Casino fact

A smart hub is crucial for bringing various home automation devices together into a harmonious whole. It bridges the gap between different manufacturers, connection protocols, and uses while letting you design scenes that make your home come alive with a single tap or spoken command.

Samsung and Wink have long been rivals in the smart home niche, and their hubs were, at one point, regarded as the best. But things have changed. One company remains at the top of its game while another faces an uncertain future. How does the Wink vs. SmartThings rivalry look today? Read on, find out, and make the smarter choice.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Wink Lookout Smart Security Starter Kit with Wink Hub 2, Motion Sensor, Siren & Chime, Door/Window Sensors at Amazon.com. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. Wink Lookout Review. The Wink Lookout starter kit gives you everything you need to start monitoring your home using your smartphone. $99.99 at Amazon 1/16/2018 By John R. The Wink Lookout is a reasonably priced DIY security system that pulls double duty as a home automation hub. It's easy to install and can be paired with a boatload of third-party devices. Wink Light, a version of the hub that comes with two smart bulbs, is more expensive, as is Wink Lookout. Neither is currently available for purchase, though. You could get the original Wink Hub for around $150, but it’s inferior to its successor in almost every way. Wink Lookout review Wink’s s.ecurity sensors aren’t good enough for your smart home. Never have I had so much trouble getting a smart home product to work.

Design

Each hub has a distinct design with advantages and shortcomings. The third-gen SmartThings hub looks more modern than its predecessor with curved edges and a pleasant if uninspired look that fits in with the current smart home aesthetic.

Wink is bolder its hub’s design, opting for verticality instead. The hub looks more like a book than a smart gadget, which gives it bonus points for décor. The thin shape also makes the Wink’s footprint smaller, allowing you to place it in tighter or cluttered spaces.

+1 for Wink Hub 2

Installation

Samsung and Wink did a commendable job of making the installation process as simple as possible. All you need to get either hub up and running is to connect it to your router via Ethernet or Wi-Fi. Then you have to download the app and complete the registration process. Once that’s done, you can start adding smart devices and create automations.

Wink does have a clear advantage if you’re upgrading. Replacing the first-gen hub with the Wink Hub 2 won’t disrupt device recognition. However, doing the same with SmartThings requires you to disconnect and then reconnect each gadget individually.

+1 for Wink Hub 2 if you’re migrating from its predecessor, otherwise a draw

Accessories

You can buy additional custom-made accessories for both hubs, but SmartThings has a bigger selection. They’ve partnered up with ADT and offer a security package containing a touchscreen control center, door & window detectors, as well as an array of sensors that register motion, harmful gasses, and leaks. You also get round-the-clock professional support from ADT. On top of that, Samsung offers its own line of accessories. There’s a multipurpose sensor, a smart outlet, a leak detector, and a motion sensor.

There are only a handful of accessories made explicitly for Wink. They all come as part of Wink Lookout, a comprehensive security package you can purchase from Wink’s official website if it ever gets restocked. Lookout consists of two door & window sensors, a motion sensor, and a loud siren. The package contains the hub as well, but you can buy each accessory individually if you already have one.

+1 for Samsung SmartThings V3

Maximum number of devices

Serious smart home enthusiasts create intricate automation setups with hundreds of devices. That’s why a hub must support as many of them as possible.

Wink integrates up to 530 devices into its network, enough for the majority of users. However, SmartThings connects to an unlimited number of devices, which makes it the clear winner if you’re looking to automate a large home fully.

Z-Wave’s architecture permits a maximum of 232 devices to coexist in the same network regardless of the hub.

+1 for Samsung SmartThings V3

Compatibility

A smart hub lives & dies by how vast its ecosystem is and its continued growth. SmartThings is thriving in that respect as there are currently 397 products from every home automation field that support it. Wink isn’t so lucky. The hub wasn’t compatible with as many products to begin with, and the last batch of new arrivals was announced back in 2017. Considering Wink’s other difficulties, it’s unlikely that the number will increase.

+1 for Samsung SmartThings V3

Connectivity

Samsung and Wink both offer hubs that connect to hundreds of smart devices. Each hub works with Zigbee and Z-Wave, two of the most popular wireless protocols in home automation. They operate on separate frequencies, so maintaining clear communication between your hub and a device that works on either protocol is the norm.

