Am i going to have a large collection of hubs?

[JDRoberts]

As far as Hue goes, the only officially supported method requires the bridge.

https://support.smartthings.com/hc/en-us/articles/200848024-How-to-connect-Philips-Hue-devices

While it is technically possible to connect Hue bulbs directly to SmartThings without using the bridge, you do open up the possibility of some potential problems and you lose a lot of potential integration such as through the Hue IFTTT channel or with HomeKit. Even just changing colors on hue bulbs with Amazon echo is way easier if you have the bridge then if you go directly through SmartThings. The hue bridge itself is very low maintenance and the additional cost isn’t very much when divided over a dozen or more hue devices.

So that one is a personal choice, but I myself would recommend using the hue bridge. If you want to talk to people who are connecting hue bulbs directly, see the following thread:

Hue bulb without Hue Bridge?

I see that there’s a device type for “Zigbee Hue Bulb” and that a new single Hue bulb is detected by the ST hub as this when I search for new devices. It seems to pair, but doesn’t respond to commands. Is there support coming for talking to Hue bulbs over ZLL without the hub? I picked up this bulb for $20 from a company that was getting rid of some of their tradeshow/marketing displays and had a spare new-in-box Hue bulb. Not the end of the world if I need to get a starter pack to put it to use, but if support is coming soon (or ever) I may hold off. Any word? Maybe something in beta (I’ll be a guinea pig if you need testers)?