Welcome back Home Enthusiasts! We're trustedshoppingguide.com and today we are
in the Home. In this video, two smart home control brands will be going head to head.
We have the Philips Hue Smart Hub and the 4th Generation Amazon Echo.
Making your home management fun and easy, smart home controllers utilize a hardwired
or wireless system to connect to a variety of smart appliances. By simply connecting
your device to your smartphone, tablet, laptop, smart TV, or even game console,
they will be able to detect compatible devices such as thermostats, cameras, lights,
and monitors to name a few. On top of having a convenient way of synchronizing your home,
you will also be able to save on electrical bills by regulating unused or rarely used appliances.
In today s review, we have picked two of the most brilliant competitors - the Philips Hue
Smart Hub and the 4th Generation Amazon Echo which both have earned 5 badges from our team
at trustedshoppingguide.com. Whether you re searching for an expansive controller or you
re looking for a protective candidate, you will surely find your best match in today s Brand Wars!
If you are interested in the other smart home controls that we reviewed, do check out our
smart home control review video linked below. If you want direct links to the products themselves,
all these links are also listed below too. So, without further ado, let s start the brand wars!
The first category that these smart home controls will be going toe to toe with
is their voice activation and control Just like a human helper, smart home
controls also use active listening to follow a command. Voice activation and control regulate
a broad range of automated systems as soon as it recognizes the voice of the registered user.
Both of our contenders have a built-in ZigBee-controlled hub for this interface. This
integration speeds up the configuration process since ZigBee detects nearby appliances in under 5
minutes. However, the Philips Hue Smart Hub works in tandem with Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, and
Google Assistant while the 4th Generation Amazon Echo is exclusive to work only with Amazon Alexa.
This means that appliances that are not compatible with Alexa such as Google Nest, some models of LG
televisions, and some units of Philips lights won t receive voice commands from Amazon Echo.
In this round, we are giving the first win to the versatility of voice control
of the Philips Hue Smart Hub. The second category that these
two brands will be going toe to toe with is their compatible smart systems
Making sure that your hive completes tasks and consumes energy intentionally, a smart
home hub will connect to different networks, systems, and devices to unify their functions
or customize their settings. In this way, you can simplify the way you manage your space.
The 4th Generation Amazon Echo is eager to please with its connection to compatible sensors, lights,
locks, bulbs, and even weather-controlled systems such as solar lights and temperature-sensitive
LED strips. With this, you can guarantee that you re not leaving an excess carbon footprint
and you can also safe keep everyone at home. If you re too lazy to go to your nightly rounds,
a unified personalized command can shut your locks, turn off unused lights, and turn on your
safety alarms in case of suspicious activity. The Amazon Echo also has multi-room music so you can
jam with your family and friends despite having your alone time in separate rooms.
Meanwhile, the Philips Hue Smart Hub is still a bit young in this facet.
On its own, you can use the Hue Hub to control your Hue lighting systems.
Apart from that, you will have to purchase Google Android Nest or Samsung Smart Things
to gain complete access to more appliances or you can the Hue Dimmer Switch, Hue Tap,
or Hue Motion Sensor to your order if you d like to synchronize commands.
Even though the Philips Hue Smart Hub has a lot of potential for voice control,
the 4th Generation Amazon Echo can control more smart items independently,
making it the clear winner of the round. The third category that these two brands
will be going toe to toe with is their network connectivity
After knowing the scale of control, it s time to take a look at how your device will connect
to your router. Both of our contenders thankfully have wireless connectivity for
increased flexibility, mobility, and speed. The Philips Hue Smart Hub has wireless
connectivity for Wireless A with a maximum of 40 megabits per second or Mbps, Wireless B with 11
Mbps, Wireless G with 54 Mbps, and Wireless N with up to 900 Mbps with 2.4 and 5 gigahertz networks.
With this, you can still control your device over a data network in case of Wi-Fi interruption.
In contrast, the 4th Generation Amazon Echo has the same connectivity as the Wireless A,
B, G, and N but it adds Wireless AC to its list. Wireless AC has a speed of 3.2 Gigabits per second
which is employed for newer Wi-Fi bands. However, Amazon Echo doesn t support
ad-hoc or peer-to-peer connections so you won t be able to connect properly with some wireless local
area networks or LANs due to its lack of security. This option also offers a Bluetooth connection
for speakers and mobile music players. They also have Amazon Sidewalk which simplifies the set-up
by conveniently reconnecting with your Wi-Fi after changing passwords and extends command
to your neighbor s house so you can help them manage their home by remotely housesitting.
In this category, the 4th Generation Amazon Echo won with its broad and secure connections.
The fourth category that these two brands will be going toe to toe with is their routine functions
Some days are a bit more draining than others and some settings are imprinted within our habits.
With the routine functions, you won t have to constantly fine-tune your commands.
You will also have a better understanding of your schedule so you re not just managing the home,
you re also managing your time. Both of our challengers incorporate
this feature seamlessly by offering alarm settings and timers. With this,
you will get contact reminders of your settings in case you want or need to change them for the
day. The routine functions are an extension of the smart systems so the Philips Hue Smart Hub
can connect to the Philips Hue app to intensify and dim smart lights. The 4th Generation Amazon
Echo took a bigger stride though. If you bet on this, you ll be able to command your smart coffee
maker to get your hot cup of espresso ready by 5 A.M. and your smart thermostat will automatically
turn on 15 minutes before you arrive home from work. This can be activated through manual
settings but the Amazon Echo also operates with an ultrasound Motion system so some operations
will begin as soon as you walk into the room. For this round, the intuitive facet of the 4th
Generation Amazon Echo got ahead of the race. The fifth and final category that these two
brands will be going toe to toe with is their privacy protection
Some users are scared to employ smart home control because of the fear of privacy invasion.
Thankfully, manufacturers are very transparent about their privacy protection policies
so your device won t accumulate your information without your permission.
The Philips Hue Smart Hub uses industry-standard authentication
and encryption. This means no one will have access to your settings and information
unless they have confirmed it through biometrics or contact verification.
Meanwhile, the 4th Generation Amazon Echo follows Amazon Alexa s standard of privacy.
This means that the microphone and speakers are completely disconnected once you ve dismissed
the voice control and the ultrasound motion detection won t budge if you set an Occupancy
Routine. Amazon Echo also makes sure to ask for verification before reporting usage, routines,
and recordings. This will be done through detailed screenings and a 2-factor authentication
from your official connected e-mail or smartphone. The extensiveness of the 4th Generation Amazon
Echo knocked out its challenger for this round. After the interesting clamor between our 5-badge
contenders, we have finally arrived at the end of our brand wars. Despite the strong start of
Philips Hue Smart Hub, the 4th Generation Amazon Echo still took it down with its
4 consecutive wins. Philips Hue s versatile voice command is hard to miss but the dedication
of the 4th Generation Amazon Echo to providing control for a broad range of compatible items,
secure network connectivity, habitual functions, and detailed privacy protection made it the
better smart home control of this clash. And there you have it folks the battle between
the Philips Hue Smart Hub and the 4th Generation Amazon Echo has finally ended. If you have
any contenders for our next smart home control face-off, which you would like our team to test,
do drop it in the comments section below and we will be sure to assess them for our next update.
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makes our Homes great! We look forward to seeing you at the trustedshoppingguide.com again soon.