The short answer is no, most people don’t need a dedicated smart home hub anymore. Wi-Fi devices connect directly to your phone. Matter devices work across platforms without extra hardware. Voice assistants built into speakers handle basic control just fine.
But that’s not the whole story. I’ve installed smart home systems in dozens of houses over the past decade, and I’ve seen plenty of situations where skipping a hub creates more problems than it solves. The question isn’t whether hubs are technically necessary. It’s whether your specific setup works better with one or without one.
How Smart Homes Changed
Five years ago, you needed a hub for almost everything. Zigbee lights required a Zigbee hub. Z-Wave locks needed a Z-Wave hub. Every protocol needed its own bridge, and nothing talked to anything else without multiple apps and complicated workarounds.
Wi-Fi devices changed that. Manufacturers started building Wi-Fi radios directly into bulbs, switches, cameras, and sensors. Suddenly you could control everything from one app without buying extra hardware. It was cheaper, simpler, and good enough for most people.
Matter is making this even easier. Matter-compatible devices work with Google Home, Alexa, and HomeKit at the same time. You still need something to control them, but a phone or a cheap smart speaker handles that job fine.
When You Don’t Need a Hub
If you’re only controlling a few Wi-Fi devices, you don’t need a hub. A couple smart plugs, a doorbell camera, and some Wi-Fi bulbs all connect straight to your router. Control them through their apps or link them to Google Home or Alexa for voice control.
Wi-Fi works fine for small setups. The devices are cheap, setup is simple, and you’re not managing extra hardware. As long as your Wi-Fi router can handle the traffic and you don’t mind using multiple apps, there’s no reason to add complexity.
Matter devices also skip the hub requirement in most cases. Your phone or voice assistant acts as the controller. Devices pair directly and work across platforms without needing a separate bridge.
When You Actually Need a Hub
Hubs become necessary when you have more than 10 to 15 Wi-Fi devices. Your router starts to struggle. Devices drop connections randomly. Response times get slower. Wi-Fi was never designed to handle dozens of always-connected smart devices competing for bandwidth.
Zigbee and Z-Wave hubs solve this by creating separate mesh networks. Your smart devices talk to each other instead of clogging your Wi-Fi. This makes everything faster and more reliable, especially in larger homes.
You also need a hub if you want advanced automations that don’t depend on cloud servers. Wi-Fi devices usually process commands through the manufacturer’s cloud. If the internet goes down or the company shuts down their servers, your automations stop working. Hubs like Home Assistant run everything locally, which means your setup keeps working even when the internet is out.
Privacy is another reason. Wi-Fi devices send data to cloud servers constantly. Hubs that support local processing keep your commands and device states inside your network. If you don’t want companies tracking when you turn your lights on and off, local control matters.
The Real Cost of Skipping a Hub
No hub means you’re locked into whatever the manufacturer decides to support. If the company goes out of business, your devices might stop working. If they drop support for older models, you lose features. Wi-Fi devices depend on someone else’s infrastructure staying online.
You also give up automation reliability. Cloud-based automations sometimes fail randomly because of server issues, API changes, or internet hiccups. Local automations running on a hub are faster and more consistent.
Range is another issue. Wi-Fi devices need strong signals to work properly. If your router is in the basement and you’re trying to control a light in the attic, it might not connect reliably. Zigbee and Z-Wave create mesh networks where devices relay signals to each other, which extends range automatically.
Hub Options That Actually Make Sense
If you decide you need a hub, pick one based on your ecosystem. Google Home users should look at Nest hubs. Alexa users have Echo devices. Apple users need HomePod or Apple TV for HomeKit.
Those cover basic control and cloud-based automations. For local processing and advanced features, Home Assistant or Hubitat are better choices. They cost more upfront and require more setup, but you get complete control over your devices and automations.
What About Matter?
Matter is supposed to eliminate hub confusion by making everything work together. In theory, you buy a Matter device and it works with Google, Alexa, and HomeKit without needing platform-specific hubs.
In practice, Matter adoption is slow. Many devices still don’t support it. Some manufacturers are adding Matter through firmware updates, but not all of them. Matter will eventually make hubs less important, but we’re not there yet in 2026.
You still need a Matter controller, which is usually your phone, a smart speaker, or a hub that supports Matter. So you’re not completely avoiding extra hardware, you’re just consolidating it into one device instead of needing separate hubs for different protocols.
Common Mistakes
The biggest mistake is buying a hub you don’t need. People see recommendations for smart home hubs and assume they’re required. Then they spend $100 to $200 on hardware that doesn’t improve their setup at all.
Another mistake is mixing Wi-Fi and Zigbee devices randomly. You end up with some devices on Wi-Fi, some on Zigbee, and no clear reason why. Pick one protocol and stick with it unless you have a specific need for both.
People also underestimate how much Wi-Fi congestion affects performance. They add 20 or 30 smart devices to their router, then wonder why everything runs slow. A dedicated hub would fix that, but they don’t realize the problem until it’s already annoying.
Quick Decision Guide
Skip the hub if you have fewer than 10 devices, they’re all Wi-Fi, and you’re okay with cloud processing. Use your phone or a smart speaker for control.
Buy a hub if you have more than 15 devices, want local processing, need better range, or plan to build complex automations. Pick one that matches your ecosystem and supports the protocols your devices use.
Consider Matter devices if you want flexibility between platforms, but don’t expect them to work perfectly with everything yet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do smart speakers count as hubs?
Technically yes, but they’re limited. Google Home and Alexa speakers control devices through the cloud. They don’t create local mesh networks or run local automations. They’re fine for basic setups but not replacements for dedicated hubs.
Can I add a hub later?
Yes. If you start with Wi-Fi devices and decide you need a hub later, most devices will still work. You might need to buy Zigbee or Z-Wave versions of some products if you want them on a mesh network, but your existing Wi-Fi gear keeps functioning.
Will my Wi-Fi devices work if the internet goes out?
Most won’t. They depend on cloud servers to process commands. Some devices support local control when the internet is down, but it’s rare. Hubs with local processing keep working offline.
How many devices can Wi-Fi handle?
It depends on your router. Most consumer routers struggle after 20 to 30 smart devices. Mesh Wi-Fi systems handle more, but you’ll still see slowdowns eventually. Zigbee and Z-Wave avoid this problem entirely.
The Actual Answer
You don’t need a hub if your setup is simple and you’re fine with cloud processing. You do need one if you want reliability, local control, better range, or advanced automations. The decision depends on how you use your smart home, not what someone else says you should buy.