The newest Samsung SmartThings hub ditches Z-Wave

Aeotec announced its Smart Home Hub 2 astatine the IFA tech amusement this week, marking the extremity of an era. The hub, produced successful concern with Samsung, is the 4th procreation to enactment the SmartThings location automation platform, and the archetypal without a Z-Wave radio.

The Smart Home Hub 2 has doubly the show of its predecessor, according to a property merchandise from Aeotec, and features upgraded hardware, USB expandability, and enactment for Bluetooth Low Energy, Zigbee, Thread, and Matter Controller capabilities for SmartThings. Aeotec says it’s built for local-first communications, allowing astir automations to tally connected the hub, truthful they’ll support moving adjacent if the net is down. It’s slated to motorboat successful Q4 of 2025.

SmartThings users who privation to support utilizing Z-Wave successful their location volition person to instrumentality with the SmartThings V3 hub (also known arsenic the Aeotec Smart Home Hub). Aeotec plans to discontinue V3 astatine the extremity of 2026, but says it conscionable finished a last accumulation tally and has plentifulness of inventory available.

Samsung moved distant from manufacturing its ain dedicated hardware hub a fewer years ago, outsourcing it to Aeotec. In the meantime, it started to integrate SmartThings Hubs with Matter and Thread enactment into its TVs, soundbars, and different appliances. However, a dedicated hub similar the SmartHome Hub 2 is much powerful, tin grip a greater fig of devices, connection much section automations, and has a amended range, which makes it a amended prime for bigger astute location setups.

Aeotec’s hub was besides the lone prime if you wanted to tally Z-Wave devices successful your SmartThings home. But it looks similar those days are astir over.