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Originally Posted by wodin
I've been watching this tenancy to avoid the use of a hub to control smart devices, and frankly don't understand it.
I use a SmartThings hub by Samsung to control eleven (and counting) GE Link light bulbs and Zwave light switches throughout my home. The hub cost $100 and each light bulb costs $15. The alternative would be to use TP-link bulbs/switches without a hub at $50 each. That means the break even point would be three light bulbs and I'd lose the versatility of the SmartThings hub to control a plethora of other devices.
Samsung is not the only company that makes very versatile hubs, the Wink hub can be had for $50 and the Phillips Hue has the ability to multiple scenes with many colors.
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You have to look for deals and pay attention to the search results. I see TP-Link bulbs go fro $20 to over $50. There are a lot of shiesty sellers who mark them way up, but typically you can get the 50W dimmable bulb for $20 from Amazon itself (Amazon is the seller). The $50 bulb is the multicolored one.
Check out this page. So at $20/bulb and 11 bulbs that is $220 for TP-Link bulbs. At $100 for hub and $15/bulb then 11 bulbs cost $265. That is definitely not a savings.
If multiple hubs work, then using hubs is no big deal. But if multiple hubs don't work without kluge workarounds I would say choose your one hub wisely.
Amazon provides the development kit for 3rd party companies to connect their hubs and devices with Alexa. If they code it correctly then great, but if they don't then expect issues. I'm still having Alexa control issues with my TP-Link bulb and scenes. Alexa cannot discover the scenes created within the TP-Link app. The scenes work well with the TP-Link app. Still cannot get either company to say which is at fault. They both seem to be clueless.