If you own one of the older Samsung-branded SmartThings hubs (the v1 from 2014, the v2 from 2015, or the v3 from 2018), you are running on borrowed time or already past it. The v1 and v2 lost cloud support in 2021. The v3 is still supported but is showing its age, especially around Z-Wave 700 series device compatibility and the newer Matter integration. The official replacement is the Aeotec-branded SmartThings hub. Whether you should buy it depends on a few factors.
What changed when Samsung stopped making hubs
Samsung exited the hub hardware business in 2020. The SmartThings platform survived (it is still owned by Samsung and runs on their cloud) but the actual physical hub is now manufactured under license by Aeotec. The Aeotec SmartThings Hub is functionally a v3 hub with newer radios, firmware, and a more reliable cloud connection. From a software perspective, you are using the same SmartThings app and the same automation framework.
Aeotec also sells the Smart Home Hub (without the SmartThings branding), which is the same hardware. The branded version is what you want if you intend to continue using SmartThings as your primary platform.
Reasons to buy the Aeotec hub
If your current setup is heavily invested in SmartThings, the Aeotec hub is the path of least resistance. Specifically:
- You have more than twenty Z-Wave devices paired to your old hub
- You use SmartThings Routines that are not easily replicable in another ecosystem
- You depend on SmartThings’s third-party integrations like Ring, Schlage, or Yale
- You use the SmartThings app daily and your family is trained on it
- You want Matter support without having to learn a new platform
The Aeotec hub also supports the Replace Hub flow, which copies your device list, room assignments, and routines from the old hub. Z-Wave devices need to be re-paired physically (their security keys live in the radio, not the cloud) but the metadata carries over so the re-pairing flow is faster than starting fresh.
Reasons to consider moving ecosystems
If you are open to changing, the Aeotec hub is not the only good answer. The smart home market has shifted significantly since the original SmartThings era. Consider:
- Home Assistant on a Raspberry Pi or Yellow: Free, fully local, integrates with Zigbee, Z-Wave, and Matter through additional dongles or built-in radios. Has the steepest learning curve but the most power. If you have ever wanted to write your own automations in code, this is the move.
- Hubitat Elevation: Local-first like SmartThings used to be. Strong Z-Wave 700 series support. App is less polished than SmartThings but the local execution is much more reliable for safety-critical automations.
- Apple Home with a HomePod and Matter accessories: If you are already an Apple household and your existing devices are mostly Matter-compatible, you can skip the third-party hub entirely. Limitations: no Z-Wave at all, less granular automation control.
- Google Home with Nest devices: Similar to Apple Home in trade-offs. Strong for voice and casting, weaker for advanced automation.
The Matter consideration
Matter is the new cross-vendor protocol that all major ecosystems now support. If you are setting up a fresh smart home in 2026 and beyond, prioritize Matter-compatible devices regardless of which ecosystem you choose, because Matter devices can be moved between ecosystems with much less friction than legacy Zigbee or Z-Wave devices.
The Aeotec SmartThings hub supports Matter as a Matter controller. So do current HomePods, Nest hubs, and Echo devices. Hubitat added Matter controller support in 2024 firmware. Home Assistant has had Matter through the Matter Server addon since 2023.
What about cost and longevity
The Aeotec SmartThings hub typically runs around the price of a mid-range smart speaker. It is reasonable. The Hubitat Elevation is in the same price range. A Raspberry Pi-based Home Assistant install is cheaper hardware-wise but has higher setup time, so the dollar comparison is misleading.
For longevity, Hubitat and Home Assistant come out ahead of cloud-dependent ecosystems because if the vendor disappears, your hub still works. SmartThings depends on Samsung’s continued investment in the platform, which they have signaled commitment to but which has happened before with Lowe’s Iris and Lighting Science. Apple and Google are unlikely to walk away from their ecosystems but have a history of platform shifts that orphan devices.
Recommendation by use case
Family of non-technical users on SmartThings already, dozens of devices, do not want to relearn anything: Aeotec SmartThings Hub, do the Replace Hub flow.
Technical user, wants more control, willing to spend a weekend setting things up: Home Assistant on a Pi 5 or Yellow.
Existing Apple household with mostly newer Matter devices: HomePod Mini as the hub, skip third-party.
Lots of Z-Wave 700 series devices, want local execution, do not want a cloud at all: Hubitat Elevation.
What to do with the old hub
If your old SmartThings hub is post-EOL (v1 or v2), it has no resale value and should be recycled. If it is a v3 that still works, it has secondary market value as a Zigbee or Z-Wave development hub for tinkerers. Wipe it before selling: factory reset, then delete it from your SmartThings account before unplugging it for the last time.
The migration cost no one mentions
The hub itself is the cheap part. The cost of switching is the time you spend re-pairing devices, rebuilding routines, and re-training household members on a different app. For a setup with thirty devices and a dozen routines, plan a weekend, not an afternoon. Even the official Replace Hub flow leaves enough loose ends that this is realistic.
If you decide to switch ecosystems entirely rather than buy a like-for-like replacement, work through our cross-hub migration playbook before you start. The order in which you migrate things matters more than people expect, especially if you have safety-critical devices like locks or smoke alarms tied into the old system.
The legacy SmartThings v2 still hides in many homes
If your current SmartThings hub is the original Samsung-branded v2 from 2015, you may not realize it lost cloud support years ago. The hub still operates locally but cannot receive firmware updates and cannot be replaced via the standard flow because SmartThings cloud no longer enrolls it. For these, a fresh Aeotec hub setup is the only path. Related symptoms during boot are covered in our corrupt backup recovery guide which applies to any hub replacement scenario.
