aqara Hub M3 bringing Zigbee sensors into Matter.
- Home hub: Apple’s name for a HomePod or Apple TV that runs Apple Home automations and lets you control things away from home.
Check what you already own
You may have a hub already. Look for ‘Matter controller’, ‘Thread border router’ or ‘Zigbee hub’ on the spec sheet:
- Amazon: the Echo Dot Max and Echo Show 8 (4th Gen) are all three.
- Google: the Nest Hub (2nd Gen) and the Google TV Streamer are Thread border routers and Matter hubs for Google Home (Google).
- Apple: a HomePod mini, HomePod or Apple TV can be your home hub (Apple). For Thread, check the model: the 2022 Apple TV 4K has it in the 128GB Wi-Fi + Ethernet version but not the 64GB Wi-Fi-only one (MacRumors).
When a speaker is enough
Speakers like the Echo Dot Max include Zigbee, Thread and Matter, so they handle sensors and locks too, with no extra box. For a home with a handful of sensors, a smart lock and some plugs, that’s usually all the hub you need. Our Echo Dot Max review has the details, and the best Matter devices to start with lists good first devices to pair with it.
- Works as a Zigbee, Thread and Matter hub
- Quick Alexa+ responses
- Fuller sound than the regular Echo Dot
- No 3.5 mm audio jack
- Top buttons are awkward
Skip it if you only want a kitchen timer and weather. The standard Echo Dot does that for less.
When a brand’s own bridge is needed
Some product lines only work fully through their maker’s bridge, whatever speaker you own. Check the box or product page for ‘hub required’ before you buy:
- Philips Hue: bulbs work over Bluetooth from your phone without it, but the Hue Bridge adds control away from home and Matter (Philips Hue). See Hue vs WiZ.
- SwitchBot: the Lock Pro needs the SwitchBot Hub for remote access, voice control and Matter.
- Ring: its outdoor smart plug needs a Ring Bridge or a compatible Echo (Tom’s Guide).
When a dedicated hub is worth it
The Aqara Hub M3 suits people with many sensors. It supports up to 127 Zigbee devices, bridges them into Matter so they appear in any app, runs automations locally even when the internet is down, and connects by Ethernet for reliability. It doesn’t add Z-Wave (PCWorld).
A hub like this earns its place when:
- You’re building up lots of Zigbee sensors, such as door, motion and leak sensors in most rooms, and want them in the app of your choice.
- You want automations and alarms to keep working when the internet drops.
- You’d rather plug the hub into your router with Ethernet than rely on Wi-Fi.
- Zigbee, Thread and Matter in one hub
- Local automations keep running without internet
- Ethernet with PoE
- Some Matter devices take several pairing tries
- No power adapter in the box
Skip it if you’re just starting out. A smart speaker with Thread and Matter covers most beginners.
Common problems
A few things trip people up once there’s more than one hub in the house:
- Separate Thread networks. Border routers from different brands have often built separate Thread networks. Thread 1.4 lets them share one, and Apple and Google have added it, but support is still rolling out (The Ambient). Until it reaches all your devices, add Thread devices from the app you use most.
- Zigbee devices dropping off. Put the hub somewhere central and in the open, and add mains-powered Zigbee devices such as plugs, which pass signals along for battery sensors.
- Matter pairing fails. Update the app and the speaker or hub first, keep your phone on your home Wi-Fi with Bluetooth on, and try again close to the hub.
- Too many apps. Every hub brings an app. Pick one main home app for daily use, and open the others only for setup and updates.
Where these facts come from
We haven’t tested these hubs and speakers ourselves. The details come from the makers’ help pages and published reviews, checked on September 30, 2026:
- Apple: set up a HomePod or Apple TV as a home hub
- MacRumors: the 2022 Apple TV 4K’s 128GB model has Ethernet and Thread, the 64GB model doesn’t
- Google: connect Thread devices with Google TV Streamer and set up Matter devices
- Matter Alpha: every Thread border router
- Philips Hue: do I need a Hue Bridge?
- PCWorld: Aqara Hub M3 review
- The Ambient: Apple and Google add Thread 1.4 support