Smartthings Hub Vs. Home Assistant

You can transform your living space into a smart home if you have an efficient smart hub. Learn more here about Smartthings hub vs. Home Assistant.

You can control a smart home device like a smart bulb from a smartphone, even if you’re miles away if you have a smart hub installed. Therefore, a smart home hub is a home automation device you need to have remote access and control over your smart home!

That’s why we’re comparing the two most popular smart hubs in the market right now, pitting the specifications and features of the Smartthings hub vs. the Home Assistant smart hub. So, be sure to read on for more information on the smart hub that might be best for you.

Connectivity Technology

A smart hub comes in handy if you want to control smart home devices like your smart plug. But your smart hub will need connectivity technology to link with the smart home device you’re looking to control.

Fortunately, the Smartthings hub and Google Home Mini all have wireless technology for communicating and linking with your smart home devices.

But they connect to your smart home devices through different connectivity interfaces. The Smartthings hub uses a Wi-Fi connectivity interface to control devices in your residence.

On the other hand, you can be sure to control devices via Bluetooth 4.1 and Wi-Fi network if you have Google Home Assistant installed in your residence!

Smartthings hub can also connect with smart home devices via Bluetooth 4.1, Z-Wave and Zigbee networks.

Therefore, you can also control Z-wave devices using a Samsung Smartthings hub. With Bluetooth 4.1 connectivity, you can have local control of your smart home.

Control Types

Smartthings Hub and Google Home Assistant all need your control. They only ensure your smart home devices do what you want. So, the control really comes from you. They have controls to allow you to control the supported devices fully.

But as you’d expect from the two smart hubs, they have different controls. This means you will control them differently to achieve the same result.

Samsung Smartthings Hub uses an app as its control method. You will download the Smartthings hub app on your mobile devices, such as a smartphone or tablet. However, your smartphone or tablet will need to meet specific operating system requirements to run the app successfully.

Make sure your smartphone or tablet uses at least Android version 5.0 or iOS 10 and above.

On the other hand, Google Assistant uses the voice control method. You can ask your Home Assistant to turn on/off a specific set of smart lights. You can also ask it to tell you the weather forecast.

You could ask your Google Home Assistant a lot of questions, and it will answer you. But you will still need an app to add skills to your Home Assistant. Your smartphone or tablet should have Android version 4.4 or iOS 9.1 and above to run the app. Therefore, the primary method for controlling Home Assistant is by voice command.

Compatible Controllers

There is the primary method for controlling your smart hub. For the Smartthings hub, an app is a primary controller. For Google Home Assistant, your voice command is the primary control method. But you can control your smart hub via other controller devices.

This gives you an option when you can’t reach the primary controller. With other controller devices, you can be sure to control your smart home with as much efficiency and accuracy as the primary controller.

Samsung Smartthings hub is compatible with other controllers that include Amazon Alexa Google Assistant and Smartthings. These are smart speakers that allow you to control the Smartthings hub by voice.

You will add the right skills to your voice assistants before using them to control your Smartthings hub. And once you have added the skills, you can command the Smartthings hub to perform a given task by voice!

On the other hand, Google Home Assistant is a smart speaker that can also work with Hue Bridge smart hub, LightwaveRF, SmartThings, LIFX, Nest, and Hive. With these control devices, you can turn your smart speaker on/off remotely.

Once you have downloaded the control device’s app on your smartphone, you can be sure to have remote access to your Home Assistant.

Compatible Smart Home Accessories

You can control smart home accessories such as the camera, smart bulbs, and smart plugs with your smart hub. But the smart hub can only connect to a given number of smart home accessories at a time.

Therefore, ensure you don’t exceed the maximum number of compatible smart home accessories when connecting the smart hub with smart home devices.

Smartthings Hub can connect with 232 smart home devices at a time. You can control your smart lighting, smart plugs, and cameras with your Samsung Smartthings hub. On the other hand, Google Home Mini can control an unlimited number of smart home accessories.

You can control your smart TV, thermostat, smart bulbs, and thousands of other smart home accessories with your Home Assistant smart speaker.

Power Rating

Your Smartthings hub and Home Assistant are all electrical devices that need electricity to function. They come with adapters for plugging them into a wall outlet. As such, you can be sure to find they require a certain amount of electricity to function.

The Smartthings hub requires you to plug its power adapter into a wall outlet with 100-240V, 50-60 Hz AC power. Your Home Assistant will use 1.7W of electric power to function. It will also need 1.4W on standby mode. But they both use less electricity, thus not affecting your monthly energy bills by a significant amount.

The Device Type

Smartthings hub and Home Assistant are two different device types. The Smartthings hub is a smart hub, while the Home Assistant is a smart speaker. But you can use them to control your smart home devices such as smart bulbs and smart plugs, among other devices.

Weight and Dimension

A product’s weight and dimension affect its portability. Some homeowners usually consider a smart hub’s weight and size when choosing between two units.

You can be sure to find the size and weight differences between the Smartthings hub and Home Assistant smart speaker.

The smartthings hub weighs 0.46 lbs. while it measures 4.72 x 1.16 x 4.72 inches. On the other hand, the Home Assistant smart speaker weighs 0.38 lbs. and measures 1.6 x 3.9 x 3.9 inches.

If you want to control your smart home devices using a more compact controller device, you will choose the Google Home Mini smart speaker in this case. Besides, it is more lightweight!

Alternatives Smart Hub for Home Automation

Raspberry Pi

You could use the Raspberry Pi 4 – the latest Raspberry Pi version – to automate your home. With this useful device, you can control your home as it works like a normal computer, only that it’s more compact and inexpensive!

This device works like an ordinary desktop and is compatible with a standard mouse and keyboard. Since it operates in the open-source set-up, you can be sure to run your home automation software for excellent home automation.

SharpTools Rules Engine

Rules Engine is the software you will need to virtualize your smart home. It has an interface that you can edit to have conditional home automation. The interface is very simple to use, and this means there is a minimal learning curve when using this service. Sign up and virtualize your smart home from your tablet, thanks to the Rules Engine smart home automation tool!

Node-RED

You can also use the Node Red virtualization software to control your smart home. What’s more, you can run this programming software on your Raspberry Pi computer and use it to control your smart home! You can control your smart lighting, thermostat, TV, and other smart home devices using this flow-based home automation tool.

Final Thoughts

Smartthings Hub and Home Assistant are devices that you could use to control your smart home. They all work efficiently and connect with your smart home devices using different network protocols.

They also work with different control devices to ensure you’re always in control of your smart home.

But they have their differences which makes them suitable for different smart home aspects. If you’re looking to have more control over your entertainment, the Home Assistant is your best smart home device. Besides, it allows you to choose your favorite track on the playlist.

But if you want to control your electronics remotely, the Smartthings hub is your best smart home device. The two smart home devices work efficiently and deliver incredible performance. You can choose the Smartthings hub if you love to spend time around your smartphone or tablet. But if you love to use your voice to get things in motion, a Home Assistant is your device.

We hope this comparison article has shed some light on the difference between the two smart home devices. Choosing the device that works best for you might now be simpler than before.