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Intro\n\nIf you\u2019re thinking about turning your home into a Smart Home, Randy discuss what is necessary to accomplish this.\n\nChoices \u2013 That Use a Hub\n\nSmartThings \u2013 This is a company that started out as a Kickstarter in 2012 \u2013 for $1.2 million. Just a couple years later, they were acquired by Samsung in 2014 for $200 million. \nSmartThings is operated by a central hub that connects to your home\u2019s router. The SmartThings hub can send out the signal required by Smart Light bulbs, or other Smart Devices that support different protocols such as ZigBee, and Z-Wave. Both of these protocols have their own pros and cons. For instance, ZigBee operates in the 2.4GHz range, which could potentially have some clashes with your WIFI devices that use that frequency. Personally, I try to keep most of my WIFI devices on the 5GHz range, because it can handle more traffic anyway. Z-Wave is considered more reliable because it operates in the 800-900Mhz Range. Z-Wave is also 2-3x\u2019s ZigBee in Range. It\u2019s really a personal preference between these two, but it\u2019s great the SmartThings hub can support devices from Both. \nWink \u2013 Wink labs is another company that received some crowd-sourcing to begin. This one received about $20 million in funding. Like SmartThings, Wink has its own hub as well. This was actually my starting point for trying out a Smart Home.\n\n As long as you have at least the 2nd Generation Hub from Wink, it will support most Smart Home devices with Zigbee and Z-Wave \u2013 really the ONLY two protocols I care about at this point.\n\nI had mixed results with my beginner setup when I bought my Wink hub that came included with 2 Smart Bulbs. In 2015, I was one of the users affected by a security problem that knocked our hubs offline. I\u2019m sure you know what that means, I can\u2019t control my lightbulbs anymore. I saw this as a huge problem, which is why I only wanted to test this out with a couple bulbs. I felt like I wanted more \u201clocal control\u201d, you know like I did when I had used the regular light switch that I had been using for decades.\n\nWhat I do \u2013 I really prefer to avoid putting more links in a chain when it comes to my setup \u2013 especially when each link has its own strengths and weakness. Just like in Audio Engineering, your setup is only as strong as its weakest link. You cannot argue with that.\nFollow our Podcast\n\nIf you\u2019re a new listener to the Manly Hanley Podcast, we would love to hear from you. Visit our website and leave a comment. While you\u2019re there, be sure to subscribe to the newsletter!\nFollow Randrums on twitter\nLike the Manley Hanley Podcast Facebook page.