Wink has the advantage since it is also compatible with Kidde and Lutron. The inclusion of Clear Connect is particularly useful since it lets you invest in Lutron smart lights without having to buy another hub. Wink also uses Bluetooth Low Energy while SmartThings doesn’t.

Even though both hubs can connect to your router wirelessly, you should use Ethernet instead. An Ethernet connection is more secure and much less prone to cutting out, so it’s a better choice if your router has unoccupied ports.

+1 for Wink Hub 2

App

Both apps are easy to use and grant in-depth smart home customization, but each also has quirks.

Wink Lookout Review

Samsung created a new app for its 3rd-gen SmartThings hub. The first app was harder to navigate, and automations were hidden behind a maze of separate screens. The style and functionality of the new app are noticeably better. It has a HomeKit aesthetic, and actions like room groupings or scenes are simpler.

Not everything is perfect, though. Ironically, the app has trouble connecting to Samsung’s own smart devices. You may even have to contact tech support to make it work with some of them.

Wink’s app hasn’t undergone any changes in a while, but it was better-designed from the start. Organizing gadgets into rooms, accessing their individual controls, and designing automations for them is a snap. The latter is particularly easy with the help of Robots, a series of conditions and actions similar to IFTTT you can set up to create complex scenes.

On the flip side, the Wink app is slow. Accessing anything takes a few seconds, which gets frustrating if you’re using Robots or trying to access the control screens for multiple devices. Wink hasn’t updated the app in a while, either.

Draw

Voice control

Both smart hubs work with Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant. You can issue voice commands to either, and they’ll control individual smart devices or implement existing automations. The AI assistants work well with both hubs and are quick to respond to commands.

Draw

Price

Samsung sells the SmartThings hub for less than $70, which is a reasonable price considering its features. Wink’s hub originally cost $99, but the price has gone up due to reduced availability. Wink Light, a version of the hub that comes with two smart bulbs, is more expensive, as is Wink Lookout. Neither is currently available for purchase, though. You could get the original Wink Hub for around $150, but it’s inferior to its successor in almost every way.

+1 for Samsung SmartThings V3

Wink Lookout Review

Availability

It’s business as usual for Samsung when it comes to availability. You can get the hub from their website as well as from a range of online retailers. Things aren’t nearly as bright for Wink, though. The hub has been sold out on the official page for months, and there’s no response or roadmap telling customers if and when things will be getting back on track.

+1 for Samsung SmartThings V3

Conclusion

SmartThings and Wink appear similar if you only look at data presented in the tables. However, SmartThings is the undisputed winner. The price of entry is low, it works with hundreds of different gadgets, and Samsung’s backing ensures that there’s a bright future ahead of the platform.

We usually point out that the other product is a good alternative if certain conditions are met. However, we cannot in good conscience recommend that you invest in a Wink Hub. The company hasn’t implemented any innovations in some time, and nothing points to new hubs being produced. Wink’s services might shut down altogether if the downward trend continues. That would leave you with a lot of migration troubles, so choose SmartThings from the get-go and save yourself the hassle.

Back in the day, the average family would have approximately a bucketful of remotes spread across the living room. Finding the right one was a chore, so many people purchased a universal remote to control all electronic devices with a single remote. Now, we’re quickly entering the age when the average family will have a myriad of smart home devices from various manufacturers, each control from its own smartphone app.

Wink Lookout Reviews

* If you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. For more details, please visit our Privacy policy page.

Those who are already living the smart life know how frustrating it can be to constantly jump back and forth between multiple apps just to turn on and off the lights or disarm the alarm. Fortunately, smart home hubs offer similar functionality to universal remotes. They let you control all your smart devices from one app, and they can even make your smart home smarter with automatic routines that make multiple smart home gadgets sing in unison.

With a smart home hub, you can configure the lights in your home to turn on when you unlock your smart lock or have the blinds automatically close when the ambient light sensor outside your home senses that it’s getting dark.

In 2017, your choice of smart home hubs essentially boils down to the second-generation Samsung SmartThings and the Wink Hub 2.

Samsung SmartThings Hub

On the official website of SmartThings, Samsung lists almost 150 products that work with the hub. These products cover everything from lights to sensors to door locks to speakers to cameras to voice assistants. They also span several smart home communication protocols, including Z-Wave and Zigbee.

The Samsung SmartThings Hub itself is a compact box that resembles the Apple TV. It has a single LED status light on the front side and a power port, a reset button, two USB ports for charging or powering various devices, and an Ethernet port on the back. The bottom lid hides a battery compartment with slots for four AA batteries, which are used to power the hub during power outages.

