Elevating My Smart Home Experience: Why I Switched from SmartThings to Hubitat

After many years of enjoying the convenience of SmartThings automation, I found myself wanting more from my IoT hub. While SmartThings had served me well, managing over 100 Z-Wave and Zigbee devices in my home, I realized there might be a better solution out there. That’s when I discovered the Hubitat Elevation hub—and it changed everything.

The Power of Local Automation

One of the most compelling advantages that Hubitat offers over SmartThings is local automation execution. With SmartThings, if my home network experienced an outage—whether due to an ISP service disruption or a misstep in tweaking router settings—my entire SmartThings hub would become unreachable. This dependency on cloud-based operation also introduced noticeable lag. The delay between tapping a button and SmartThings executing the command became increasingly frustrating. Hubitat, on the other hand, delivers near-instantaneous response times, thanks to its local execution. Imagine pressing a Z-Wave button to toggle 10 independent lights and watching them all turn on simultaneously, within half a second. With SmartThings, this task would take around five seconds, with lights turning on in a random sequence. Hubitat’s group lighting support ensures a coordinated, almost instantaneous response.

Enhanced Data Security

Another significant benefit of Hubitat is its focus on data security. Unlike Samsung SmartThings, which stores data and home information in the cloud, Hubitat keeps everything local on your LAN. This approach minimizes the risk of data breaches and offers unparalleled privacy. Your smart home data never leaves your home network, providing an extra layer of security that cloud-dependent systems simply can't match.

Seamless Compatibility and Transition

One of my initial concerns about switching from SmartThings to Hubitat was compatibility with my existing devices. Fortunately, the Hubitat Elevation hub is compatible with 99% of my SmartThings Z-Wave and Zigbee devices. The transition process was surprisingly smooth, thanks to Hubitat’s comprehensive documentation, which is some of the best I’ve encountered. Migrating all my devices, rules, and automations took just one weekend—far less time than I anticipated.

Taking My Smart Home to the Next Level

Switching to the Hubitat Elevation hub has truly elevated my smart home experience. With faster, more reliable automations and enhanced data security, I no longer have to worry about network outages or sluggish responses. Everything just works, and it works fast. If you’re invested in a smart home ecosystem and looking for a hub that offers more control, speed, and security, I highly recommend giving Hubitat Elevation a try. It’s taken my smart home to the next level, and I couldn’t be happier with the results. 2024 UPDATE: HomeKit support is available on Hubitat Elevation smart home hubs! Finally a seamless solution to connecting your Z-Wave, Zigbee, and WiFi devices to Apple's HomeKit network and controllable from the Apple Home app. Learn more View the full list of officially supported devices for Hubitat C7 Elevation smart home hub.