Question About Newer ST Devices

I just looked through the ST website and noticed several new ST devices since the last time I looked. I read what they wrote about them, but most do not clearly say what the device does.

It looks like my ST hub must be the older model now wince the one I see looks more rounded. Do I need to upgrade or should I be ok for a while with the one I have?

I also see some new devices, like SmartThings Wifi and Connect Home. What are these things and what are they for? Some almost sound like its a Wifi access point, but they say they do zwave/zigbee. Are these devices to expand your zwave/zigbee signal/coverage area?

Just trying to figure out what these things are for and if I need any of them. I did put in a zwave “repeater” in my house to extend the signal since my ST hub is on one side of my house. It shows up in ST as a light bulb, but I was told that was normal.

If you already have a v2 Hub (easy way to tell is if it has 4 AA batteries in the bottom of it), and don’t have any issues, then there is no reason for you to buy one of the new ST Hub offerings at this time. ST still does not have any sort of migration utility to move from one hub to another. You would be forced to rebuild everything from scratch.

ST has a bunch of hub offerings these days, but the v2 hub is still a very solid and capable platform. The new v3 hub adds WiFi LAN connectivity, which makes it easier to locate in the center of your house for better coverage. But, it loses the battery backup, and cuts the CPU and Memory in half.

If you need a new home MESH WiFi router system, then there is an offering that can help with that, while also replacing your current hub and offering Zigbee/Z-Wave repeater functionality. Again, you’d have to rebuild everything from scratch.

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