The Good

Even though the SmartThings Hub can at times be slightly more technical than we would like, connecting new smart devices is still quick and easy. Usually, the whole process is fully automated, excluding the occasional press of a pairing button.

The SmartThings platform is open source and protocol-agnostic, making it very easy for anyone to make any existing or new smart device work with the SmartThings Hub. Even though the Nest thermostat isn’t officially supported by the hub, the community around SmartThings has created a SmartApp and Device handlers to integrate Nest devices with the SmartThings ecosystem using Nest’s published API. That’s the power of open source in practice, and Samsung was smart to embrace it.

The SmartThings Hub can be easily turned into a full-fledged home security system with the Home Monitoring Kit from Samsung. Like any reliable security system, the hub has a backup power source (the four AA batteries hidden under the bottom lid), and it also supports USB cellular modems.

The SmartThings app offers extensive customization options, with multiple pre-configured scenarios that you can easily fine-tune to fit your needs. The app’s functionality can be infinitely extended with SmartApps, such as the one for the Nest thermostat. SmartApps provide much deeper integration with smart devices, allowing users to access all features right from the SmartThings app.

The Bad

Perhaps the biggest head-scratcher is the absence of Wi-Fi. While you don’t need Wi-Fi to easily connect smart home devices to the hub because the hub is designed to connect directly to your home router, Wi-Fi would be useful for backup Internet access. Many businesses pay two Internet providers to eliminate downtime, and, sadly, the SmartThings hub can’t automatically switch to a backup Wi-Fi network when the main network goes down.

Even though the hub is very capable, it’s still not smart enough in places. For example, Samsung makes it easy for you to configure your smart lights to turn on at night automatically, but there’s no way how to account for the fact that the sun goes down at a different time during summer and winter.

Wink Hub 2

The Wink Hub 2 supports Z-Wave, Zigbee, Lutron Clear Connect, Alexa, Google Home, and Kidde devices, has built-in support for Google’s Thread interface, and will also connect to Bluetooth LE. You can see exactly which smart home devices work with the hub by visiting the official website. There are lights, dimmers, switches, detectors, sensors, locks, thermostats, appliances, and motorized window treatments.

The Wink Hub 2 is a stylish device designed to stand upright, preferably somewhere where you can admire its sexy curves. The front side features a tall LED status light. The backside is where you find an Ethernet port and a power connector. There’s no on/off switch because the Wink Hub 2 turns on automatically as soon as it’s connected to power.

The Good

The Wink Hub 2 is meant to be as easy to use as it possibly can be. When connecting a smart home device, the hub shows helpful step-by-step instructions with pictures and animations. Usually, you just scan the barcode of the device you want to connect and go through one or two additional steps before everything is ready for use.

Creating complex home automation routines is similarly straightforward. Routines are called Robots, and their setup is very similar to IFTTT. First, you define the trigger condition; then you select what you want to happen when the condition is met. With a few taps on the screen, you can have the Wink Hub 2 to turn on the lights when you come home automatically, or you can set up your smart lock to automatically lock when all family members are at home, and it’s after 8 pm. It’s simple, and it just works.

Wink’s smartphone app is beautiful, intuitive, and functional. It allows you to receive alerts directly to your smartphone, trigger your lights with a tap on the screen, and configure handy shortcuts to control multiple smart products with one action.

The Bad

The two main things that the Wink Hub 2 lacks is backup battery power and support for more smart devices. If you see a smart home device that’s not explicitly advertised as Wink-compatible, it most likely won’t work with the hub. There is a handful of workarounds for some devices, but we don’t see the average user consulting Google for help and following complicated multi-step instructions just to connect an unsupported bulb to the hub.

The lack of backup battery power can be solved by plugging the Wink Hub 2 into a UPS battery backup, but that seems like overkill considering that a few AA batteries would keep the hub running during a power outage just as well.

Verdict

Neither hub is without small kinks, but Samsung has convinced us that the SmartThings ecosystem is the more future-proof solution. The community around it is already huge and very active, and we expect it only to grow as smart home devices become more popular. The Wink Hub 2 is a good, simple solution for someone who isn’t ready to go all-in on home automation but still wants to control all smart devices from a single app and easily create useful automation routines.

* If you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. For more details, please visit our Privacy policy page.