Hubs & assistants · Checked September 2026
WiFiXpert Compatibility Score — SmartThings hub
Best plugged into the router with a cable, after which it is one of the steadiest hubs in a home.
Plays nicely with almost any Wi-Fi
Eight checks, same for every device. The eight numbers below add up to 84.
The eight checks
| What we check | Rating | Points |
|---|---|---|
Works on 2.4 GHz Works on the long-range band if you can't run a cable. | Excellent | 14/14 |
Works on 5 GHz Newer hubs take the faster band happily. | Supported | 12/14 |
Modern Wi-Fi security No trouble with modern router security. | Excellent | 12/12 |
Happy on mesh Wi-Fi Usually sits in one place near the router, so roaming rarely matters. | Very good | 14/16 |
Works on a guest network Your phone needs to see the hub locally during setup. | Poor | 6/8 |
Survives a plug-in extender Once set up it holds a link well. | Usually fine | 7/8 |
Doesn't depend on chatty discovery Finding new gadgets uses local discovery messages some routers block. | Some dependency | 13/16 |
Easy to fix when it goes wrong Re-adding devices after a hub reset is slow work. | Medium | 6/12 |
| WiFiXpert Compatibility Score | 84/100 | |
What usually goes wrong
Hub goes offline after a router change, or new gadgets won't be found during setup.
Free things to try, in this order
- 1
Plug the hub into the router with a network cable where you can.
- 2
Keep the same Wi-Fi name and password when you change routers — then nothing needs re-pairing.
- 3
Turn off 'client isolation' while adding new gadgets.
Before you buy anything
Almost never. A £5 cable solves most SmartThings complaints.
Answers about this gadget
What it needs from your network
Small hub that bridges Zigbee, Thread or Matter kit onto your Wi-Fi or Ethernet.
- Bands it uses
- Usually 2.4 GHz, or Ethernet if you can reach it with a cable.
- How it's found
- Needs to be findable by your phone during setup, and by other hubs afterwards if you use Matter.
- Background discovery traffic
- Significant for Matter and for app discovery.
- On a guest network
- Breaks setup and day-to-day control.
- On a separate gadget network
- Keep the hub and the phones that control it on the same network unless you are confident with cross-network discovery.
Getting it set up
- • Wire it to the router with a cable if you possibly can — hubs are the one thing worth cabling.
- • Keep it away from the router itself: Zigbee and Wi-Fi fight at close range.
- • Stand next to your router while you set it up, then move the gadget to where it lives.
- • Put your phone on the 2.4 GHz network name for the setup, or use one name for both bands so the phone can follow.
- • If your router splits bands into two names, turn the 5 GHz one off for five minutes rather than fighting it.
- • Turn mobile data off on your phone during setup — some apps quietly use it and never find the gadget.
With mesh Wi-Fi
- • Plug it into a mesh box's spare port rather than sitting it on Wi-Fi.
Network notes checked September 2026.
Problem guides for this gadget
Where these ratings come from
- SmartThings — support
- WiFiXpert cases and community reports for this device, checked September 2026.
What we haven't confirmed yet
- Our sources for this one aren't from the maker's own site yet.
- We haven't yet published provider-specific notes for this device.
Nobody pays to appear in this index, and no shopping link changes a score. If a manufacturer changes something that affects a rating, tell us and we'll recheck it.