There is a wide array ofsmart homedevice manufacturers on the market, with big tech companies like Amazon, Apple, and Google leading the industry. Whether you prefer to exclusively use devices from one of these manufacturers or you have a varied collection, they can quickly add up. Products like the Echo Dot and Google Nest Mini can blend into the background around your house, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have to manage them. If you want to consolidate your devices and streamline the management process, Amazon has launched a new product for your smart home needs.
The Echo Hub was launched today byAmazonat a price point of $180. The new smart home hub is a control panel that can be easily mounted on your wall or situated on a flat surface (with an optional stand, sold separately). The Echo Hub also has a slim profile and an eight-inch display, meaning it won’t be an eyesore. you may control it with your voice, as it includes Alexa, and it is equipped with infrared technology. While this might not initially seem like a big deal, it offers a bit of convenience — the Echo Hub can detect when a person is nearby and shift its display accordingly. Instead of having to toggle between your home screen display and the smart home control screen, the control screen will automatically appear for you when you approach the device.
If you already use open-source software to manage your products, the Echo Hub has you covered there, too. Zigbee, Sidewalk, Thread, Bluetooth, and Matter are all supported, and the device is compatible with more than just Amazon products — more than 140,000 smart devices ranging from thermostats to speakers can be used with the Echo Hub. You have the option to use it via Wi-Fi or Ethernet for internet connectivity, and it comes with a Power over Ethernet (PoE) adapter. Amazon intends to launch the Echo Hub later this year.
As smart home management solutions continue to grow in popularity, the market is naturally becoming more competitive. For example, Home Assistant just launched its own plug-and-play smart home management device —Home Assistant Green— at a budget-friendly price point of $99. With larger tech companies like Amazon entering the arena, it’s only a matter of time before consumers are spoiled for choice. Inevitably, however, this means they will also be forced to sift through seemingly endless options to resolve an all-too-common pain point. While it’s a good thing that smart home product manufacturers are finally acknowledging the issue, over-saturation should remain top-of-mind for developers. After all, burnt-out consumers are still smart enough to recognize redundancy — and opt to hold onto their cash.
Amazon Echo Hub
Amazon’s new Echo Hub is the rare Echo-branded product that doesn’t offer much in the way of a speaker — instead, it has a slim design with a crisp, eight-inch display, so you’re able to easily mount it anywhere. Combined with Amazon’s extensive third-party support, this form factor makes the Echo Hub an ideal smart home control panel.
